Girls' Weekend in Frederick, MD
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Getting there
If you’re flying to visit Frederick, there are three major airports nearby:
- Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) – 50 miles from Frederick
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – 42 miles from Frederick
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) – 50 miles from Frederick
A long weekend in Frederick
In 2021, Supriya accepted a job at a hospital in Baltimore, MD. Through the pandemic and her big move, we hadn’t seen each other in way too long! We decided that we need an annual bestie trip. No matter where we live, no matter what is going on in our lives, we will make time for it.
Supriya was limited with time off so I told her that I would come to her. I did some researching and came across the Frederick Wine Trail just outside of Baltimore. We both agreed that a weekend spent outside would be wonderful!
This trip was taken May 14th to 17th. On that Friday, I hopped on a flight to BWI, rented a car, and drove to our hotel at the Springhill Suites Frederick. After work, Supriya met me and we had dinner and drinks by the rooftop fire pits.
Day 2
Supriya is not a morning person and was thankful that most vineyards don’t open until 10:00 AM. We had free hotel breakfast, took our time getting ready, and then ventured out to our first stop – Black Ankle Vineyards.
This one ended up being my favorite. The gorgeous property, yummy food options, and eco-friendly touches sucked me right in. We bought these cute hats in the gift shop.
Next stop was Elk Run Winery. From Black Ankle to Elk Run is a 5-minute drive. This cute little property really won us over when the resident pup brought his ball over. I would have thrown it all day for that sweet face! He eventually got tired and wandered off to check out what was going on inside.
Stop 3 for the day was Loew Vineyards. From Elk Run to Loew is a 3-minute drive. Loew was quaint, had live music playing, and yummy snack options.
Because we hadn’t seen each other in a long time and were in the mood to be extra, we changed dresses.
At this point, you might be asking – 3 vineyards?? How were you okay to drive?? Most of my wine gets dumped out. I like to order flights, try a little sip of each, dump the rest. If I like one and actually drink it, we’ll stay and hang out longer, hydrate, and snack.
Our final vineyard stop for the day was Hidden Hills Farm & Vineyard. This spot was incredibly beautiful! I’m not a wine connoisseur, but the wine was not good. I dumped it all.
We still stayed to enjoy the property and the gorgeous weather though! Live music, gorgeous farm, food trucks, and spending time together – what more could we ask for?
Once our vineyard tour was completed for the day, we ventured over to Cunningham Falls State Park to see the waterfall. It’s not a trip with me unless a hike is included.
We chose the short Cunningham Falls Lower Trail and Cliff Trail Loop (1.2 miles) rated Moderate on AllTrails. It was great to be active before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Day 3
Just like our first morning, Supriya and I took are time waking up and getting ready. Before our vineyard hopping adventure for the day, we had the free hotel breakfast.
When we left the hotel, we went to the Catoctin Mountain Orchard store for snacks to have stocked in the car. Then went to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve for llamas, kangaroos, emus, bears, swans, lemurs, and peacocks. I’m often skeptical of small-town wildlife exhibits but Catoctin Wildlife Preserve is an accredited member of the Zoological Association of America (ZAA) and they participate in and are members of many conservation groups.
After the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve, we drove to the Catoctin Breeze Vineyard & Winery, where we had a pergola reserved. It was a little chillier outside than we were anticipating, but we hauled our snacks out and enjoyed it!
A nice family was next to us that had the cutest puppy. They talked to us, let us play with him, and even took pictures for us.
The weather wasn’t in our favor like it was the previous day. A rain cell was moving into the area so we left a bit earlier than planned. With extra time, we stopped by Springfield Manor. This venue had a wine bar, a full liquor bar, craft parties, food, and live music.
We snacked, listened to music, pet all the dogs, and huddled together in a covered area.
When it was time to leave, we drove from Springfield to Linganore Winecellars, our final stop. As I previously mentioned, we were being extra since this was our first girls’ trip. So I had a photographer booked who was meeting us at 3:30 – Sarah Laughland Photography. Our first bestie photoshoot ended just in time! We were running for cover. Sarah left and Supriya and I stayed under the covered outdoor area until the rain passed.
Everyone in the covered area thought that we had gotten married that day. It was convenient that the vineyard was still set up for a wedding from the day before (and Supriya was in a white dress).
I love how our pictures turned out with the moody skies.
When the rain lightened up, we left Linganore and drove to Supriya’s apartment for the night. We ate, watched movies, and I re-packed.
Day 4
In the morning, Supriya left for work and I left for BWI to catch my flight home.