COVID Getaway at Bavarian Inn, Near Harpers Ferry

October 11, 2020 / Leave a Comment

Up until this trip, and not unlike everyone else, I was stuck at home for months due to Covid-19. While I didn’t feel comfortable getting on a plane just yet, I had to get away from my home office (a.k.a. living room), have some relaxation time. I stumbled upon the Bavarian Inn on Instagram a little over a year ago and had been wanting to give it a try. It’s a German-themed resort in Shepherdstown, WV, opened in the 1970s by a husband (German) and wife (British), and it remains in their family to this day. It’s apparent they’ve evolved the resort to fit with modern expectations of travelers. My inner PR nerd loves how active and engaged they are on social media.

My friend Heather and I decided to go the last weekend of September, while the weather was still somewhat warm, so we could have a shot at getting in the Infinity pool. Heather’s lived in Germany for a few years so she was excited to check it out for the Bavarian charm, and I really wanted to go for the Insta-worthy shots of the Potomac River. (At least I’m being honest.)

What a perfect Covid-19 getaway. Seriously. It really exceeded my expectations. Cannot recommend this place enough for a long weekend vacation, and it’s just a 3-hour drive from Pittsburgh and a 1-hour drive from D.C.

The Bavarian-styled chalets have large, renovated rooms with private balconies overlooking the Potomac River. There is plenty to do in the area, but the grounds of the resort have enough to do that you would never even need to leave. A heated Infinity Pool, tennis courts, giant Jenga and multiple fire pits line the grounds for safe, socially distanced fun. The Bavarian Inn has its own brewery and several different areas to dine and drink. The menu was robust enough that you could dine at the resort for breakfast, lunch and dinner every night of your stay, and get something different each time you ordered.

The food was TO DIE FOR. I was reading TripAdvisor reviews that complained about the food being bland, so I was worried. Honestly, I didn’t have that experience at all. It wasn’t like the food was full of the spice you’d expect from an East Asian dish, but the offerings were mostly German food with American twists. The crab stuffed pretzel with house-brewed beer cheese and salmon entree I had was full of interesting flavors. Have these people on TripAdvisor burned their tastebuds off? I was confused on that one.

One of the reasons we ended up inadvertently dining at the resort several times was because one of the most renowned restaurants in town happened to be closed for the weekend, so all other restaurants (and the resort restaurants) were extremely booked. We couldn’t even get a reservation for dinner anywhere else. Thankfully, that turned out to not be an issue.

We spent most of our Saturday afternoon hiking Harpers Ferry. We opted to go the touristy route and take the trail that headed into town, where all the little shops and restaurants were. Would I have skipped that part to finish hiking the Maryland Heights trail instead? Yes. Regardless, it was a nice —albeit humid—day with plenty of exercise.

Saturday evening we returned to the resort for dinner and did some mingling around one of the fire pits for a few after-dinner drinks. We ended up meeting some really lovely couples, some our age and some older. Everyone was so interesting and friendly. Mostly, I think we were all thankful to be getting out of the house for a bit during Covid.

Here’s what I would recommend to do and skip during a long weekend at the Bavarian Inn.

DO:

Spend an evening around the fire pit

Have a flight of Bavarian Brothers beer

Dine at the in-house restaurants (more than once!)

Try the boozy hot chocolate made at the resort bar

Make reservations well in advance if planning to dine in Shepherdstown

Spend half a day at the Infinity pool with lunch and a cocktail

Hike Harper’s Ferry trails

Visit Big Cork Winery if you have some extra time

SKIP:

Small cafes in Shepherdstown for lunch