Design-It-Yourself Drives

Hitting the highway this fall, but can’t
agree on an itinerary? We’ve picked three scenic getaways with stops to
suit just about anyone’s agenda, whether you’re a nature nut, a history
buff, a comfort seeker, a chronic shopper—or maybe a little bit of each.
Mix and match these highlights to create the perfect autumn road trip. Now all you have to do is decide who’s driving.

Meander the Mountains

Head west on Interstate 70 and Alternate U.S. 40 through the foothills into dark Appalachian forests. Picnic beneath
the pines or hike the Appalachian Trail as it shimmies along ridges
offering unbeatable views of three states. When you’re ready, pick a
country road and meander past silent Civil War battlefields to the
Potomac River. Then tramp the steep streets of Harpers Ferry, WV, where
the past, present, and two scenic rivers converge.

Nature

Before there were Washington Monuments in Baltimore or D.C., citizens
of tiny Boonsboro marched up South Mountain on July 4, 1827, to erect a
stone mini-memorial to the first President. Today, visitors can drive
the slope to Washington Monument State Park
(301-791-4767) and walk to this rustic lookout (rebuilt in the 1930s).
Bring a camera; the 360-degree views are spectacular and you may spy
migrating hawks. Next, travel west to Williamsport to enjoy foliage
along the C&O Canal Towpath. The National Historical Park’s Visitor Center
(301-582-0813) has maps of a 1.5-mile route leading to a surviving lock
house and a stately stone aqueduct. Or bring bicycles and cruise south
to Falling Waters, where Confederate troops once escaped across the
Potomac. Too pooped to pedal? Spread a blanket at Williamsport’s
Riverbottom Park and watch fallen leaves float by like fragile toy
barges.

History

Don’t miss Washington Monument State Park’s
(301-791-4767) new museum. Exhibits include an amusingly detailed
account of the monument’s construction and a narrated diorama depicting
the Battle of South Mountain, a prelude to the Battle of Antietam in
nearby Sharpsburg. Even 150 years later, it’s profoundly moving to think
of the 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing at solemn, bucolic Antietam National Battlefield
(301-432-5124). Self-guided auto tours will deepen your empathy.
Conclude your tour in Harpers Ferry, WV, where the National Park Service
has turned the city and neighboring Bolivar Heights into a living
museum honoring the community’s industrial, cultural, and violent past.
Only have two hours? Spend them in Lower Town, the historic district
comprising two-dozen attractions, including museums devoted to John
Brown and the Civil War.

Comfort

Value, fresh ingredients, and haute home cooking, here are three food finds along your route. For lunch, try Cannonball Deli
in Harpers Ferry (304-535-1762), popular with hikers and locals for its
sandwiches and sociability. Order a lamb or chicken gyro and admire the
intricate walking sticks the owner carves. (They’re also for sale.)
Those white vans with black spots you see roaming rural roads? Follow
one home to South Mountain Creamery in Middletown
(301-371-8565) and buy bottled (yes!) milk, eggs, farm-churned butter,
and luscious homemade ice cream. You could bypass Frederick, but don’t
if it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinnertime. Family Meal
(301-378-2895), chef Bryan Voltaggio’s homage to mom-cooked meals,
elevates comfort food. Think fries cooked in duck fat with yummy dipping
sauces (smoked ketchup, salsa verde) and chicken pot pies miniaturized
as creamy, veggie-stuffed fritters.

Shopping

Before his big hike, explorer Meriwether Lewis stocked up on weapons
and tools in Harpers Ferry. Today, you can buy essentials and luxuries
in Lower Town. Appalachian Trail trekkers love The Outfitter at Harpers Ferry
(888-535-2087) for hiking, cycling, and other outdoor equipment. It
sells tenderfoot gear, too, like “I hiked the width of the Appalachian
Trail” T-shirts. (Fill your water bottles at its bamboo spigot.) At Tenfold Fair Trade Collection,
a global gift shop (304-579-8525), make purchases with a peaceful
conscience from stock that includes colorful Ikat shoulder bags from
Nepal, rustic birdhouses from the Philippines, and fused-glass earrings
from Chile. Don’t miss the National Park Bookshop
(304-535-6881), a not- at-all-musty trove of local history and culture,
from brick-thick Civil War tomes and soldiers’ caps for the kids to
Appalachian cookbooks and music CDs by West Virginia’s fiddle-playing
senator, the late Robert Byrd.

Water, Water Everywhere

Summer dictates you reach the Eastern Shore via the Bay Bridge.

But in fall, take I-95 north instead (U.S. 40 if you’re ambling) to
explore the woodsy and watery nooks of the upper Chesapeake Bay. Count
hawks as they soar above a bluff or pretend you’re a raptor as you
zip-line over a Delaware pond. Stop to eat, shop, and be awestruck by
ship traffic in Chesapeake City, whose historic canal still means (big)
business.

Nature

Abandon I-95 at MD 272 and head north, stopping at North East Creek
to photograph Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge. The road ends to the south
at Elk Neck State Park (410-287-5333), 2,100 acres of
wooded beauty wedged between two rivers. At Turkey Point, join local
birders as they count migrating hawks. Drive north, past Elkton, to Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area
(410-398-1246), ex-galloping grounds of the du Pont family. Ramble
miles of scenic trails made for hiking, cycling, or (appropriately)
horseback riding. Rent a steed from Fair Hill Stables (410-620-3883) and mosey over Foxcatcher Farm Covered Bridge. Type A’s, are we? Swing through the foliage at Lums Pond State Park in nearby Bear, DE, (302-368-6989), home of Delaware’s first (brand-new) zip-line course Go Ape Treetop Adventure
(800-971-8271). This is leaf-zooming: five lines (four crossing the
200-acre pond) plus rope ladders, a trapeze, and Tarzan swings.

History

In Elk Neck State Park, enjoy commanding views of the Chesapeake from Turkey Point Lighthouse
(410-287-8170) perched on a 100-foot-high bluff. Turkey Point had more
women keepers than any of the other lighthouses on the bay. Hear their
stories of hardship and vigilance during weekend tours. Automated now,
Turkey Point Lighthouse guides ships transiting the nation’s busiest
canal, the Chesapeake & Delaware, which opened in 1829. Loop around
the Elk River to Chesapeake City (twin towns bisected by the canal). At
the C&D Canal Museum (410-885-5622) in South
Chesapeake City, you’ll learn how long it took to hand dig this 14-mile
shortcut to the port of Baltimore (26 years) and see the workers’ humble
earthmovers (wooden buckets) plus a giant waterwheel used when the
canal had locks.

Comfort

Chesapeake City’s “main street” is 450 feet wide, and traffic watching is wildly popular. Grab a front-row seat on the deck at Schaefer’s Canal House
(410-885-7200), a north shore institution that reopened last fall after
years in renovation limbo. Order something frosty, anything crab, and
admire the parade of jumbo ships and jaunty speedboats. Booking an
upper-floor room at the Ship Watch Inn (410-885-5300), a genteel South
Chesapeake City B&B, is like having a skybox for the canalcade—only
closer to the action. Find a rocking chair and prepare to feel
Lilliputian as a 600-foot ship stuffed with Toyotas passes your balcony.
Prefer less activity? Elk Forge Bed & Breakfast
outside Elkton (410-392-9007) offers 14 exquisitely decorated rooms and
suites and a day spa on five acres of woods and gardens. Fireplaces,
couples’ whirlpools, and sunset walks spell romance to us.

Shopping

Stop at North East’s Day Basket Factory
(410-287-6100), where they’ve been hand weaving handsome split-oak
baskets for over 130 years. A picnic basket or market basket makes a
handy fall travel accessory. Just sayin’. Get inspiration and
ingredients for a lush yard at Terra Joy Edible Landscapes
in North East (443-480-5417). This nursery/gift shop preaches that
landscaping with herbs, fruit trees, and berry bushes makes your
backyard look and taste great. Beats mowing, too. Shop South Chesapeake
City’s Bohemia Avenue for these and other treasures: boomer-vintage
playthings at Toys from the Attic & More (410-885-2554), accessories for garden-lovers at Thyme in the Garden (410-885-2647), vintage stoneware at Katydids (410-960-0855), handcrafted silver, pewter, and turquoise jewelry at My Jewelry Place (410-885-2005), and women’s fashions at Chick’s (410-885-3933).

Through Fields & Forests

Take the Northwest Passage, MD 140,

to Westminster, then head for south-central Pennsylvania, a land of
apple orchards, limestone streams, fall festivals, and deep forests. Buy
apples and fresh cider at a fruit stand. (They’re everywhere.) Tour
Gettysburg National Military Park’s 150th anniversary exhibits. Explore
mountain trails on foot or fat tires. When it’s time to slow down, visit
the idyllic village of Boiling Springs, PA, for a leisurely meal and
some holiday shopping.

Nature

From Gettysburg, take U.S. 30 west into Michaux State Forest
(717-352-2211), 85,000 acres of mountainous woodlands laced with trails
for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Ramble scenic gravel
roads on two or four wheels, hugging ridges and plunging through pine
and hardwood forests dotted with lakes and streams. Drive Michaux’s
super-scenic north-south thoroughfare, PA 233, which links three state
parks nestled within the forest, (south to north) Mont Alto (717-352-2161), Caledonia (717-352-2161), and Pine Grove Furnace
(717-486-7174). Nosh lunch at Mont Alto’s vintage picnic pavilion.
Wander an ancient pine and hemlock forest in Caledonia. Climb a mountain
trail at Pine Grove Furnace for knockout views from Pole Steeple Vista.
Don boots and backpacks to tackle the other super-scenic path through
this enchanting forest: the Appalachian Trail, 37 miles of which transit
Michaux.

History

If the movie moved you, imagine how you’ll feel walking where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address 150 years ago. Gettysburg National Military Park
(717-334-1124) deserves a day’s visit. Don’t miss the themed galleries
and evocative, ginormous cyclorama, or The Soldiers’ National Cemetery
where Lincoln gave his haunting speech. Then head west on Lincoln
Highway (U.S. 30) to visit Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop in Caledonia
State Park, where the fiery abolitionist owned an iron works. At the Appalachian Trail Museum
(717-486-8126) in Pine Grove Furnace park, learn about the trail’s
pioneers and hikers, including a Keds-wearing grandmother. Ask a park
ranger about the bizarre legend of a quarryman who drowned trying to
save his lunch-pail dessert, a slice of pumpkin pie. His hairy hand
reputedly haunts the quarry (now Fuller Lake), where glowing
jack-o’-lanterns are set adrift in tribute around Halloween.

Comfort

Need a retreat from Gettysburg’s anniversary hubbub? Here are two
lodging options less than an hour away. Reserve one of six beautifully
decorated rooms and suites at Sheppard Mansion
(717-633-8075), a luxurious Select Registry B&B in downtown Hanover,
PA, another battle-proud town. “The Picket,” a bronze statue in the
town square, honors the 1863 Battle of Hanover. Or rest at Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse
(717-258-3211), a rambling country inn and theater on a noted
fly-fishing stream in Boiling Springs. Choose from 61 guestrooms in
three lodges and a stone mansion or four private cottages. For
sustenance, dig into Allenberry’s hearty Pennsylvania Dutch buffets or
opt for lighter fare like salads and paninis. Whether you dine Dutch or a
la carte, do try Allenberry’s iconic sticky buns.

Shopping

This is farm country: Stock up on local bounty. Buy Nittany apples,
Niagra grapes, plump pumpkins, fresh cheeses, and other locally sourced
foods at Hanover’s Carriage House Market
(717-633-8075). The market, run by the owners of Sheppard Mansion, also
sells fine kitchen accessories. Get a jump on holiday shopping in
Boiling Springs. Tucked on a side street, The Village Artisan Gallery
(717-258-3256) sells distinctive, handcrafted-in-America gifts,
including Pennsylvania crafts like Shaker boxes and scherenschnitte, an
intricate paper-cutting technique. Watch the in-house carver as she
details her whimsical folk-art figures. Don’t know a woolly bugger from a
woolly mammoth? No matter. Stop by Yellow Breeches Outfitters
(717-258-6752), a fly-fishing mecca named for the local trout stream.
Besides waders, tackle, and hand-tied flies (e.g. woolly buggers), the
shop sells Orvis clothing and local gifts next to a picturesque lake