We've recently been trying to go on more road trips to explore areas around the Baltimore-DC metro area. Recently, we spent some time in Annapolis, MD and Lancaster, PA. So this time we wanted to switch things up and head to a farm for a fun weekend of horseback riding, wineries, and random zebra sightings.
We started the hour and a half drive to Fairwinds Farm & Stables, which is a well established horse farm located in North East, MD, at 9 a.m. sharp. We arrived in the town of North East and immediately found coffee and breakfast sandwiches. The first stop was Beans Leaves Etc., which had deliciously fresh coffee right on the Main Street in North East. After caffeinating, we walked a block to Chesapeake Bay Coffee Company for their regionally famous breakfast sandwiches. Yelena ordered a bagel sandwich with pork roll, egg, and cheese, while Justin ordered a bagel sandwich with scrapple, egg, and cheese. Both were amazing and we highly recommended them.
After fueling up, we headed over to Fairwinds to check in to the Bed and Breakfast on the farm. To our great surprise, there was a local horseshow in process on the property that we were able to enjoy.
We then dropped our bags off in the room and drove to a local winery called Blue Elk Vineyard. The winery is located right on the bay and is home of the Bohemia Overlook, which provides beautiful views. Unfortunately for us, the winery was hosting a wedding so we were only able to walk around the grounds. We will definitely be back.
As we headed to the next winery, we passed a private home with three zebras. It was a very random encounter, so we had to get out of the car and take a million photos. After recovering from the surprise zebra spotting, we continued the drive to Dove Valley Winery.
The winery had an outdoor and indoor space, as well as a barn with live music. We did a tasting to choose our favorite wine and walked over to the barn to listen to the great music. Of course, we also needed a snack, and luckily they had a food truck with delicious fries.
After our winery adventures, we decided to continue the theme of the day and try the tasting room at the Turkey Point Vineyard Tasting Room right in town. The wine was great, and our wine hostess kept us entertained.
As we finished the tasting, it was dinner time. We walked across the street to the famous Woody's Crab House, which is known for their crab cakes. Luckily, we had a reservation because the wait was two and a half hours. Once we were sat, we immediately ordered the crab balls for an appetizer (amazing), the crab cake (amazing), and two lobster rolls (amazing). Satisfied and sleepy, we headed back to the bed and breakfast for some much needed rest.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and enjoyed breakfast by our wonderful Inn Keeper and owner of the property, JoAnn Dawson. Little did we know, JoAnn is also a published author and actress. Following a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes, fruit, bacon, and sausage, we were finally ready to go horseback riding.
Yelena got to ride Barney, who is famous for appearing in the film The Greatest Showman (go figure) and led the trail ride. Justin rode Bella, who was very upset that she was not leading the group and kept trying to put her head on Justin's shoulder when he was standing next to her.
Following the horseback riding, we went over to the farm area to meet the goat, the chickens, and the donkey.
Sadly, the weekend was coming to a close but we had to get one last cup of coffee from Chesapeake Coffee Company -- mostly because we wanted to try the signature drink called the Poop Deck, which is a mix of chai tea and black coffee.
Definitely make sure you visit Fairwinds some time soon. Among many cool things happening on the farm, a new movie called Cream of the Crop is being shot there sometime later this year. The farm also offers riding lessons, hayrides, horseshows, horse-drawn carriages, and even tea parties.
Have you ever spent a weekend at a farm? How was your experience? Let us know! But most importantly, don't forget to see the world, and eat the food.