A Peek at the Baltimore Beer Scene.

As members of a DC-area beer club, we headed north to a city 40 miles away to explore its beer scene.  Baltimore and Washington, DC, couldn't be more different in some ways.  But both have vibrant and emerging beer scenes.  Here's a step-by-step look at our pub crawl:

The Ravens tailgate bus was not a fan favorite at Max's.

Stop 1.  After a minor diversion at the Fells Point Pirate festival (no joke), we started our beer tour at Max's Taphouse.  Although we weren't impressed by the Ravens decor, being fans of other AFC North teams, we were impressed by the 140 rotating drafts available.  Its location, in the heart of Fells Point, is also a plus.

Mahaffey's: The greatest neighbor
bar in Baltimore.

Stop 2.  Mahaffey's Pub has the best happy hour on the planet if you are a beer lover.  3 pints of craft beer for $5.  The catch?  You have to order 3 pints at a time.  Well, that's no problem for a party of 8!  Although several of us had already been to this Canton neighborhood bar, we demanded a return trip because, well, it's just an amazing deal and one to savor. 

Stop 3.  As the day wore on and our bellies became full with craft beer, we made one final stop before a scheduled rest period at our hotel.  We circled back to Fell's Point to lounge outside of Ale Mary's.  I enjoyed a good white ale before catching a cab back to the hotel.

Enjoying an al fresco beer at Ale Mary's.

Stop 4.  After a needed break, we all convened for dinner and more beer (for those still able to indulge, let's face it many had turned to wine and water at this point...we're not in our 20s anymore!).  Another stop familiar to some, but not to all in our group:  The Brewer's Art.  This place brews their own beers and turns out gourmet food from its kitchens.  It is set in an old bank in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.  Very classy, very cool.

Stop 5.  The next morning, we had lunch/brunch at Alewife, which is closer to the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore.  Great beer list and pleasing pub food.  I should note that only two people ordered a beer so it is probably worth going back and not making it the last stop!

St. Mary's City.

A replica of the former chapel, St. Mary's City.

I'm not sure what we were expecting.  Perhaps the lesson here is to do a little bit of research before a proposed daytrip!  But, St. Mary's City was just not what we thought it was.  Instead of a historical, yet working city, we found a Williamsburg-like experience--a sort of hands-on-history tour of one of the first settlements in the United States.  (Actually it was a former capital of the Maryland colony.)

Recreated barns and houses, St. Mary's City, MD.

Here's the question I have for myself after the visit to St. Mary's City: why didn't I do some research?  Why did we assume it was something it wasn't?  We envisioned walking along a main street and eating lunch at a little restaurant.  Instead, we found interpretive trails through replica buildings and footprints of other buildings marked off so we had a virtual sense of the former village.  I'm not complaining here.  I'm just blogging about this as a lesson: know where you are going!  This sort of trip would be great if our parents were in town.  It was the off-season sort of so we had the recreated settlement to ourselves mostly. 

A small graveyard attached to an old church,
overlooks the Chesapeake Bay.

Still, I think we returned home thinking we wasted an afternoon.  Weekends are so quick, so fleeting that a disappointing daytrip can make you feel that you didn't get the most out of your free time!

Spring Visit to Richmond



The renovated capital building, Richmond, VA.

The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond.

Just two hours south of our how on 95, we have driven through Richmond plenty of times, but  never took the time to stop and explore this former capital of the Confederacy.  A really hot special from The Jefferson Hotel and a weekend forecast that promised plenty of sunshine finally tempted us to visit our state capital. What we discovered: Richmond is a charming, southern gem of a town. 

Here are the highlights:

One of the charming streets we explored in Richmond.

• The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  This lovely and free museum has an impressive collection of furniture and a nice selection of art from all the major movements.  Set in a lovely section of Richmond, the building fuses old and modern architecture and lives on a stunning campus surrounding by interesting sculpture and landscape.
• The Museum of the Confederacy. Although the museum is a little dated,  I am glad we visited.  I was especially impressed  by the tour of the White House, adjacent to the museum. We had a really fantastic guide who provided some really interesting details about life in the 1860s.
• The Hollywood Cemetery.  This 19th century cemetery is quite lovely to stroll around in and visit the graves of several U.S. Presidents as well as people connected with the Civil War.  Perched above the James River, it was particularly stunning when we visited--the dogwoods in full bloom.
• Exploring the Neighborhoods of Richmond.  From Carytown to Oregon Hill to Shockoe Bottom, we were struck by the bohemian, independent vibe and enjoyed wandering.  Lots of great little boutiques and restaurants to try.  We had a very lovely meal at Acacia, which is on the edge of the Fan District.