On the Easter weekend of March 29th, Shirley and I decided to visit Berkeley Springs and Cacapon State Park for our 1st Anniversary. The drive took about three hours and upon arriving at Berkeley Springs we decided to visit the park and the natural hot springs. Located in the center of historic Berkeley Springs, Berkeley Springs State Park is home to a mineral spa that has been in use since colonial times. The park is renowned for its warm spring water, which flows at a constant temperature of 74.3 degrees. The park’s Old Roman and Main bathhouses offer a wide selection of spa services, including massages, saunas, baths and showers. We scheduled our time in the Roman bathhouse which gave us about an hour and a half to walk around Berkeley Springs, which is filled with all kinds of unique shops, specializing in alternative medicines and holistic healing. There are also shops with beautiful handmade crafts ranging from pottery to woodwork by local artists. First we stopped at The Naked Olive Lounge to have a drink and a small bite to eat. The owner was kind and made an anniversary dessert for us. After finishing our drinks and dessert we visited a unique Native American store Phoenix Rising of which the man that owns it make most all of the crafts and Jewelry himself. We had an interesting conversation about Native American history and current political events and proceeded on to the next shops until we saw Give Ours a Chance a place where you can adopt the cat or just chill with cats and have a cup of tea. We decided to pass ion the cats and continued on to Inspired Chaos a unique boutique shop carrying all kind of cloths and hand made crafts. By this time our scheduled time for the hot springs was approaching so we returned to Berkeley Springs Roman bathhouse and on the way passed a beautiful painted mural along the side of a building.
When we arrived back at the Roman bathhouse they were filling the private walk-in bath which contains 750 gallons of mineral water heated to 102 degree and sourced right from the spring. Shirley and I entered the private room and enjoyed soaking in the the hot mineral rich water for 30 minutes which was enough time for us to relax and rejuvenate. After finishing the spa we continued on to check in to our room at Cacapon State Park.
Sitting in the shadows of the highest peak in the eastern portion of West Virginia, Cacapon Resort State Park offers 6,000 acres of exciting outdoor getaways all year-round. The park provides lake activities and hiking opportunities, vacation cabins, golfing, and restaurants in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. The word Cacapon is a derivative of a Shawnee Indian word meaning “medicine waters,” a reference to the area’s mineral waters that have been renowned throughout history for their healing powers. Cacapon Resort is a mountain lodge located in Cacapon State Park, named after its close proximity to Cacapon Mountain, the highest peak in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The four-season lodge provides easy access to outdoor recreation including hiking, beach swimming, fishing and the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course. The lodge provides guests with a relaxing setting among scenic West Virginia landscape. The onsite guest lounge comes equipped with a TV, board games and fireplace, creating a cozy area for all seasons of the year. Cabins, cottages and bungalows rentals are also available. Cacapon Resort State Park Lodge is a nonsmoking facility. Cacapon Resort State Park’s 48-room lodge is situated on the east side of Cacapon Mountain and overlooks the wide expanse of the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course. The lodge offers a relaxed setting complete with a lounge, TV, board games, fireplace, and cozy furniture. Downstairs a recreation room provides hours of entertainment with various games. The lodge has a full-service restaurant open to the public.
Upon check-in the front desk upgraded us to a suite since it was our anniversary which was a pleasant surprise and greatly appreciated. After checking into our room we unpacked and relaxed before going down to the resorts restaraunt. We enjoyed dinner and the views from the dining room. After dinner we walked around the resort property until returning to the room for some rest.
The next morning we got up had some breakfast and headed out to explore the area. We went back into Berkeley Springs and visited more shops and enjoyed Berkeley Springs state park as they were getting ready for the Easter Egg hunt. While exploring the mountains and valleys surrounding Berkeley Spring we saw a sign the said BBQ and Beer and that sounded perfect top us so we stopped at. Berkley Spring / Bathtub Brewery. We got as flight of beer and they were all good. We also decided to eat I ordered the Brisket with Mac and cheese. Shirley order the pulled pork and potato salad. The service was great and both of our meals overall were ok. We left and drove around awhile longer before heading back to Cacapon State Park. We visited the damn and explored around the lake. On the way back to the resort we stopped at the Nature Center which has a variety of programs and information about the park. We had a really nice conversation with two of the park rangers and decided to join them on the Geological hike the next morning. We returned back to the resort and decided to enjoy the pool and hot tub before going back to our room and getting ready for our anniversary dinner at Lot 12 Public House.
We arrived at the Lot 12 Public House and were pleasantly surprised by the very intimate limited number of tables. Lot 12 Public House serves seasonal upscale comfort cuisine prepared by local Chef Damian Heath and pours distinctive wines, microbrews and fine spirits as well. The restaurant is situated in a beautifully restored house built in 1913, where you may dine on the porch during pleasant weather or in the warm and inviting dining room. I ordered the crisp roasted duck and Shirley ordered the lobster as the main course, along with crispy pork BBQ egg rolls, French Onion soup, and Apple Ala mode for dessert. The food was amazing and we really enjoyed the evening even though the did not serve Shirley because she did not have her ID, we did not let it ruin our evening but caused me to be a little ornery. After dinner we returned the resort and relaxed before getting some sleep for the Geological hike the next day.
This was our last day at Cacapon State Park so we got up early had some coffee and packed our bags before meeting the Park Ranger in the lobby for the Geological/Birdwatching hike. The Ranger started in the lobby by giving us a history of Geology in the area and explaining that West Virginia is almost exclusively sedimentary rock. After talking some more about the formation of the Appalachian mountains and showing us some example of rock at which time we left the resort to start our hike. During the hike we learned about the birds in the area and spotted a variety of birds. Some year around birds that can be seen in the area include Red Bellied, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated woodpeckers, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawk, Barred Owl, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, and Carolina Wren, Canada Goose, Crow, Raven, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Nuthatch, American Robin to name a few. The Ranger explained the different Strata or layers of rock and the age of each. He also detailed the different hikes around the park and also to the top of the mountain. We enjoyed the hike and thanked the Ranger before getting in the truck and heading back home. We took a different route home and stopped at Siderling Hill rest area to enjoy the view. Once we got back on the road we drove until we reached Morgantown, WV and stopped to have some Peruvian food at El Pollon. I had the Lomo Slated and Shirley had the Roasted chicken both got Shirley stamp of approval which concluded another great adventure.
Berkley Springs and Cacapon State Park 2024 videos available on Weighing The Heart Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/VzcJSajmULE
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