Summer is winding down, and, after the rough start to summer vacation, my family decided our summer would end on a high note with whatever family adventures we could squeeze in. First up on quest for fun was Greenbrier State Park, located at 21843 in Boonsboro, MD, not too far off I-70. We made the decision to visit Greenbrier on a weekday instead of a weekend due to capacity limits. We didn’t want to make the hour plus drive to the park, only to be turned away because too many people had already arrived. It was around 9:30 in the morning on a gorgeous Friday when we arrived at Greenbrier. We were greeted at the entrance shack by a very friendly ranger who collected our admission fee. On weekdays, the entrance fee is $3 per person, and, on weekends, the cost is $5 per person. Veterans are always free, as are any children in car seats. Stormy and Rainbow are still in booster seats, and Pebble is still in a car seat, so it only cost us $6 to enter. The ranger gave us directions down to the lake, and we drove off into the park.
The road sloped downhill toward Greenbrier Lake. When we got to the t-intersection, we made a right, and continued to the end of the road where we parked in a large lot near the water. There is a lot of parking! We were in a lot close to one end of the beach, but there were parking lots further uphill that had easy access to the beach, and there was more parking if we’d make a left at the t-intersection. We grabbed our gear, and walked down the path to the beach.
Initially, the beach looks small, but as you round the bend in the path, you can see the beach stretching out before you. The beach area is actually two areas, with a dock for canoes and paddleboards in the central area. The sandy beach isn’t a wide space, but there is plenty of grass to also spread a blanket out on. Picnic tables are available on a first come, first served basis, and they are spread out up and down the hill, in and out of the woods. Directly in the center of the beach, perched on the hill, is a building that houses a first aid station, as well as restrooms. Both Stormy and I were thrilled with how clean the restrooms were, with big beautiful tiles on the floors and walls. Against one wall was a row of changing areas, against the other were toilets, and showers were around the corner. Just above this building was a playground, although we never got close to it to check it out.
The swimming area is clearly marked by two sets of ropes. The first rope line designates the swimming area for the younger kids, and the second rope is the cutoff point for everyone. The water was clear as a bell inside the swimming area, but darkened rapidly outside the rope boundaries. This is not a pure sand beach, FYI. There are a lot of rocks, inside and outside the water, so watch your footing! Once everyone was covered in sunscreen, we headed into the water. Stormy was the first to spot a very large snapping turtle leisurely swimming through the shallow water. Everyone gave the turtle a wide berth, and it slowly swam back out into the lake. My girls had swum in lakes before, but not recently, and the minnows darting in and about the shallows were a fascination. We borrowed a net from a fellow beach-goer, and for close to an hour, the girls took turns trying to catch the elusive fish. Stormy hit it off with the owner of the fish net, who was her age, and they worked together to try to capture a fish. No one, not even my husband and I, had any luck, but it was fun to try! Those fish are quick! Pebble, especially, had wanted to catch a minnow, and put it in a bucket to watch it for a bit. Better luck next time!
The girls swam all morning, warming up from time to time by building sandcastles in the sand. If one dug down deep enough in the sand, water quickly filled the holes. Rainbow kept using a puddle in one of the holes we dug to wash her feet off before sitting on the picnic blanket. Pebble and I built one sandcastle together, with me trying to teach her the proper ratio of water to sand to make the perfect castle. Of course, once I had a tower up, a certain someone liked to stamp on it, and flatten it.
We stayed at Greenbrier through the morning, and did a picnic lunch on the beach. The scenery was beautiful, the breeze kept us cool, and the water wasn’t freezing at all. After lunch, we decided to pack it in and move on to our next stop. The beach wasn’t at capacity yet, but it was hopping! There were people everywhere, and this was on a weekday. The park has a pack it in, pack it out policy in regard to garbage, so we made sure to gather all of our garbage up before we packed up. Everyone took a turn changing in the bathrooms in order to shake off some of the sand before we headed out.
Once everyone was loaded into the car, cold drinks in hand, we began driving east to a small town called Rocky Ridge. We were looking for Mt. Tabor Park, which is located at 13616 Motters Station Rd in Rocky Ridge. When we arrived at the address listed, we weren’t sure we were at a park at all. We drove through the gates, and passed a pavilion hosting a yard sale. As we came around a curve, we saw it, the biggest slide in Maryland. The 40 foot high slide is owned by the Mount Tabor Lutheran and United Church of Christ in Rocky Ridge. It was first built in 1950 by volunteers from the church and the community. The structure itself is built of lumber, but the slide is made of hardwood flooring. There are burlap sacks available, and you can also bring towels or pillowcases from home to ride on. There is a deep well of sawdust at the bottom of the slide to help cushion the landing. The entire slide is covered by a roof as well to protect the flooring. In addition to the slide, there is a small playset, swings, and restrooms.
My girls ignored the rest of the playground, and headed directly for the slide. Stormy made the swift decision to risk splinters, and kicked off her keens before grabbing a burlap sack, and starting the climb to the top. Rainbow also was quick to ditch her shoes, but Pebble kept her sneakers on, at least in the beginning. Rainbow discovered her dress was just as fast as the burlap sack, and would come flying down giggling, trying to make herself go as fast as possible! Stormy, wearing a shorter pair of shorts, ended up with a friction burn when she tried to go without a sack, and stuck to the burlap after that. Wearing shorter shorts and getting too close to the sides of the slide were def no-no’s! Pebble made her way to the top of the slide, saw how high she was, and quailed. My husband and I had to take multiple turns with her before she felt confident enough to go down on her own. Her first few trips by herself, she slid with her eyes closed, arms stretched out!
The slide was amazing, and terrifying, at least for me. The burlap sacks flew like greased lightning down the slide. I ended up using my sneakers a few times as brakes, but I also lost control at least once, and ended up knee deep in sawdust. My husband, on one run down with Pebble, ended up getting turned around, and hit the sawdust back first. He was very glad I wasn’t recording it! Once Pebble started going on her own, she’d land in the sawdust, dust herself off, giggle, and yell, “Again, again!” Then she’d climb back up for another run. Rainbow, I was happy to see, would attempt to help anyone who made it to the top and froze. She was more than happy to hold hands or give a word of encouragement, trying to get another child moving. It was a bit daunting standing at the top looking down, especially when watching others pick up speed as they slid downward. We spent close to an hour at this park, clambering up the slide, and shooting back down again. By the time we left, everyone was covered in sawdust, plus the sand we’d picked up at Greenbrier. Rainbow’s face was bright red from the heat, and from climbing up the slide over and over again!
We made the snap decision to stop at a local creamery for ice cream on our way home. Rock Hill Orchard and Woodbourne Creamery are just off I-70 at 26800 Ridge Road in Mt. Airy. We’d been here a few years back to pick apples, and remember the ice cream being delicious! Sadly, the farm market only had raspberry sorbet on tap, which was kind of strange for a creamery. The raspberry sorbet was delicious though, and my husband, myself and Stormy enjoyed it thoroughly. Neither Pebble nor Rainbow liked it, and I had to promise them a bomb pop when we got home.
Overall, we had an amazing, albeit long, day. The kids were quite shot by everything, including their extended time in the car. I don’t want to even think of how many different counties we traveled through. It was a wonderful family day, so many great memories, and we all had a blast checking out places we had never seen before. Stormy snagged a booklet on things to do in Frederick County, and is already begging to try a half-dozen other parks and museums, like the Museum of Civil War Medicine in downtown Frederick. Rainbow discovered that the South Mountain Creamery near Frederick lets you feed baby cows, and has been begging to do that. I love that one adventure has opened the doors to more family adventures in the future. If you haven’t been to Greenbrier State Park, or to Mt. Tabor Park, I wholeheartedly recommend checking them out! Happy trails!
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/greenbrier.aspx
https://www.visitfrederick.org/listing/mount-tabor-park/3852/