We are uniquely situated in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania near many different big cities.

  • Chambersburg, Pennsylvania – est. 18 miles
  • Hagerstown, Maryland – est. 18 miles
  • Frederick, Maryland – est. 50 miles
  • Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – est. 45 miles
  • Baltimore, Maryland – est. 100 miles
  • Washington DC – est. 110 miles

Since we are close to many bustling cities, there is much fun to be had a short drive from our Inn! Spend your next vacation at our bed and breakfast which offers a great getaway from Washington DC and the other major cities nearby.

From historic sites, skiing, golf, swimming, hiking, shopping, dining, visiting wineries or breweries, there is something for everyone nearby.

See below for all of the fun activities you can enjoy near our TripAdvisor #1 rated Inn.

  • Shopping
  • Parks
  • Historic Sites
  • Sports

Alpaca's grazing in a pasteur

Farm Visits

Pachallina  of Long Acres Farm (717-491-0036) Located at the Farm -Natural and Organic clothing with alpaca as the main focus.

Long Acres Alpaca Farm totals 130 acres of rolling fields and tree lines and is nestled against the Allegheny Mountains of southcentral PA.

Land of Little Horses (717-334-7259) Originated in 1971 as the Getysburg Miniature Horse Farm featuring Falabella miniature horses imported from South America. Performing Animal Theme Park featuring their amazing miniature horses. The MANE EVENT arena show, family game show and more! Open rain or shine!

An old baseball glove with a ball inside

A group of backpackers walking through a field

Swimming & Hiking

Cowans Gap State Park (717-485-3948) has hiking trails, a lake with a sandy beach for swimming, paddle and row boat rentals, fishing, and a concession stand. Click here, Cowans Gap State Park for the brochure.

For guests who enjoy a more challenging pace, a portion of the magnificent Tuscarora Trail runs through nearby Buchanan's Birthplace State Park. A bypass to the Appalachian Trail, the Tuscarora Trail follows the crest of the Tuscarora Mountains and offers day hikers one of the most striking treks in Pennsylvania. Click here, Buchanan's Birthplace State Park for the brochure.

Caledonia State Park (717-352-2161) The 1,125-acre Caledonia State Park is in Adams and Franklin counties, midway between Chambersburg and Gettysburg on US 30. South Mountain is mostly composed of a hard rock called quartzite. The valleys on either side are underlined with limestone and shale. The soil is ideal for fruit production, proven by the abundance of orchards in the surrounding area.

Michaux State Forest The Michaux State Forest is named in honor of Andre Michaux, a French botanist, dispatched by the King and Queen of France in 1785 to gather plants for the Royal Gardens. He and his son Francois Andre Michaux are noted for discovering and identifying a host of flowers, shrubs and trees.

Green Grass Covered Mountain Under Blue Sky

Great Views

Pole Steeple's blue-blazed trail starts in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and ends in Michaux State Forest. The steep, but rewarding .75 mile climb takes you to a beautiful white and maroon colored quartzite rock outcropping where you can view the entire park. In the valley, nearly five hundred feet below, lies Laurel Lake and its sandy beaches. To the west you can see the central ridge of South Mountain as it reaches heights of just over two-thousand feet.

Chimney Rocks is a beautiful park overlooking historic Hollidaysburg. It has picnic areas, trails, overlooks, concerts and other community activities.

Huntingdon County is home to an impressive number of unforgettable scenic overlooks! Some are roadside, some require a vigorous hike to reach them. But all of them are worth seeing at least once in your life, and I'm going to give you the information you need to make that happen!

Wineries

Jan Zell Wines. (717-553-9756) Jan Zell Wines is a family owned and operated winery located in Chambersburg, PA. They serve a variety of dry and sweet wines as well as a variety of hard ciders produced with local apples.

Adams County Winery (717-334-4631) They have been making wine since 1975.  They grow a lot of their own grapes in the vineyards surrounding the Farm Winery, and also have an acre of blueberries that we use to make Yankee Blue.

Reid's Orchard & Winery (717- 334-7537) Reid's Orchard & Winery is located in beautiful and historic Buchanan Valley. Buchanan Valley was settled by pioneers as early as 1750. They have two winery tasting rooms.

glasses of various types of craft beer

Breweries

Cold Spring Hollow Distillery (717-498-0770) They are a craft distillery located in Mercersburg, PA. owned and operated by local Pennsylvanians producing small batch spirits using advanced technological distillation equipment to produce products with distinct flavor profiles, smoothness and drink ability.

Antietam Brewery (240-513-4490) They are located in Hagerstown and proudly western Maryland's first craft brewery. Their ales are handcrafted in small batches using only the finest ingredients and freshest hops to ensure the highest quality and freshest beer available.

Rough Edges Brewing (717-655-7042) They upcycled as much as we could including 4 full size bowling lanes in the back production area which they turned into their tables, benches and bar tops. You can view the walls and ceiling that have been soda blasted to remove years of paint and reveal the gorgeous multi-colored tin.

Gearhouse Brewing Co (717-552-2427) They are a craft brew pub, aiming to produce high-quality, farm influenced ales and lagers with a focus on supporting our local resources and highlighting the Cumberland Valley region of Central Pennsylvania.

Fishing Man Wearing Yellow Shirt

Wild Trout Fishing

Trout Fishermen love Franklin County's freestone streams with wild Brown and Brook Trout. The Conococheague Creek has two branches. One branch has its source in the northwest corner of Franklin County. The East Branch increases in width as it flows through Caledonia State Park and Michaux State Forest.

The Antietam Creek also has two branches. The East Branch of the Antietam Creek has its source in the Waynesborough Reservoir. There are populations of wild rook trout in the tributaries that feed the lake and are downstream from the reservoir.

theater

Adventure

Discovery Station (301-790-0076) Discovery Station at Hagerstown, Inc. is a hands-on museum that provides life-long learning experiences to thousands of children and families each year.  They create an environment that stimulates curiosity for discovery, exploration, and further investigation through exhibits and programs that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) principles.

Indoor Trampoline Park (301-420-5867) People need to play. It's beneficial to mind and body. And staying active doesn't have to mean a daily ten-mile jog. They take their activity a different kind of way. Whether soaring on the trampolines or ripping through the Warrior Course, your legs and lungs will work hard. But so will your smile muscles. And they're continually working on even more thrilling ways to play.

Canal

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (301-739-4200) Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway for discovering historical, natural, and recreational treasures.

Zoo

Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo (301-271-4922) Catoctin Wildlife Preserve features more interactive touch and feed opportunities than any other animal park in the region. Feel the silky soft fur of the chinchilla or the bumpy shell of a tortoise at daily educational talks. Or get nose to nose with camels, bison, ostrich, zebra and more on the optional Safari Ride.

You will be welcomed by natural ponds, lush landscaping, and wandering Ambasszoo-dors, eager to indulge inquisitive guests.

East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue (717-642-5229) This unique sanctuary is home to more than 40 species of exotic animals. For all of them, the rescue provides a lasting refuge where they can live their days in peace and safety. We hope you will visit us to learn more about these magnificent animals!

One of the Civil War sites at Gettysburg, PA

Civil War Sites (each a 45 min drive)

  • Antietam Battlefield (301-432-5124) Site of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War, the Battle of Antietam claimed more than 23,000 lives in a single day - September 17, 1862 - and led to Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
  • Gettysburg Battlefield (717-334-6274) One of the Civil War's most significant battle sites is now the largest battlefield shrine in America with more than 1,000 monuments and historical markers.
  • Harpers Ferry (304-535-6298) Best known as the site of John Brown's Raid to free slaves before the Civil War, lovely Harpers Ferry - set on a bluff in West Virginia above the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers - witnessed many historical events over the years. Thomas Jefferson once called the view from the ridge over town, "perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature."

A view of the exterior of Mercersburg Academy

Start Your Tour in Historic Mercersburg

Home to the acclaimed Mercersburg Academy and the site of many Civil War battles, Mercersburg is a picturesque town with lovely, preserved homes and business structures dating back 250 years. Stroll through the historical village or saunter through the garden-like grounds of the academy. Ask your Innkeepers for directions to the best walking paths.

Walking-Tour-of-Historic-Mercersburg

Historic Alleys of Mercersburg

Chapel and the beautiful lawn at the Mercersburg Academy

A happy couple pose for the camera

Skiing

Whitetail (717-328-9400) - the best ski resort in the Mid-Atlantic. Nineteen super-wide slopes spill down the resort's 935-foot vertical drop (the biggest vertical anywhere close to us!), and the high-speed chairlifts whiz skiers up the mountain for a day packed full of runs.

Whitetail is only 6.7 miles from the Mercersburg Inn and it is the closest lodging from the resort.

Ski Liberty (717-642-8282) - a resort located in southern Pennsylvania. During the winter months the resort offers skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. Liberty Mountain is one of the area's premier resorts, with over 275 acres of year-round amenities and activities. Liberty offers 100 acres of skiing and snowboarding terrain and 15 snow tubing lanes, ski and snowboard instruction, a Children's Learning Center, three terrain parks, and a winter sports retail shop.

golf

Golf

Tee off at your choice of three, 18-hole championship golf courses - all less than 15 minutes away.

  • Whitetail Golf Resort (888-493-4169) is a beautiful, scenic course with mountain views and a state-of-the-art GPS golf cart navigation system.
  • Great Cove Golf Club (717-485-9924) includes "country club" services, such as a swimming pool, tennis courts, lessons from a PGA golf professional, and a fully stocked pro shop.
  • Greencastle Green Golf Club (717-597-1188) offers attentive personal service and a well-designed course that caters to beginners and tournament players alike.

A couple riding bicycles

Biking

Tour our town by bicycle and enjoy the streets of historical Mercersburg.  Your senses will be completely immersed as you happen upon all the intricacies of the local culture.

The Mercersburg Inn is happy to provide complimentary bicycles to our guests so that you can explore the beautiful area at your own pace. In addition to the bikes, we'll provide you with a map and bottled water to help keep you going. If you prefer, you're welcome to bring your own bicycles and enjoy them while staying at our historic inn. We can't wait to welcome all outdoor enthusiasts to our beautiful inn with the most romantic and luxurious accommodations in Pennsylvania.

MPMC-BikeMap2017-WEB

Skydiving

Chambersburg Skydiving Center (800-526-3497) is the only full service skydiving center in South Central Pennsylvania.

Chambersburg Airport has been the site for world renowned skydiving instruction and World and National Champions for over 30 years.

Horseback Riding

Elk Mountain Trails (301-834-8882)  Offering the best in Western Pleasure Trail Riding since 1987. Experienced guides accompany you through the Blue Ridge Mountains bordering two national parks or on the banks of the Potomac River along the C&O Canal. Horses are available for all levels of riders including beginners.

Winsome Farm (717-776-5516) From pleasure riding to competition they have a trainer to fit your needs! English, western, rodeo, reining and even gaited horse training, all are welcomed! Their knowledgeable and accredited trainers will create a custom plan to help you achieve your dreams!

Rafting, Tubing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Biking, Hiking and Ziplining

Whitewater Rafting, Tubing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Biking, Hiking, Ziplining (301-834-9950) offer adventures and activities for all ages and abilities.  They have been serving great adventures for 45 years.  Enjoy the activities with the beauty of the country.