C & O canal ride with tweens

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  • January 10, 2013 at 3:55 pm #959600
    Bilsko
    Participant

    @Riley Casey 40203 wrote:

    I’m wondering if we were to take a north bound ride instead if there is a suitable place for a lunch stop with 11 & 13 year old boys. I’d like to avoid having to walk bikes around Georgetown with the boys so a northern route would be both less crowded and less fraught. Thanks for any suggestions.

    Sounds like you’re asking if you park in Gtown and ride up to Great Falls, lunch, and then back down to Gtown.

    There are a few options:
    Anglers Inn (at first Great Falls parking lot) is expensive and may not be the easiest for lunch with grandkids, but its the only thing all the way out there.

    Along the way, you have a couple of options.
    There’s a little strip mall in Glen Echo a decent sandwich shop and a pretty good lunch place (Wild Tomato). Its easy if you’re riding along MacArthur, but you can also get to it from the C&O via Lockhouse 8 or 9: It’s here on the map – you take Riverside Dr. to get under Clara Barton and end up right in front of the strip mall.

    January 10, 2013 at 4:04 pm #959606
    mstone
    Participant

    you could do great falls to white’s ferry, but the restaurant is only open in summer (don’t know if you’re looking for now or after it warms up). You could also ride to point of rocks or brunswick (possibly parking further north if that’s too far for them) where there are a number of options.

    January 10, 2013 at 4:20 pm #959609
    rcannon100
    Participant

    Wanna have some real fun, and get away from Washington DC traffic??? Drive out to Point of Rocks and park. Point of Rocks is mile 48. Then bike to Harpers Ferry. That’s 12 miles. Along the way is Brunswick with the most excellent Beans in the Belfry coffee place (a coffee house in an old church). Here is some excellent information. http://bikewashington.org/canal/canal_e.php The views will be fantastic, you will have good places to go (there is nothing at Points of Rock, there are a few great things at Brunswick, and there is lots at harpers ferry), and it wont be crowded.

    January 10, 2013 at 5:31 pm #959619
    Rootchopper
    Participant

    I’d hoped there was a connection between MacArthur and the Canal but I never knew about this one. Thanks.

    January 10, 2013 at 5:54 pm #959623
    Bilsko
    Participant

    @Rootchopper 40238 wrote:

    I’d hoped there was a connection between MacArthur and the Canal but I never knew about this one. Thanks.

    I discovered it by accident myself: On a commute home, I had ridden out the C&O planning to make it to Great Falls and then ride back down MacArthur, but realized I didn’t have enough time. So I tried that Lockhouse and got lucky. Bonus: one or two of the houses tucked in there between Clara Barton and the C&O are architectural beauties.

    January 10, 2013 at 5:56 pm #959624
    Bilsko
    Participant

    Another thought came to mind:
    Depending on when you do this ride – if you do end up parking at Great Falls and riding down to Georgetown…Mal Maison, the French bistro that is opening at the head of the CCT (on Water St., near Jack’s Boathouse) may be open for business. I think they’re opening within the next week or two. That way you wouldn’t have to deal with walking around Gtown.

    January 10, 2013 at 6:41 pm #959630
    Riley Casey
    Participant

    The ride will be this Saturday to take advantage of the promised warm temps ( I have high expectations here weather.com, just sayin ). The Point of Rocks to Harpers Ferry is intriguing, thanks for that suggestion. Have to mull over the survivability of two hours in the car bracketing the ride. Guess I might have to be less grumpy about the hand held games.

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