My fiancé wants for very little in terms of material. Like me, he would rather buy experiences than “things”.
This year he turned 32, and I decided to give him the gift of a care-free trip.
I planned an entire Dave-centric weekend, complete day-hiking, a wooded cabin, the best burger in West Virginia, and two nights to play as many board games as he wanted.
We drove 3.5 hours from our home to the Maryland / Virginia / West Virginia border, where I found us a cozy (yet luxurious) cabin in the woods.
Day 1: Board Games and a Bottle of Wine
I mean, come on!
Though nestled within the rugged Appalachian Mountain range, our cabin had a king-sized bed, a wrap-around covered porch, a bonfire pit, and a copper bathtub.
The one luxury that our cabin lacked was a full kitchen. So I packed in our dinners for the weekend.
On Night 1, Dave taught me how to play Rummikub, which got quite intense after a few glasses of wine.
Day 2: Country Roads & The Best Burger in West Virginia
Farmer’s Daughter has won Best Butcher + Best Burger in West Virginia for multiple years in a row.
Our first full day began slow. We drank multiple cups of warm tea, read out on the porch swing, and savored every bite of some homemade muffins left by our host.
Around mid-day we drove 15 minutes into town and had lunch at Farmer’s Daughter Market & Butcher. This place is a deli mixed with the hipster’s version of a farm store. Every Tuesday-Saturday you can order freshly-made sandwiches and burgers from the deli counter.
For multiple consecutive years, they’ve won the Best of WV Award, where readers of WV Living Magazine voted Farmer’s Daughter the Best Butcher and Burger in the state.
After fueling up on meat and carbs, we drove about 30 minutes to Cacapon State Park for some hiking.
Cacapon State Park offers hiking, mountain biking, and fishing.
That evening a huge storm rolled in so we cozied up in our cabin early to watch the rain.
Day 3: Diner Brunch at an Airfield
We slept in and awoke to birdsong and woodpeckers. Our slow morning included reading on the porch, reminiscing about previous trips, and daydreaming about the rest of the year to come.
On our drive home, we stopped for brunch at an adorable little diner called Hummingbird Cafe. Dave loves an American diner breakfast so this was a classic end to our trip but with a twist!
The dining room sits right up against the airfield for the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, with wall-to-wall windows to watch planes. Sadly, no takeoffs or landings were scheduled during our mealtime, but you can search for scheduled flights for the day on FlightAware.
Conclusion
The rain cleared in time for our drive home!
Some trips are about checking off bucket lists and squeezing in every adventure. This trip was about slowing down.
We spent our weekend breathing in the cold air off the trees and reminding each other that the best moments don’t need an itinerary.
Dave turned 32 in a quiet little cabin, with a coffee in hand and nowhere to be. This trip was a memory that we’ll carry for years to come.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from a weekend like this, it’s that sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone you love is simply the gift of stillness and time spent together.
Happy Birthday, Dave! Here’s to 32 and every slow, beautiful weekend to come <3
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