A Little Cabin in the Woods at Deep Creek Lake

We took an overnight trip to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, and spent the night in the cutest little cabin in the woods with our puppy!

Here's why this was so special to me

The cabins at Blue Moon Rising are on the hill where my grandma's trailer used to be.

Her trailer was part of a little group of about six trailers that sat on this property when I was growing up. I spent almost every summer and so many holidays here. I have so many memories of these woods and the god-awful gravel mountain that we used to have to go up to get here. So glad they did away with that.


I remember waking up in my room at my grandma's house, grabbing some hot tea, and taking it out onto her blue porch. I'd sit in one of the comfy chairs and say good morning to the lake while holding her puppy's paw. (His name was Brandy.)

Gigi's lake...

The property looks completely different now... Obviously. The trailers are gone, and Blue Moon Rising has these sweet little cabins tucked throughout the woods. They host weddings here, too, and it's so beautiful.

Standing there, surrounded by the same woods and looking out toward Gigi's lake, it still felt familiar. It was really nice to feel close to my grandma again.

I can't wait to go back.

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Rory’s first overnight adventure

This was also Rory's very first overnight adventure!
And she was THRIVING.

She made puppy friends, had everyone coming up to say hi to her, explored every inch of the property, ate some delicious food, and seemed like she had been waiting her entire life for someone to take her on a cabin vacation.

She was so happy to be there.
I KNOW I saw her smile at me a couple of times.

By the end of the day, she was completely wiped out. She curled up in bed with us and passed OUT.

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A Little Deep Creek Afternoon

We did all the Deep Creek tourist essentials during our trip.

We stopped at The Honi for drinks and had a Scooby Snack (Coconut rum, melon liqueur, pineapple juice, and whipped cream), which was a 10/10.

& Rory's been doing this thing where she helps herself to a seat at whatever table we're sitting at. It's too funny to make her get down.

After drinks, we wandered over to Deep Creek Lake State Park and took a little twilight walk. We ended up wandering onto a dock, strolling along the shoreline, and just taking our time. Rory came face to face with a couple of deer who were definitely comfortable being around people.

It was one of those evenings where you don't really have anywhere you need to be.
The lake was beautiful... like always. The sky was doing its thing. Rory was living her best life.

It was close to perfect.

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Back to the Cabin

After our little adventure around the lake, we stopped off for ice cream and then headed back to the cabin for the night.

The cabin itself was so sweet. Wood everywhere, a tiny kitchen, cozy little spaces, and windows looking straight out into the woods. It was a little spooky at night ... just how I like it.

It felt exactly how a cabin in the woods should feel.

We got comfy, crawled into bed, and played a few games of Yahtzee. I won all three games. Beginner's luck, I'm sureeeeee. I may have also left a little "Sophia was here" note inside the Yahtzee container, complete with a reminder of my three consecutive victories! Just making sure future guests know what went down here.

Eventually, we crawled into bed with Rory and called it a night.

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And that's what I really, really loved most about this little trip.
It wasn't anything huge. It was slow and quiet. One night in a cabin, a few drinks, a walk around the lake, some Yahtzee, and a very tired puppy.

It gave me a chance to revisit a place that means so much to me.
My grandma's trailer may not be there anymore.
But Gigi's lake is still there.
The bear-filled woods are still there.
The Honi where we used to all hang out was still going strong.
All our favorite little spots were still there.

And now I have a whole new set of memories to add to the ones I already had.
Here's to many, many more in the future!