Westminster is home to one of my favorite Maryland traditions: Baugher’s Orchard. It isn’t just a Summer-time treat to visit, they have fun for each season of the year, but Apple season is by far the best. Four words: ALL YOU CAN EAT.
Vivian and I went last year (see throwback below), but this year the whole fam-bam came out. This visit I smiled ear-to-ear. Getting outside daily and doing something seasonal are two things that really make me feel happy. *tip* We waited until late in October this year and it was way cooler than Labor day weekend the year before . The place is massive so you get to ride a tractor to the apples which is definitely the kid’s favorite part. Depending on which week of Fall you choose, you get to pick the type of apple that is at it’s peak freshness. Better than that, you are allowed to eat as many as you want while you pick. I think I stopped counting at 7 this year–guys, they’re just SO good.
Another expert tip: stock up on apple butter and local honey, you will thank me later. For over 100 years locals have enjoyed fresh fruits and vegetable, pies, cider and even Christmas trees. They truly have it all.
Westminster is the seat of Carroll County, essentially, the hub of business and government. I was working with a buyer who needed a home suitable for a multi-generational family. We needed a master bedroom on the main floor and the upper level. Their ideal home would preferably be in an area that had incentives for small business growth as my client owned a IT consulting firm. From my previous experience I thought Westminster would be a good fit. I’ve found that if you steer East of the I-95 corridor, a home like the one below is available at a friendly price.
Living in a more urban setting while we were looking, my folks thought this was the ‘country’. Growing up in the South I chuckled, but this is the frame of reference they had. I’m constantly learning that my definitions are not what everyone considers to be correct and vice versa. It is hard not to jump to assumptions, that is life, but I have never found this lesson as prevalent as in the game of real estate. All I could see were hours in the car each week to run errands with places being more spread apart. For them, their faces lit up at the idea of slowing down and enjoying the local businesses instead of the big box stores they are used to. Home is where you grocery shop, where you have your favorite coffee shop and where the Pediatrician is on-call for all of those late nights with a new baby. This family entrusted me to help them find what they wanted their day-to-day life to look like- WHAT a responsibility. Keeping this in mind, it was hard for me to get frustrated when we changed course a few times because I truly understand the gravity of moving your life. Recommending Baugher’s Orchard would provide my clients the opportunity to experience what a normal day in Westminster would look like.
If you are looking for a home that your parents could comfortably visit, that you would have access to local in-season foods and that is ‘Mom & Pop’ paradise: this is where you want to be. We found home in Westminster.
