Tag: cafe

Small Town: Monkton (Part 2)

  • Date of Visit: July 11, 2021
  • Weather: Cloudy then sunny, temps in the 80’s and 90’s
  • Music: AJR, Bo Burnham, Britney Spears

My second excursion to Monkton was as much of a delight as the first one, and this time, I had company. One of my friends came over, and we drove the scenic backroads of Monkton towards our first stop of the day for breakfast: The Monkton Hotel and Café. The building itself pre-dates the Civil War, built in 1858 [1], and is a landmark on the Northern Central Rail (NCR) Trail that snakes its way from Cockeysville, Maryland to York, Pennsylvania. Before the NCR Trail was established in the early 1980’s, Monkton was one of the many stops coming north or south, and the railway station is situated less than 500 feet away from the front of the building. In addition to being a hotel, there is a café on the ground floor where you can get breakfast, lunch, and other treats to eat in the seating area in front, or take to go. You can also opt to rent bikes for exploring the surrounding area or the Trail, or tubes to use in the nearby Gunpowder Falls waterway.

  • The Monkton station on the NCR Trail

When we got to the parking lot, there was a small back up of about 3 or 4 cars in front of us, the occupants of which were taking up space while they got tubing equipment and got ready to go into the water (shedding outer clothing to their swimsuits underneath, putting on water shoes, etc). After waiting for awhile trying to figure out what to do, we had almost made the decision to leave when one of the café employees came out and made them move so we could park. We both appreciated that he had done that, and found out that that happens a lot when the weather is hot. As an aside, there is a lot of roadside parking along MD-138 W, with access to the hotel and the other outdoor recreation areas I mentioned. You may have to walk a little to get back to the hotel.

The café is quaint and cozy: a small table of local craft wooden bowls for sale greet you when you step over the threshold and onto the blue and white checkered floor. There is a small cooler with cold drinks next to the butcher block topped white counter, and there are baked goods from Stone Mill Bakery on the counter next to the register. The menu above, written in what looks like chalk marker, is sparse but straight forward. We both ordered smoothies- my friend had mango vanilla, and I opted for the mixed berry (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries)- and we opted to split a chocolate croissant, and a hot bagel sandwich. Everything was very delicious and hearty, and kept us full for hours, but I will be coming back specifically for that bagel sandwich, and won’t be splitting it with anyone the second time.

Once we were finished with breakfast, we drove out through more backroads and down Jarrettsville Pike, arriving at Ladew Topiary Gardens, a landmark in the area (crossing over into the Harford County portion of Monkton). The gardens were designed by Harvey S. Ladew after he purchased the land, which was previously known as Pleasant Valley Farm, from a descendant of the original family who had owned the land since the 1740’s: the Scarffs. The Manor House’s original foundation dates from 1747 and has been expanded throughout the centuries. There are 22 acres of gardens filled with various flowers, berries, and different topiary sculptures. Everything we saw was beautiful, and we didn’t even see everything while we were there, but some of my favorites included the Portico Garden, the Water Lily Garden, the Rose Garden, the Keyhole Garden, and the Temple of Venus.

  • The Herb Garden
  • The Portico Garden
  • One of the numerous frogs in the pond

I could have spent most of the day in the Portico Garden, thanks to both the serenity of the space, and the small water lily pond with small fish, and more than a few frogs that popped up to say hello. Ladew also boasts a seasonal butterfly house near the (currently closed) café that houses a variety of native butterfly species, and a few moths. I am looking forward to my next visit to see all of the places I missed, though I will make sure to wear sunscreen, as the weather turned from cloudy to sunny and I got a sunburn from standing out in the sun without protection. Once we were finished with the Gardens, we went over to Hampstead for lunch, which is detailed in the next entry!

  • The entrance to the Rose Garden
  • The Water Lily Garden
  • The Temple of Venus
  • The Keyhole Garden with a view of the Garden of Eden
  • Monarch butterfly in the Butterfly House
  • Black swallowtail butterfly in the Butterfly House

Monkton Hotel and Café- 1900 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD 21111
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10 AM-5 PM, Saturday and Sunday: 9 AM- 5PM
Website: https://www.monktonhotel.com/

Ladew Topiary Gardens- 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD 21111
Hours: Thursday-Tuesday: 9 AM-3 PM
Admission: Adults- $15, Seniors (62+) and Students- $10, Children (2-12)- $4, Children under 2- free
Website: https://ladewgardens.com/

[1] Monkton Hotel: About, https://www.monktonhotel.com/about.