Well we really liked the Inn at Walnut Bottom for a three-day stay, while attending the "Delfest" bluegrass and acoustic music festival (which was also wonderful) at the fairgrounds. Kirsten and the staff are great, the breakfasts are delicious, and the rooms were spacious with those tempurpedic beds that ensure blissful 10 hour sleeps, It is not over-the-top Victorian B&B -- if that is what you want, head up to Cape May -- but is was tasteful, comfortable, friendly, elegant and all-around very nice. Kirsten's baked goods are also out of this world.She also does some sort of esoteteric Danish masage therapy (she is a licensed therapist), which we didn't have time to check out what with all the music, but sounds well worth it for the next time.

The Cumberland area has a lot going for it -- we are from DC, and Cumberland is a great escape, whether you are a hiker, biker, or whatever.

Wonderful area. don't miss the Paw Paw tunnel on the C&O Canal, or doing the train up the hill and riding down on the southern bit of the Allegheny Highlands Trail, if you are a biker. The C&O museum downtown is really worth a visit too, particularly if you are C&O canal biker geeks, like we are. Good restauraunts in town as well.

And if "Del McCoury", "Sam Bush", "Railroad Earth" , "Peter Rowan", "Leftover Salmon" or "Dark Star Orchestra" mean anything to you, don't miss Delfest 2010 (the third one), which will be in about a year. Those folks, and many others, just KILLED, fantastic shows and jams day and night. A really wonderful music festival for all ages and types (crusty trad bluegrass types, Deadhead hippies, their families, and everything in-between, including a few DC fed bureaucrat refugees like us and tons of kids), with just amazing music from noon until 3 AM for three days, good food and beer, interesting vendors, sunshine (and some rain this time around, but we survived), just a fine time all around. A great friendly community vibe, like such events should be. We will see you there next year! And we will definitely be staying at the the Inn at Walnut Bottom!

My only gripe was the rather tiny shower with plenty of hot water but only one speed - fire hose. Given the size of the bathroom (spacious), that could be fixed. But it is a minor gripe in an otherwise lovely place (wouldn't want you to think I was a pushover!!)

Chips Trips

We just returned from a weekend at the Inn at Walnut Bottom. If you are looking for a B&B is that is quaint and quiet this is not it. First of all there are no pictures of the rooms on their website. Our room was dull and boring with false ceiling that had a couple of brown water stains. The walls were covered with blue wallpaper and the flooring had a dirty pink wall-to wall carpet. There was constant traffic noise coming from the street. We could also hear the people walking, coughing and sneezing as they were staying in the room above ours. That takes away from the ambience of a typical B&B. To make the stay even more painful, there was no hot water at 8:40 in the morning, we had to take a shower with lukewarm water. For around $170 including taxes for this room, it didnt seem worth it to us. We like to travel a fair bit and have tried numerous other B&B's, and have never regretted our stay.

The only good part about the bed and breakfast is it proximity to the shopping/dining area. I would recommend you to ask for more pictures before you make your reservation.

Convenient walking distance to the town,recommended restaurants in town were above average. The town is interesting with some unique shops , summer weekends had music in the center of town.Crabby Pig had great seafood, especially the crabs.Queen City Creamery had good deli sandwiches to take on train and a helpful staff.
The B & B was very clean, the breakfast was outstanding, the common area was open to other travelers for conversation, the bed was not very comfortable, private bath was also very clean. Some street noise.
The Western Maryland Train Station is a 5 minute walk.

My sister and I had the room on the uppermost floor, which was the only issue we had. There was no elevator and no -one to help with our luggage. The stairs could be a problem for guests with health issues or just age issues. We managed though. We loved the room. It was clean and comfortable with it's own bathroom. The breakfasts were wonderful although we did have to specify a time for our meals. This is understandable, though, considering everything is freshly prepared. There were some street noises but this is to be expected, considering the inn is located in the city. It is not advertised as a "country inn" and anyone complaining about the noise should have anticipated some considering the inn's location. That should have been a no-brainer. There is a popular, chain hotel on the opposite side of town sitting right next to the railroad tracks, so you want to complain about a few cars? (Plus, your breakfast is not included with the price of your room so there is that added cost.) I'm on my way back this weekend,as a matter of fact,and looking forward to it.