Day Tripping to Harper's Ferry, WV

Christmas was a crazy time around my house.  Between the girls being in school, family visiting, and work being really busy, I haven't had much time to write about any of my road trips.  

Back on December 5th, my parents were visiting us from Massachusetts.  We decided to make the 70 minute drive out to Harpers Ferry and Bolivar, West Virginia for their Christmas celebration.  

Harpers Ferry is an interesting place.  It is located at the intersection of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet.  Geographically, it is stunning.  

Harpers Ferry and neighbor Bolivar are packed with history too.  They are the locations where John Brown raided the Federal Armory in an attempt to end slavery and it also served as the location of the first battle in the Civil War on October 16, 1861.  Add to the fact that the buildings along the rivers are old and beautiful, and it makes for a fun day trip location from those living in the DMV (DC, MD, VA) area.  

This year happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Harpers Ferry / Bolivar Olde Tyme Christmas.  Deep in the thick of COVID, I took my kids for the first time in 2020 and they had a blast.  There was plenty for all of us to do outdoors.  So I wanted to make sure we went again this year.  

Downtown Harpers Ferry has a bunch of fun little shops and places to eat.  It is also the location of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.  Being that we have an annual National Parks pass, we were able to get into the park free of charge.  We stopped by the visitor's center, got the girls their Junior Ranger workbooks, and took the free shuttle to downtown Harpers Ferry.  

NOTE:  It is possible to drive directly to downtown Harpers Ferry, but the parking is very limited (especially during special events like this).  So parking at the National Park and taking the shuttle is the best bet.  

Arriving in the downtown area, we went into several of the historical buildings and visited several of the local shops.  The highlight of this event for my daughters is visiting the Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus in the gazebo at the Bolivar town center (something you can easily walk to from downtown Harpers Ferry).  They are dressed up so authentically, my girls believe they are the real Santa and Mrs. Claus, not just Santa's helpers.  

On the way back down from seeing Santa in Bolivar, we walked over to the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church and Harper Cemetery.  These are must visit locations as the views of the downtown and surrounding areas are beautiful.  

Even tough it was cold, everyone in my family had a great time hiking around.  

After we were done, we took the shuttle back up to the National Park parking lot, stopping by the visitor's center so the girls could get their Junior Ranger badges.  

Finally, we followed the route of the Holiday Light tour.  This was fun, but I will say lacked the same number of lights that we saw the previous year.  

Overall, everyone had fun going around Harpers Ferry and Bolivar this year.  It is definitely a fun family location to go to no matter what the season.