our favorite restaurants near Tiny Haven

Sometimes getting away also means treating yourself to meals out! Here are some of our favorite restaurants in our area that have great food, cool ambiance, and are also near other local attractions.

1. Guide House Grill is a diner in Knoxville, MD and is the closest restaurant to Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry. Guide House has great American-style food in a casual atmosphere. They also have a great selection of beer and cocktails.

2. Blue Moon Cafe is a funky cafe in Shepherdstown, WV that is a great spot for sandwiches, pizzas, salads. It also has awesome outdoor seating in their courtyard, where the Town Run also runs through.

3. The Press Room is an upscale restaurant in downtown Shepherdstown, WV serving New American fare in a brick-walled space in an old newspaper building. There is both dining room seating and seating at the bar. Great cocktails and selection of fresh oysters.

4. The Anvil Restaurant is a cozy outpost in historic Harpers Ferry, WV. Enjoy drinks in at the casual bar and seafood and classic favorites in the dining room.

5. Kome is a great thai and sushi restaurant in Shepherdstown WV. Recently remodeled, they have a full menu of thai and japanese cuisine and freshly made sushi. Try the Shepherdstown Roll!

We hope you love these local restaurants as much as we do! When you come to stay at Tiny Haven, let us know if you visit one of these or find another favorite we should add to our list!

journey of "egret" the tiny farm house

Why would we make a week-long journey from West Virginia just to pick up a little tiny house in southern Louisiana? It was more than just that the tiny house was cute. It also had a lot to do with the time I spent in Louisiana years ago - a place that irrevocably shaped the direction of my life.

In 2005, I witnessed an event that would change my life forever: Hurricane Katrina. I was just entering college at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and I vividly recall my dad looking at the weather report on the TV and saying, “it looks like that thing is heading right for us.” Move in day turned into a mandatory evacuation. I ended up staying with my brand new roommate, who lived about an hour southeast of New Orleans. In true Louisiana fashion, the day we evacuated I helped her family hatch baby alligators. But in the weeks, months, and years following Katrina’s landfall, Louisiana opened my eyes to our world and how we impact it.

I enrolled in a couple environmental science classes, one specifically on natural disasters. As part of the class, we went to the levee breaches I saw how much devastation there really was: houses moved not just off their foundation, but blown down the street; sand and peat up to the eaves burying other homes; children’s toys and families personal possessions strewn about. The areas affected most severely by the hurricane and storm surge were low-income, socially disadvantaged communities and communities of people of color. These people had their lives torn apart at the seams.

I learned that had the wetlands been healthier and more robust, the flooding and storm surge would have been greatly reduced. But due to how humans have built cities, like New Orleans, the wetlands in the Gulf Coast have deteriorated. This has continued to leave these communities vulnerable, and those who are already disadvantaged even more so. The way we interact with and care for (or not care for) the environment directly impacts peoples lives.

Because of this experience, I have actively worked on incorporating environmental sustainability into my life and livelihood. Tiny Haven represents a model of being able to live more with less. Many people live in tiny homes to reduce their ecological footprint. Additionally, I have always felt that the tiny house movement is a movement that has the potential to empower and give quality housing options to marginalized communities. For example, the Veterans Community Project provides tiny homes and support to homeless veterans.

While we still have a lot of work to do to make Tiny Haven even more environmentally sustainable and more active in social equity, we also believe that introducing more people to tiny house life could inspire them to find ways to live in greater balance with the natural world and to give back.

Going to pick up the tiny house in Louisiana felt like coming home in a way to me. We bought the little white tiny from a family who built her themselves. The couple who lived in in before us was a growing family and wanted the tiny house to go to people who would enjoy it. It’s safe to say that is happening! We lived in the tiny house for a year when we were first getting Tiny Haven going. Now it is one of several unique spaces available for getaways at our Harpers Ferry location.

We named this sweet little house “Egret” after a small water bird common to the Gulf Coast. She is a cozy space with a full kitchen, full bathroom, lofted queen bed, living room nook, and a large covered outdoor porch. Check out photos, details, and a video tour of Egret the Tiny Farm House and book this tiny haven for your next adventure!

top 3 breweries near Tiny Haven

After a day of hiking, you need to refuel! This time of year is great for being outdoors, and these breweries have great outdoor areas to enjoy beverages, views, music, and the fall colors.

Harpers Ferry Brewery is just 10 minutes from Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry, just over the 340 bridge. What we love most is the great view of the Potomac River and that it is dog friendly outside. Get the Mountain Juice!

Bear Chase Brewery in Bluemont, VA is really snazzy, with wood beams and a central fireplace. It has a great covered outdoor area as well as a large grassy slope with lots of Adirondack chairs and a great view of the mountains! If you do the Snickers Gap/Bears Den hike on the Appalachian Trail, Bear Chase Brewery is very close.

BChord Brewery in Bluemont VA has a casual atmosphere, outdoor seating, and is known for it’s live music! Plan ahead to buy tickets for the live music, as when they have events the venue is closed to the public. They also have great food trucks!

Try these out and let us know what you think! Maybe we will see you there :)

three great hikes near Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry

With fall in the air, it’s a great time to get outside and enjoy some hiking! Hiking is one of the favorite activities of guests who come to stay at Tiny Haven. Here are our three favorite hikes nearby!

Maryland Heights Overlook

Maryland Heights is an awesome ~4 mile hike with a great view. It’s a steep but fairly wide path out-and-back hike that you can access from the C&O Canal Towpath along the Potomac River. To get here, park in downtown Harpers Ferry, walk across the walking bridge over the river, take a left when you get off the bridge stairs, and cross the first wooden bridge to get to the trailhead.

Photo credit: Kristys Adventures

Weaverton Cliffs

Weaverton Cliffs is a great ~3 mile hike along the over 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. Take the switchbacks up to a great rocky outcrop and view of the mountains. To get there from Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry, take Keep Tryst Rd until you hit a sharp turn where you can pull over and park near the train tracks. There is also a parking lot if you turn left onto Keep Tryst Road, right onto 340N, and get off at the next exit. When you park there you will want to go left onto the trail (AT north) to get to the view.

Photo credit: Danielle LaRock

Bears Den Overlook

Bears Den Overlook is a rocky outcropping on the Appalachian Trail in Bluemont, Virginia. The open ledge offers a beautiful, open westward view of the Shenandoah Valley. In the distance, the Blue Ridge Mountains stretch across the horizon. Bears Den is a wonderful spot for a picnic with an awesome view. It’s also a great place to watch a sunset. On a nice weekend day, you’ll find the overlook busy with families, couples, and solo hikers. There is easy parking in a parking lot off of Route 7 and Blueridge Mountain Road in Bluemont VA.

Photo credit: Ryan Wyckoff

outdoor activities in Harpers Ferry!

Our area is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts! Here is a quick guide to our recommendations for outdoor activities in the area:

Maryland Heights Overlook

Maryland Heights is a scenic and historic trail, accessible from the C&O Canal Towpath. You can park in downtown Harpers Ferry, walk across the pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River, and come down to the towpath where you can get to the trailhead. This hike has good variety - some of it is steep, some of it is more level, some of it is switch backs. The view is definitely worth it!

Tubing

There are a number of rafting and tubin companies in the area that will drop you off and pick you up (and provide you with your tube). We recommend , Harpers Ferry Adventure Center (rafting, tubing, kayaking, ziplining, ropes course, segway tours, etc.), River Riders (rafting, tubing, aerial adventure park, mountain biking, stand up paddle boards, etc.), and River and Trail (rafting, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, ziplining, biking, etc.)

Guided fishing expedition

If you are looking to go fishing, we recommend King Fisher Guide Services. They provide guided fishing tours on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Fish for Smallmouth Bass and many other species in a 14 foot custom fishing raft made specifically for the local waters. Enjoy scenic views of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley! Let them know Tiny Haven sent you :)

Kayaking and Canoeing

Bring your own kayak or canoe or rent one from Shepherdstown Pedal and Paddle.

You can put in at the Princess Street Boat Ramp in Shepherdstown WV and head up or down the Potomac River!

Biking the C&O Canal Towpath

Rent a bike, bring a bike, or bike to us! The C&O Canal Towpath is a flat path that goes all the way from Washington DC to Berkeley Springs WV. Guests have biked to Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry along this path!

when I wondered if Tiny Haven would make it...

Have you ever stopped and thought about where you were - WHO you were - this time last year? Or even further back?

Most of the time, I am very future oriented. I am thinking of projects and ideas and laying the building blocks for creating what I want to create. But sometimes, I also think or look back on where I was for some perspective.

Recently we have been very busy expanding Tiny Haven. We now have two locations - one just outside of Harpers Ferry WV and one in Bluemont VA in Virginia wine country. We are essentially opening six new spaces at around the same time. So there has been a lot of moving parts, a lot of running around, a lot of me walking into a room or space and saying to myself, “what am I doing?”

I sat down this morning to journal, which I find helps me process all the thoughts and emotions I feel. I found myself writing about how I GET to do this, how I choose to do this work, and that even when things get a little crazy, I also know I can decide how I show up.

That felt empowering enough. Then I got the idea to pull down two of my past journals. I turned to April 30 in both, and low and behold I had an entry for the same day both one and two years ago.

Two years ago, in 2019, I had just gone through a zoning variance meeting with the county, to get our (original) property zoned as a campground. We had quite a few neighbors who were opposed to it, and it felt like running the gauntlet. Ultimately, even though we did get approval for the zoning variance, the amount of work (and money) we would need to put in to that particular piece of land felt like too much for what we anticipated getting out of it. Plus, the whole thing with the neighbors felt icky and made being in that spot not feel worth it. So I was getting ready to sell that property.

But I had also recently finished a contract with an organization and I was looking down the barrel of how am I going to keep going financially. So I was also talking about (and taking steps towards) selling our airstream and tiny houses and going to get a full-time training job (I used to work in training development). The funny thing was…. all I wanted to do was get into a position where I could make money to build Tiny Haven. Even though I was talking about selling the tiny spaces I had just recently brought into my life, I still could not let go of the dream…

I’m glad I didn’t.

We ended up on a different property, one that was much better suited for what we wanted to do. We started building it up, putting in the infrastructure, and were so excited to witness how many guests were coming in and the great feedback we were getting. It all felt like things were starting to work out when… the pandemic hit. Bookings disappeared. We literally were operating on a month by month basis and I was freaking out to figure out how to make sure our expenses were covered. I was one of those business owners who was applying for any loan or financial support I could get. All while wondering Tiny Haven would make it.

Both of those days were April 30, one and two years ago.

I wish I could go back and have saved myself some stress and told myself it was all working out, even if I couldn’t see how at the time.

Although those two times feel quite different than where I am now, there was also a common theme that still appears to this day. I GET to create my own life. I get to choose what I do with my time and energy. I get to decide how i show up. Empowerment doesn’t make problems go away, but taking ownership always pays off in the long run, because our life is a reflection of who we are.

So while I appreciate that it is important to be present and to look ahead, I also agree with this quote by Jodi Picoult:

“I don't know whether you can look at your past and find, woven like the hidden symbols on a treasure map, the path that will point to your final destination.”

We are not at the final destination and nothing is permanent. Our dreams will change, because we all change. But next time you wonder if what you love is going to make it… put some more love into it and just see what happens.

~ Danielle

top 5 wineries near Tiny Haven

Photo: Twin Oaks Tavern Winery

While we are certainly not wine experts, we do like to occasionally have a nice glass of wine. We get asked quite a bit about recommendations for wineries in the area, so here is a blog post dedicated to just that!

These are not in any particular order and some are closer to our Harpers Ferry location and some are closer to our Bluemont location.

1. Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville, VA

   Tours, tastings & outdoor markets at a popular hillside winery with patio dining & live music. Seventeen grape varieties are grown on more than 100 acres, and all wine is from estate-grown grapes.

2. 868 Estate Vineyards in Hillsboro, VA

   At a patio table, enjoy seasonal menus; the crabcakes and trout flatbread are favorites. After lunch, walk 25 feet to the art-filled winery.

3. Bluemont Vineyards in Bluemont, VA

   Pairing Virginia Wine with panoramic views, Bluemont Vineyard is a Virginia Farm Winery offering wine tasting flights, reservations, chef's table dining, and special events.

4. Twin Oaks Tavern in Bluemont, VA

   Enjoying a glass of wine at Twin Oaks Tavern Winery is a peak experience. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, near the Shenandoah Valley, they have live music and are pet friendly.

5. Bogati Winery in Round Hill, VA

   With a tasting room and outdoor seating, Bogati Winery is located at Hill High Marketplace (great sandwiches!) just off of Route 7.

The first two wineries are 20 minutes from either Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry or Tiny Haven Bluemont.

The last three wineries are only 5 minutes from Tiny Haven Bluemont.

We don’t have a favorite winery - try these out and let us know which one(s) you love best and why! Be sure to call ahead or check their website for hours, schedule of events, and covid policies. Please partake responsibly :)

journey of "gypsy" the retro airstream

I hit the “buy now” button on eBay - something I had never done before for even a small purchase - let alone a vintage Airstream RV. An Airstream that was in California (and I was in Vermont). When I had never towed a trailer in my life. Oh, and I didn’t have a truck…yet. What could have been a recipe for a disaster ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.

For years I had dreamed of creating some sort of retreat center - a place for people to just come to BE. I believed for a long time that I didn’t know HOW to do it, and that that was the problem. I continued to work for other companies and organizations in roles I was good at, but didn’t really love, until I finally decided enough was enough. I didn’t have a formal business plan, I just had a dream. But I knew it would stay just a dream that would eat me alive inside if I didn’t finally work up the nerve and DO SOMETHING to make it happen.

That’s what buying Gypsy the Airstream meant to me. It was a total leap of faith. It was me telling the Universe, “I’m going for it. Follow me.” Even though it was scary, it was a heck of a lot more freeing that worrying and doubting if I could do it. There was relief in the action.

I went and bought a truck. I really didn’t know diddly about trucks. I knew I wanted to be able to tow a tiny house as well down the road, and I knew that tiny houses could weigh over 10,000 pounds, so I knew enough that I needed a truck that could tow over that amount. I ended up at a dealership where they told me the truck I was looking at could two 13,000 pounds but when I got there they had made a mistake, and it couldn’t tow nearly that much. So I chose another - a Chevy Silverado 2500 - the biggest pick up truck I had ever driven. I got in the drivers seat and was on my way.

I embarked on my trek from St. Albans, Vermont to San Diego, California. It seemed fitting to me that I was getting my first “tiny house” from San Diego, where I had lived before. It took me a little over a week, since I stopped in several places along the way and visited family and friends.

I arrived in San Diego, met the sellers, stayed in the Airstream overnight in their driveway, and the next day I was off again - this time pulling a 7,000 pound, 29 foot home on wheels behind me. It was intimidating to drive at first, but the thing with trailers is - they follow you. I also had prior experience driving a large transit bus before, so that helped me get my bearings with using my mirrors a lot and how to make turns.

It was actually a pretty uneventful trip to West Virginia (my home base). One time I did get caught in a pretty torrential downpour, pulling off at an exit where I ended up needing to back the airstream up to turn around. That sucked, but I did it.

I learned three big lessons from that trip:

A) When you get in the drivers seat, the Universe WILL follow you

B) Backing up sucks, so go forward as much as you can.

C) Trust yourself + Take Action + keep your eyes on the road and you will figure it out.

Now, over two years since I picked up Gypsy, I have also had the blessing of being part of my dream of Tiny Haven coming to life and getting to share this adventure home with our guests.

Come stay in our first tiny home, Gypsy the Airstream, our 1976 Airstream Ambassador, at our Tiny Haven Harpers Ferry location!

the pros and cons of tiny house life

When we first started Tiny Haven, we lived in one of our tiny homes for over a year. The very reason we started our business was because we embraced the tiny house lifestyle - experiences over things, a purpose for everything, keep only the things that bring you joy, quality instead of quantity. We also learned a lot during our time living in under 200 square feet. Here are the pros and cons we found from living the tiny house life…

Cons:

• It can get disorganized fast! You definitely need to use your space wisely! This isn’t really a “con” per say. It just means you need to be very organized. There were times when we would end up with a bunch of stuff in our tiny house due to running our business (think tons of bags of laundry - now we have a laundry service, thank god). But even without running a business out of your tiny house, things can pile up quickly.

• Things get dirty quickly. Similarly to above, you are walking around the same square feet far more often than you would in a regular home. Also enter two dogs in a tiny house. The solve for this is you just clean everyday - it doesn’t take long. For example, vacuuming the entire tiny house takes 5-10 minutes!

• No space for bulk storage. We like to bake, and cook, and eat. When COVID hit and people were buying certain items in bulk, we just did not have the space to dedicate to a bunch of rolls of toilet paper, flour, etc. Yet somehow we found we always had enough - so again, this is not really a con. You learn to buy what you need. Our tiny houses fridges are also the perfect size for two people - it’s an apartment size fridge so it always fit what we needed.

• Limited “personal” space. You better like each other. When you live in a small space with someone else, you can’t just go into another room when you have a disagreement. We learned that we could still take space for ourselves, even if we couldn’t always physically remove ourselves from each other’s presence. We believe that tiny house life brought us closer together in a really positive way.

Pros:

• Organization. Everything has a place in a tiny house. If something is unnecessary, you figure it out quickly and let it go. There is something very fulfilling of knowing you have exactly what you need, and nothing you don’t.

• High-quality materials. In all of our tiny spaces, high-quality materials are used. For example, both of our tiny homes have tongue and groove walls and ceilings - something that would be very costly in a traditional-sized home. The airstream has tons of butcher block counter space. When you only have a small space to work with, you can splurge on the finishing touches.

• Greater financial freedom. We moved out of our traditional sized house and rented it out, with the profits more than paying for what it cost for us to live in our tiny house. Since starting Tiny Haven, we have also paid off tens of thousands in personal and business debt. Ultimately, even if you don’t live in a tiny house, focusing on what’s really essential and applying additional income towards debt and savings leads to greater financial peace.

• It completely changed our lives for the better. Living tiny has improved our personal relationship with each other - we feel more connected now than we ever have. The values behind living tiny also have permeated into the rest of our life. It’s become easier for us to prioritize, simplify, and focus on what’s most important.

Above all, we feel that tiny house life helps bring people closer together and give their energy to what is truly meaningful in their lives. We believe that people deserve to feel authentically connected with themselves, their loved ones, and their vision for their world. If you are looking for an inspiring place to relax, reconnect, and rejuvenate, book a stay in one of our tiny havens!

journey of "ginger" the tiny zen house

Jonathan and I used to look at photos of tiny homes before we went to bed every night. I used to think “I could never live in a space that small!” But as we continued to feed our tiny house obsession, I started to realize that I could do whatever the eff I wanted - including live in a cute little well-designed tiny house.

we had a list of all the things we wanted in a tiny house, which included:

• lofted bedroom (we love lofts!)

• farmhouse sink

• big bathtub

• retro fridge (apartment size)

• cozy comfy living room area

• small closet

• bathroom storage

• combo gable roof (the pitch of the roof has two different angles)

• lots of windows!

• french doors

• white shiplap walls

We were also deciding how big we wanted this tiny house to be. We actually took out a tape measure in our then living room to get some scope. What started out as a 28ft tiny house became a 20ft tiny house. Bigger isn’t always better and we wanted to A) be able to move the tiny ourselves with relative ease and 2) build something within our budget.

The question then became - were we going to build this ourselves or hire a builder? We decided to hire Perch & Nest to build our tiny home. If you are thinking about hiring a builder, things you want to look for are: experience building tiny homes, aesthetic you like, their design and build process, cost and your budget, and location/transport of your tiny house.

Since her build in 2018, Ginger the Tiny Zen House has been featured in a parade, a tiny house festival, on Tiny House Expedition and Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast, and on Tiny House Talk before settling into her home at Tiny Haven near Harpers Ferry, WV.

Ginger is 20ft long and weights approximately 10,000 pounds. We moved Ginger ourself with a Chevy Silverado 2500 (we recommend a 3500 if you are thinking of moving one yourself).

We named her “Ginger” because a kid watching her in the parade yelled “look, mom, a ginger bread house!” and also for the nourishing ginger root, which has many healing properties.

If you are looking for some modern tiny luxury, book your getaway in Ginger the Tiny Zen House at Tiny Haven!

why we went tiny

why we decided to go tiny...and build a business around tiny house and airstream experiences

Jonathan and I have been together since 2012 and have been on many adventures in our relationship. A few years ago, we were sitting in the kitchen of our “regular” house, which we loved, but we were feeling called to do something different. We knew we wanted a different lifestyle and alternative way of living that allowed for more creativity and freedom. We can be homebodies but we also love to travel, try new experiences, and connect with cool people. We wanted to live with both roots…and wings.

A big dream of ours was to create a community and a retreat space. When looking into lodging options for this idea, Jonathan’s dad got us hooked on the email newsletter “Tiny House Talk.” We would religiously read and click on each of the links each night before going to bed. After weeks of this, we realized we may want to actually live in a tiny house! At first I was a little hesitant to live in such a small space (Jonathan was all about it), but over time, I started spearheading the project. We started making a wish list for our very own tiny house on wheels.

At first our dream tiny started out as 28ft long with two lofts and all the bells and whistles. We even measured our living room to see what 28ft would feel like! But as time went on, we realized that a smaller tiny would be much more manageable for us. We wanted to be able to transport it ourselves, and so after more research, we deemed that 20ft was the perfect size for us to include what we wanted, while still tiny enough for us to pull with our Chevy Silverado 2500, that we call “Lil Blue.”

We got so excited about tiny houses that we decided we wanted to build a business around them, so we could share our love of these unique spaces and lifestyle with others.

We hired a tiny house builder to custom build a 20ft tiny home I designed, that we now call Ginger. This tiny house has a very “Zen” feel, with shiplap walls, a combo style gable roof, farmhouse sink, stock tank tub, and a retro SMEG refrigerator.

While the builders worked on Ginger, I also bought a renovated 1976 Airstream Ambassador that I stumbled upon on eBay. I have found that the airstreams that are already renovated and in good condition go quickly, so I jumped on the opportunity, even though this particular airstream was clear across the country in California.

I actually drove “Lil Blue” out to California by myself to buy the airstream… even though I had never towed ANY trailer before, let alone a 29-ft 7,000lb camper. But I did it! I named the Airstream Gypsy, meant in an endearing way as a wanderer. I brought her home to the West Virginia/Virginia/Maryland area we are in now and did a few more upgrades, including a Nature’s Head Composting Toilet, new electrical outlets, a new rooftop AC unit, a fresh coat of paint inside, and adding sealing to the doors, windows, and roof.

Our final addition to our tiny house family was a solidly built DIY-built tiny home that we purchased in Louisiana. She is also 20ft long with a sleeping loft and has all the aesthetics that we love. We named her Egret, after a white bird that is common to marshlands.

Living tiny has been an easy transition for us. Building the business has had its bumps… including needing to completely move the business (and all the tinys) to another property due to zoning and neighbor issues with the first property we purchased. But we have found that where there is a will, there is a way, and we’ve adapted. We are excited to now have two tiny houses, a small cabin, and our airstream on AirBnB in Harpers Ferry, WV and Bluemont, VA.

We can honestly say we love all our tinys and after a lot of travel and moving them around, it feels good to see them all enjoyed.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to live tiny, come stay with us! We are also happy to talk more about our journey and answer your questions about tiny house and airstream life. Tiny Haven is located near lots of outdoor activities (hiking, biking, rafting, zip lining) and great breweries and wineries. We are skilled at creating fun and memorable spaces and experiences for couples getaways, special occasions, and people looking for a relaxing solo retreat.

We are happy and proud of both our decision to live tiny and to make a living from hosting tiny home experiences. This is us, living with roots AND wings. 

See what tiny living is all about and book a stay in one of our tiny houses, airstream, glamping tents, or cabin at www.tinyhavenliving.com