ANNOUNCER: And now, Get Out of Town, a WETA original series.

♪ LAUREN: We're on the road again ♪♪ LAURITA: Yes, we are.

LAUREN: So come along.

LAURITA: Look what we have!

LAUREN: There are horses!

(gunshot).

LAURITA: Isn't this room beautiful?

(cheering).

LAURITA: I made it!

GRETCHEN: Thank you.

LAURITA: Oh!

That was so cute!

BOTH: Whoa, whoa.

LAUREN: Crank it, crank it, crank it.

LAURITA: It's never a competition, is it?

LAUREN: There you go!

(cheering).

LAURITA: Oh yes!

What's next, what's next?

Hi, I'm Laurita.

LAUREN: And I'm her daughter, Lauren.

LAURITA: We're from the DMV, and we love to travel.

LAUREN: We definitely do.

LAURITA: One of the best things about living in the DC area are the many places you can visit that are just a few hours away.

LAUREN: So many options, and now we get to check them out together.

LAURITA: So join us for some really cool places to stay... LAUREN: Great food.

LAURITA: And nonstop fun.

BOTH: As we Get Out of Town!

LAURITA: Girl, it's another MAD weekend.

Mother and daughter.

Here we go again.

LAUREN: We're heading up to Assateague Island, and gonna see Berlin, Maryland, as well.

Usually, when we go on these trips, you have the upper hand of being there, experienced it.

But I think I have the upper hand this trip... LAURITA: Because you've been there.

LAUREN: I have been to Assateague.

LAURITA: Yeah.

LAUREN: So you know that Assateague is known for their wild horses that they have on the island.

LAURITA: So we're going to their stomping ground.

LAUREN: Basically.

All right, let me play a song for you.

This is like from a group that you got me hooked on.

♪ You went to school to learn girl ♪ ♪ Things you never knew before ♪ ♪ Like "i" before "e" except after "c" ♪ ♪ And why 2 plus 2 makes 4 ♪ ♪ Now, now, now ♪ ♪ I'm gonna teach you, teach you, teach you ♪ ♪ All about love girl, all about love ♪ ♪ Sit yourself down, take a seat ♪ ♪ All you gotta do is repeat after me ♪ LAUREN: Oh my gosh, mom.

There are horses!

LAURITA: Oh wow.

LAUREN: All right.

LAURITA: And like you said... LAUREN: Get a little closer.

LAURITA: They're like right on the street, 'cause this is their house.

Alright.

LAUREN: I can't speak horse too well.

(laughing).

We have just made it to Assateague.

Look.

Horses are out.

♪ ♪ NICKI: We are currently at Old Ferry Landing in Assateague Island National Seashore.

It's called Old Ferry Landing because before, we had a bridge, this is where the ferry would bring the vehicles and the visitors to and drop them off.

So I grew up camping here with my family.

I wanted to keep coming back, and so this is my dream job to get to come back to Assateague Island.

Assateague Island National Seashore is unique in that there's so many different things to see.

We've got four different main habitats; marsh, forest, dunes, and the beach.

And especially the marsh here is pretty rare to find them untouched from human development and city sprawl.

So this is one of the last longest undeveloped stretches of coastline on the east coast.

That's pretty special.

This park is well known for the wild horses that live here, been here for over 300 years.

I like to point out to people that that's not all that's here.

There's fishing, crabbing, kayaking, bicycling, camping.

Lauren and Laurita are crabbing with us today.

That's one of our ranger-guided programs for visitors to the island.

It is a historic use of the island as well, which is why we encourage people to learn about it and engage in it.

LAURITA: Hey.

Hi Nicki.

NICKI: Hi.

LAURITA: Hi, I'm Laurita.

NICKI: Hi, nice to meet you.

LAURITA: Nice to meet you.

LAUREN: I'm Lauren.

NICKI: Nice to meet you, too.

Are you ready to try crabbing?

LAURITA: Yes!

LAUREN: Yes.

I'm so excited.

NICKI: So these are decomposers in our ecosystem.

They are scurrying around on the bottom of the bay in the marsh, looking for dead plants, dead animals.

And in doing that, they're actually cleaning up our marsh.

So they are a very important part... LAURITA: Important job to do.

LAUREN: Yes.

NICKI: This bait will sink down to the marsh floor.

Once you feel the tugging, you wanna lift the bait towards the surface of the water.

You're more than welcome to try holding it.

LAURITA: No, thank you.

LAUREN: I've, I've, I've had my fair share of snips from a crab before.

LAURITA: Yeah.

First introduction to crabs was like, crr!

NICKI: In that case, we do have these.

LAUREN: Perfect!

LAURITA: Ah, yeah.

NICKI: If you need help, call me over.

I have not been bit by a crab yet, but hopefully, that streak continues.

LAUREN: Today won't be the day.

LAURITA: It's not the day.

NICKI: So if you catch one today, we would like to keep it and put it in our aquarium at the visitor center.

LAURITA: Aww!

LAUREN: I love that.

We can come back and visit our crab.

LAURITA: I know.

NICKI: So, who would like the bait?

LAUREN: I will take the bait.

NICKI: And the net to you.

LAURITA: Net to me.

LAUREN: I'm ready.

I'm ready for my crabbies.

NICKI: Does this look good?

LAUREN: Yeah.

LAURITA: Yes.

LAUREN: Is this a lucky spot?

NICKI: I hope so.

We'll find out.

LAUREN: Now we wait.

LAURITA: And now we wait.

LAUREN: Okay.

Should we sing some songs?

LAURITA: We could sing songs.

Oh, look at those pretty birds over there, too.

Do you feel anything yet?

LAUREN: No.

LAURITA: I feel like it's been six hours.

But it's been what?

Six minutes?

LAUREN: It's been three minutes.

LAURITA: Oh, come on.

LAUREN: Here, crabby, crabby.

LAURITA: Feel nothing, huh?

LAUREN: I can't tell.

She said the tugging is very faint.

(screaming).

LAURITA: Hello there.

LAUREN: Hello, Crabby crab.

LAURITA: No, I don't want to take him out.

I'll hold this.

Oh, do we wanna call Nicki over?

LAUREN: Nicki, can you help?

NICKI: See the swimmer fins right here?

LAUREN: Yes.

LAURITA: Now, where you are... LAUREN: Okay.

Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

LAURITA: Little more.

NICKI: Couple of fingers.

There you go.

LAUREN: Is he gonna... NICKI: Okay.

LAURITA: Oh no!

NICKI: I'm letting go.

LAURITA: Oh wow.

One, two, and three.

(camera shutter).

LAUREN: We got a crab!

LAURITA: Whoa!

LAUREN: Mr. Crabs, you can see he's a male.

He has a monument on his underside.

LAURITA: Yes.

LAUREN: We've had him out of the water for a while, so... LAURITA: It's gotta go back down.

LAUREN: But that was so cool.

LAURITA: Bye, Mr. Crab!

NICKI: Good job guys.

BOTH: Thank you so much, Nicki.

LAURITA: Hi.

LAUREN: Hi.

SARAH: Hi.

LAURITA: Kyle and Sarah, right?

SARAH: Yeah.

LAURITA: Oh, I'm Laurita.

LAUREN: I'm Lauren.

SARAH: Welcome.

Welcome to Assateague.

LAUREN: Thank you for having us.

LAURITA: So, are we on the way to see a bunch of horses now?

KYLE: Yeah, we're gonna go see if we can find any.

We've already had a few that we've seen today, and so we're heading to a location that we've heard that they might be at this time.

LAUREN: Okay.

KYLE: Alright, so it looks like we might have some horses out here on this trail.

So if you guys wanna go ahead and get out, we'll go ahead take a look and see if we can find 'em.

LAURITA: Alright.

LAUREN: Let's go.

LAURITA: Awesome.

KYLE: It looks like you guys might be in for a treat.

Looks like we might have some horses here on the beach.

LAUREN: Oh my goodness!

LAURITA: Oh my Gosh!

Wow.

LAUREN: Is it possible to get a little closer?

KYLE: Yeah, let's head up just a little bit closer.

LAUREN: Okay.

KYLE: But when we still wanna keep that distance.

LAUREN: Okay.

KYLE: This is one of the few places that you can see wild horses on the East Coast.

They have been on this island for upwards of 300 years.

And so we are trying to keep those natural characteristics that we'd expect to see in wild horses.

And we have to do that by keeping our distance.

And they can harm you, or it can harm themselves when you're getting too close to them.

There are two main theories about how they ended up here on the island.

One of these is the more famous story that it was a Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Assateague, and that the horses that were on board swam to shore.

And we're now looking at the descendants of those horses.

The National Park Service chooses to go with the theory that these horses are the remnants of horses that were put on the island as well as other livestock in the 1700s to avoid taxation.

And so the easiest way to get around that is to put them on a naturally fenced-in area, a barrier island.

We see upwards of 2 million visitors a year in the Maryland district.

So we can't guarantee that you're gonna see horses when you visit Assateague Island, but your chances are pretty high if you're visiting in the summer months.

And the more you drive around and explore, the better your chances of seeing them are.

LAURITA: Ohh.

Aw.

They're so pretty.

LAUREN: They're beautiful.

LAURITA: And they're so unbothered.

That's what kills me.

KYLE: So if you see that white on them, that means they're a pinto.

That's the coloration.

So, looking at what we know that she's a female and that she's a pinto, we can kind of start looking at the different designs that we have.

So, we are looking at her right side here.

LAUREN: It is this one!

KYLE: Yes.

This is Little Acorn.

LAUREN: Acorn!

KYLE: So she was born last year in April.

This group, in particular, tends to stay in between the Marsh Trail and our Bayside campground, but with most of our horses, they do move around quite a bit.

LAUREN: Okay.

KYLE: They've kind of learned to take advantage of human behavior.

BOTH: Oh.

KYLE: Um, and so one of the things that we're really trying to preach here is that we want to keep these horses out of non-native foods.

Stuff that they aren't grazing on.

LAURITA: Yes.

LAUREN: Right.

LAURITA: Well, Kyle, thank you so much.

We've learned a lot.

LAUREN: We have.

KYLE: Thank you guys.

Assateague Island provides a unique experience to see what's normally not considered a wildlife species in a wildlife scenario.

LAUREN: Okay.

So we just learned a lot about these horses.

I don't think I've ever been this close to a wild horse, but that was a cool experience as well.

(camera shutter).

♪ ♪ LAUREN: We are back in the old Western movies.

LAURITA: I know.

I feel like I need to saddle up.

MEREDITH: Hi.

Welcome to Sun Outdoors Frontier Town.

Are you guys checking in?

LAUREN: Yes.

LAURITA: Yes.

MEREDITH: What's the name?

LAUREN: Lauren and Laurita.

MEREDITH: Welcome.

You are in cabin E 30.

It's one of our deluxe cabins.

BOTH: Thank you!

MEREDITH: You're welcome.

LAUREN: Okay.

You talking about saddling up?

LAURITA: You know I'm getting on.

Come on, girl.

LAUREN: The leg swing!

LAURITA: Did you like it?

Come on!

I'm trying to ride!

LAUREN: Are you riding a bull or a horse?

LAURITA: Well, he's running!

He's running.

Come on.

Slow down, Sparky.

Hey, I'm gonna get you some oats, and I'll be back.

Okay, come on, girl.

LAUREN: Alright.

Sun Outdoors Frontier Town is 200 acres.

We have about 700 campsites.

We have full hookup RV sites, regular water and electric RV sites, and primitive, just tent sites.

I would describe Sun Outdoors Frontier Town, it's a place where you can bring your family, you can bring your kids, and you can reconnect with everyone in a really fun and exciting way.

In 1959, our Western theme park opened, that's where cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country would come here and perform rodeo shows and Native American shows for the general public around Ocean City and Berlin.

But they needed a place to stay, so they've set up camp in the woods behind town.

So they started building a campground, and in 1963 the campground was born.

So, one of our biggest attractions here is our waterpark.

It opened in 1977, and just a few years ago, we put in our brand new Maryland slide.

It's what we lovingly call it, in the bright pride of Maryland colors.

It is one of three slides on the tower, and then we have two other slides that feed into our lazy river.

Then we also do have our kiddy pool, which is the wagon pool for the littler ones to splash around in.

So Lauren and Laurita are staying in one of our deluxe cabins.

They are more like the comforts from home.

You're gonna have a shower, a bathroom, full kitchen, and two bedrooms.

It sleeps up to six people, and it's more like the fun of camping, but you get a bed.

LAUREN: Aw.

LAURITA: Oh, this is cute.

LAUREN: This really reminds me so much of the summer camp that I went to.

This, like, this gives total sleep-away camp vibes.

LAURITA: All the wood, right?

LAUREN: Yes.

I love all the wood, and this little table with the bench!

LAURITA: That's very cute.

And you know what?

As soon as you come in, this looks like someplace you just want to take a load off your feet and sit down.

LAUREN: Mm-hmm.

LAURITA: There's our kitchen.

LAUREN: We have a full kitchen.

LAURITA: I love it.

Okay, let's go look.

And a full-sized refrigerator, we could stock this baby up.

LAUREN: Ooh, I think I found your room.

LAURITA: No, I know you've always wanted bunk beds, so I'll give that to you.

Here's my room.

This is like the mama's room.

LAUREN: I'm the baby.

LAURITA: Aw.

Hi baby.

And here's the bathroom.

And you know what I like about this place?

I see a lot of the cowboy motif everywhere, especially on a light fixture.

LAUREN: I was about to say that.

LAURITA: Isn't that something?

LAUREN: Well, I saw a grill outside.

What do you think about doing some hot dogs tonight?

LAURITA: You know I love a good grilled hot dog.

LAUREN: Okay, let's go get some hot dogs.

LAURITA: Okay, girl.

LAUREN: Hot dog!

LAURITA: Hot diggity dog cowgirl.

LAUREN: Today was such a great day.

I'm so glad I was able to experience Assateague with you.

LAURITA: Me too.

And the fact that you caught a crab!

And we got a chance to see the horses.

LAUREN: Fantastic.

LAURITA: It was a good day.

LAUREN: Well... LAURITA: And this is the end of a good day.

LAUREN: It is.

LAURITA: A grilled hot dog.

LAUREN: Cheers.

LAURITA: Cheers to you.

(camera shutter).

LAURITA: There you are.

LAUREN: Hey.

LAURITA: It really is peaceful out here.

LAUREN: I know, so serene.

Like we are in our own little woodland oasis.

LAURITA: What are we gonna do today?

LAUREN: I think we should go explore around the property.

It's so vast.

LAURITA: Okay, let's do it.

Everything's so nice and green.

LAUREN: I know.

And look, there's the water.

It's so pretty!

ZACH: Berlin is a beautiful Victorian town with many shops that are unique that you can't find other places, where you can still walk, and you can still say hi to one another.

You really get that small-town feel which draws people here.

We just celebrated our 156th birthday.

Berlin started first as like a crossroads town for folks that were in trade, which is now Berlin as we know it today.

We are a little bit bigger than four square miles, population of about 5,026 people and over 250-something businesses.

So with that, when you look at us on a map, we might not seem that big, but we've got a lot of good stuff going on here.

Growing up in Berlin, we have many cool events that we still hold onto today.

One of those is the bathtub races.

They'll start off at one end of Main Street and then race by foot with somebody steering inside the bathtub and then they'll end right here behind us.

It's a really fun ride.

Berlin really doesn't have a town square, but a fundamental gathering place that we have is the Atlantic Hotel.

JOHN: The Atlantic Hotel here, which is built in 1895, is really the centerpiece of Berlin.

It's the heart, as you can see standing here.

This is the crossroads.

City Hall is across the street.

The, all the businesses sort of surround this hotel, and it became a set of the premier hotel that it was.

That was the result of the railroad.

So a salesman would come here on the train to this area, and then the guys who owned the hotel here had a horse and wagon or mules, you know, and they would go to the train station, pick up the salesmen who were called drummers.

They drummed up business.

And that is where the name Drummer's Cafe came from.

In the 1980s then, there was talk about tearing the hotel down because it was pretty derelict.

A group of 10 very brave families put money together to actually save the hotel, which basically had to be gutted and, and rebuilt.

There are only 17 rooms in the hotel, but they redid it the way it was in the 1800s.

We want to be able to offer things here that is typical of things that people would've had in 1895.

So crab and oysters and all our Eastern Shore, and they're big.

So those are things you want to do the authentic way.

So yeah, when Lauren and Laurita are here, they're going to order the crab dip and the crab cake.

They're gonna find fresh Maryland crab meat and everything has like a little Old Bay in Maryland.

LAUREN: Ooh, it's coming.

SERVER: Here you are.

The Atlantic Hotel's special crab dip.

It's our chef's secret recipe, but it's seasoned with Old Bay.

So if, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

LAUREN: Oh, yummy.

LAURITA: We're big Old Bay fans.

LAUREN: Thank you.

SERVER: You're welcome, enjoy.

LAUREN: Thank you!

LAURITA: Thank you.

LAUREN: You can tell why this is their famous special crab dip.

The Old Bay seasoning is perfect, and the melted cheese on top just brings it all together.

LAURITA: With the saltiness.

LAUREN: Yes.

The salty, the creamy.

LAURITA: The cheesy, mm-hmm.

LAUREN: But then a little bit of like acidity from this... Ugh.

Perfect.

All together.

Yeah.

LAURITA: Mm-hmm.

LAUREN: Wow.

If this is just the appetizer, I cannot wait for the food.

LAURITA: You know what?

I like the fact that we're sitting outside for a change, on the porch.

I feel like I'm on somebody's porch down south or somewhere.

LAUREN: I know this is usually your vibe, but I could get behind this town.

SERVER: Here you are, a crab cake.

LAUREN: Right here.

SERVER: And filet mignon kebabs.

LAURITA: Ooh.

LAUREN: This looks delicious.

LAURITA: Thank you.

SERVER: Enjoy.

LAURITA: Your crab cake sandwich, that looks... LAUREN: Looks so good.

LAURITA: Massive and full of crab meat.

And then filet mignon kebabs.

LAUREN: All right.

Can you hurry up and take some, unless you want me to take the first bite.

LAURITA: Uh, give me a moment.

This is called savoring the view.

LAUREN: Cut another piece for me while you're at it.

LAURITA: Just take this piece.

LAUREN: Oh, Mom, you love me!

LAURITA: Today.

It's like a little apple, spiced apple sauce.

And this is a horseradish sauce, which is always good on some beef.

So lemme do a little dip there.

People are so friendly here.

LAUREN: Mm-Hmm.

LAURITA: So when we're walking, and we mentioned that we were looking for this place to eat, they said the food was going to be phenomenal.

LAUREN: And not a lie was told.

LAURITA: That's true.

But you know, it's a nice contrast because the hotel has a, a vibe that makes you feel like you stepped back in time.

LAUREN: Mm-hmm.

LAURITA: But the food is like, fine current dining.

LAUREN: It is.

LAURITA: So this is like the best of all worlds.

LAUREN: Right?

JOHN: It's just local, it's friendly, and it just feels good to be in there.

And it's a gathering place for the people of Berlin, and it's a great visitor spot.

♪ ♪ MAYA: Welcome, I'm Maya.

LAUREN: Hi, I'm Lauren.

MAYA: Nice to meet you.

LAURITA: Hi I'm Laurita, nice to meet you.

MAYA: Nice to meet you.

Welcome to the Inn Berlin.

LAURITA: Thank you.

MAYA: You guys are staying in the Peony Room today.

LAUREN: Ooh.

MAYA: Yes.

It's my favorite room.

LAURITA: Oh.

And you know, that's my favorite flower.

So we were supposed to stay in that room.

MAYA: Your room is right up the stairs.

Here's your key.

LAUREN: Thanks.

LAURITA: This is beautiful.

LAUREN: It is!

MAYA: The Inn Berlin is a boutique bed and breakfast.

It is set back on the property about 200 feet.

My favorite thing about this house is the interesting and cute spaces that you can relax and enjoy and it's really truly one of the hidden gems of the town.

The property itself dates back to the 1830s.

In 2010, the previous owners did a full gut renovation.

We came in in 2020 and opened the Inn Berlin.

It's really sweet, charming, and definitely curated.

We have five bedrooms, so it's very intimate and cozy.

All of the rooms are named after flowers that are found locally.

Lauren and Laurita are staying in the Peony Room.

It has a beautiful wall of bay windows.

It's light and bright and airy.

LAUREN: Mom!

LAURITA: Oh, this is so quaint.

LAUREN: This is!

I love how there's so much light over there.

LAURITA: I know, but I love this bed.

And Lauren, did you notice bees here?

LAUREN: I've been seeing them all over.

LAURITA: I saw bees on the front porch on pillows and so I finally get it.

I connected it.

All the rooms are named for flowers.

Bees are the pollinators.

LAUREN: Ohh.

LAURITA: So clever.

LAUREN: It's all in the details.

LAURITA: I agree.

LAUREN: I'm gonna check out the bathroom.

Ooh, that's a nice big shower.

LAURITA: Oh, that's really nice.

I'm gonna sit over here and just put my feet up.

LAUREN: Why don't we see if we can get like a cup of tea or something and sit in the sitting room downstairs.

LAURITA: All righty.

But you know this room is calling me back.

♪ ♪ BOTH: Good morning.

LAURITA: We are downstairs at the Inn Berlin, and let me just say our sleeping arrangement last night was 10 plus 10 plus 10.

LAUREN: So magnificent.

LAURITA: The bed, so comfortable.

And now we're gonna have an amazing breakfast.

Chef Maya, who's a baker!

After this wonderful breakfast, we can conquer the world.

(camera shutter).

See you later, bye.

♪ ♪ LAUREN: Hi.

LAURITA: Hey.

ADAM: Hello, welcome to Tracks and Yaks.

LAUREN: Thank you.

LAURITA: Thank you for having us.

ADAM: Lauren and Laurita, we're gonna go on a rail bike ride today.

Have you ever done this?

BOTH: No.

ADAM: No worries.

You'll catch on quick.

It's kinda like riding a bike.

We have some brakes and some pedals.

LAUREN: Okay.

LAURITA: Yeah, we got that.

ADAM: You don't have to steer, you don't have to balance.

Uh, don't have to read a map.

Just follow the rails, and we'll guide you through.

Let's board up.

LAURITA: Alright, let's go.

LAUREN: Let's do it!

ADAM: We're in beautiful Berlin, Maryland, today on the railroad tracks.

These are the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company's tracks.

It's called the Snow Hill Line.

And we run rail bike excursions along this track that isn't being used right now for freight traffic.

We have trips anywhere from close to seven miles to 13 miles.

That's really fun for most anyone to do.

Get to see a lot of neat nature and historical things along the path.

Let's get you boarded up.

LAURITA: Okay.

ADAM: Step behind here.

Get on that side.

LAURITA: I'll do that.

FRED: Go around here.

LAURITA: Thank you.

ADAM: You're on our tandem rail bike, it seats two.

Alright, ladies, so you want to buckle up here with your seat belts.

Okay.

And your brake here is on your hip.

That'll pull straight in towards your body.

That'll bring you to a stop.

Alright, ladies.

So we're going on our Iron Shire Express.

It's about six and a half miles of rail bike fun.

We're gonna see a lot of historic areas, very scenic areas.

Fred will be with us, uh, helping to get across the road safely.

FRED: I'll be meeting you at the intersections and I'll look forward to seeing you there.

LAURITA: Thanks, Fred.

LAUREN: Woo-hoo!

LAUREN: So this is our last day, I think this is a perfect way for us to end our trip here, so thank you so much for having us.

ADAM: Absolutely, glad it could go out with a bang.

LAUREN: Yeah.

LAURITA: Oh yeah!

Let's do it.

ADAM: Have fun!

This freight line, this railroad, has been here since the 1870s.

In 1910, it was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Rail bikes have been around, actually, as long as the railroad.

You know, in early 1850s, they had certain devices to help the workers get around.

But as, as far as a tourist attraction, it's become pretty popular over the last decade or so.

When we started just four or five years ago, there was only a handful.

So it's really taken off.

LAUREN: Woo.

♪ ♪ LAURITA: I'm not doing all the work.

(laughing) LAUREN: We are currently on our bike!

LAURITA: Tracking and yakking.

LAUREN: This is a little bit harder than I expected it to be.

It's a good leg workout, that's for sure.

LAURITA: Hit a little bit.

LAUREN: You get a little bit in!

LAURITA: I did a little bit.

LAUREN: Barely.

Teamwork.

LAURITA: Makes a dream work.

LAUREN: Makes the dream work.

LAURITA: Woo!

(hooting).

ADAM: We head north first, cross main street of Berlin, and then into the woods.

A very beautiful area.

All kinds of wildlife.

Then we're gonna get into that vast farmland, and then we'll turn around at that end, and come right back here to the trolley.

LAUREN: The Inn Berlin!

LAURITA: We're passing by our place that we spent a wonderful night's rest.

LAUREN: I will definitely come back to Berlin.

LAURITA: It's a quaint little town.

And I'm looking forward to our lunch at the Blacksmith.

Thank you, Berlin, for all the fun.

LAUREN: And thank you quads, for getting me going.

LAURITA: Thanks, Fred!

LAUREN: Thank you, Adam!

LAURITA: This was great, thank you!

LAUREN: We enjoyed it!

LAURITA: We made it!

LAUREN: Woo-hoo!

♪ ♪ JUSTINE: I would describe Blacksmith as a little community restaurant run by local people.

It's chef-owned.

In 2014, I wanted to buy a house in Berlin, and when I was looking for my house, I saw this restaurant.

It was originally a blacksmith shop.

The horses went in on Pit Street, and they came out here.

When we built our deck in the back, we found tons of horseshoes.

We make most everything we use here.

Our bread's made down the street, our beer's down the street.

I know that Laurita and Lauren are gonna have three dishes today.

One of them is a stacked eggplant.

So, going back to my sort of Sicilian heritage, my grandmother used to make eggplant Parmesan, and it's just a lovely crunchy combination.

Cheesy and soft.

And supposedly, people that hate eggplant even love it.

Welcome.

I'm so thrilled to have you here.

LAUREN: Thank you for having us.

JUSTINE: Glad you decide to have the eggplant.

It's probably our oldest recipe.

It's been on my menus kind of consistently for 30 years.

LAUREN: Ooh!

LAURITA: It looks so yummy.

JUSTINE: I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be checking on you.

LAURITA: Okay.

LAUREN: Great.

LAURITA: The goat cheese, so creamy.

LAUREN: And thick.

LAURITA: But there's a little crunch.

I'm not sure what the crunch is, but whatever... LAUREN: The crispy eggplant.

LAURITA: That's it.

When you think eggplant, you don't think crispy, but it is a crispy eggplant dish.

LAUREN: Right.

JUSTINE: I know that Laurita and Lauren are gonna have the scallops and we elevate potatoes by doing them French style.

Very smooth, very creamy.

And we do carrots, which we sauté and glaze, and then risotto, which most people don't cook at home.

And I love.

And I just love to see people's happiness when they come in and enjoy something.

LAURITA: What's next?

What's next?

JUSTINE: Right on time.

LAURITA: Oh!

LAUREN: The scallops go over there.

LAURITA: Yes.

JUSTINE: You've got it.

LAUREN: Yeah.

JUSTINE: And then here's the risotto.

LAUREN: Yum.

JUSTINE: I hope you really enjoy it.

LAUREN: So usually I'm not a big scallops person, but that looks really good.

I feel like I'm gonna like it with the potatoes and the carrots.

Can I get a little bite?

LAURITA: Sure.

I think there must be some kind of citrus on the carrot.

LAUREN: It is, like an orange zest.

LAURITA: Because with the scallop, that hit of, of citrus fills your mouth and makes your mouth happy.

LAUREN: Hold on.

I might be a scallops girl now.

LAURITA: Isn't that good?

LAUREN: I feel like most times when I eat scallops it's really fishy, and I don't like that.

This is good.

LAURITA: Delicious.

LAUREN: The potatoes are, like really whipped.

LAURITA: Very creamy.

LAUREN: Mm-hmm.

This was a good meal.

LAURITA: If I don't finish it, it's riding home with me.

LAUREN: Oh, you already know it's riding home.

LAURITA: You might be sleeping, and you're driving.

LAUREN: Right.

LAURITA: Okay.

JUSTINE: How was everything?

LAURITA: Oh my gosh.

So good.

But, Justine, this cannot be your first rodeo.

JUSTINE: That's a nice compliment.

Thank you.

I've been doing it for a while.

I love it, and I hope it shows.

LAURITA: Oh, totally.

LAUREN: Oh yeah.

We can tell that you put love in this food.

LAURITA: Thank you.

JUSTINE: Thank you again.

BOTH: That was sweet.

LAUREN: Look at us.

Jinx, you owe me a soda.

What a great trip!

LAURITA: This was fun.

LAUREN: I loved how we started at Assateague, started out at nature, staying at Frontier Town, and then kind of moved into this cute little quaint town they call Berlin.

LAURITA: I know.

LAUREN: Listen, I had no idea about Berlin, but every time I'm going to Ocean City, I will make a point to stop at Berlin.

LAURITA: It's a good trip.

LAUREN: Since it's only 15 minutes away from the beach, like you just have to stop.

LAURITA: Why wouldn't you?

Why wouldn't you?

LAUREN: Right.

Next time we come, we will definitely have to go check out Mr. Crabs.

I hope he is doing great in that aquarium at the Assateague Seashore Visitor Center.

LAURITA: I am sure he, he's gonna be thriving.

LAUREN: I know.

LAURITA: Let's hope that he remembers us.

(laughing).

LAUREN: Let's get some music going, girl.

LAURITA: All right.

LAUREN: I think I'm gonna stick to your vibe.

♪ Do you remember ♪ ♪ When we fell in love?

♪ ♪ We were young and innocent then ♪ ♪ Do you remember ♪ ♪ How it all began?

♪ LAUREN: Was that good enough?

LAURITA: Yeah.

(laughing).

LAUREN: What are you doing?

LAURITA: Bass.

Look at you.

LAUREN: Listen, I got an A plus in that class.

LAURITA: I guess I did not.

Being able to crab and then see the horses.

LAUREN: Mm-hmm.

LAURITA: Fantastic.

LAUREN: Wah.

LAURITA: Let's do that again.

Come on, Crabber.

(laughing).

LAUREN: Go.

LAURITA: Think y'all gonna pick 'em up?

(laughing).

LAUREN: I think I am.

LAURITA: Okay.

High five, girl.

LAUREN: Laurita's tired.

LAURITA: Laurita's tired!

(laughing).

ANNOUNCER: To discover more places to visit outside the Washington Metro area, visit weta.org/getoutoftown.