About The Carriage House Inn
The Carriage House Inn fills a building that has had several lives since it went up around 1857 in Emmitsburg's historic district. In 1877 it became the Zimmerman and Maxwell feed and grain warehouse; after 1900 it housed a broom factory, a tomato cannery and later a bus depot. It first opened as a restaurant, called the White House, in 1953, and roughly three decades later the Hance family bought it and gave it the Carriage House name.
Today the kitchen describes its cooking as timeless New American, with menus that change by season; the spring and summer 2026 menus are posted on the restaurant's website. Lunch runs from 11 AM to 4 PM Tuesday through Saturday, dinner follows until 8 PM midweek and 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sunday service runs from 11 AM to 5 PM. On cooler days you can ask for a table near the fireplace. Tables can be reserved online, and takeout is available.
Upstairs, JoAnn's Ballroom was finished in 1998 and seats up to 150 for receptions, parties and meetings, and the restaurant also caters weddings and events on site or elsewhere. Around Thanksgiving it offers a holiday dinner menu, a buffet and family pans to take home.
The inn sits in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains, about 15 minutes from the Gettysburg battlefields and close to the Seton Shrine and the Grotto of Lourdes. Abraham's Battlefield Lavender is the nearest lavender farm on our list, roughly 20 minutes away, so lunch here fits neatly into a summer day of lavender and history.
What to do
- Have lunch or dinner in a building that dates to about 1857
- Ask for a table near the fireplace in cooler months
- Book JoAnn's Ballroom, which seats up to 150, for a reception or party
- Order Thanksgiving dinner, the buffet or family pans to take home
- Pair a meal with a visit to the Gettysburg battlefields, about 15 minutes away
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Open year-round, closed Mondays; seasonal menus
- Hours
- Tue-Thu 11 AM-8 PM; Fri-Sat 11 AM-9 PM; Sun 11 AM-5 PM; closed Monday (2026)
Tips for your visit
- The restaurant is closed on Mondays
- Sunday service ends at 5 PM, so plan an early dinner
- Lunch is served until 4 PM, then the dinner menu starts
Pair it with a lavender farm
Abraham's Battlefield Lavender · about 20 minutes away
Abraham's Battlefield Lavender is about 20 minutes away; check the farm's open days, then come here for lunch or an early dinner.
Getting there
Questions
Is The Carriage House Inn open on Mondays?
No. It's open Tuesday through Sunday.
How old is the building?
It was built around 1857 and became a restaurant in 1953.
Can The Carriage House Inn host a private party?
Yes. JoAnn's Ballroom upstairs seats up to 150 guests.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Sykesville & Central Maryland
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
