Thursday, April 27, 2006

Why: Fabulous spas, serious road food, medical nostalgia, antiques overload and hydration central.

How Far: About 100 miles from Washington.

So you've drunk Dasani and put away plenty of Poland Spring. But when it comes to bottled water, those are just the tip of the iceberg. You can get deluged with H2O at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, said to be the biggest and longest-running of its kind. Each year, some 300 folks flood this historic spa town when waters from as far away as Korea and Finland are put to a taste test. Make that a lack-of-taste test: A panel of judges gives the highest marks to the water that's most flavorless. They wade through categories including tap, bottled, still, sparkling and purified.

On this journey, you'll drive through long stretches of lonely mountainside highway, so stock up on rations at Bill Watson's Carry Out in Frederick. You can't go wrong with the juicy cheeseburgers, but we recommend the flavorsome four-piece fried chicken (buy extra or you'll regret it later in the trip). In Middletown, explore the Victorian-style Tea Room on the bottom floor of the Lamar Center, a former tuberculosis sanitarium. Upstairs, you'll find a forbidding little hideaway: It's a frozen-in-time early-1900s operating room with archaic equipment such as a foot-pedal-operated sink, a scalpel and (gulp!) an amputation saw. If you thrill to old-time treasures, the Hancock Antique Mall might just cause mental overload -- and wallet unloading. Here, 250 dealers fill 48,000 square feet and hawk such diverse items as 1950s butter trays, "I Dream of Jeannie"-style brass lamps and used alternative-rock CDs. For another yesteryear experience, check out the Star Theatre in downtown Berkeley Springs. Built in 1928, it boasts a massive light-up marquee and antiquated striped wallpaper. Quite a production.

-- TONY SCLAFANI