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Elegant country dining and guest accommodations in the Pennington Cottage, A Victorian Mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nestled comfortably in the picturesque Allegheny Mountains of western Maryland, The Deer Park Inn creates a perfect setting for a memorable dining experience. Unique overnight accommodations are also available in the restored Victorian mansion.

Josiah Pennington, a prominent Baltimore architect, designed the 17 room "Cottage" as a summer home for his family on the grounds of the world famous Deer Park Hotel, no longer in existence. In 1889, he constructed the historic Pennington Cottage, which houses the Deer Park Inn. The Inn is Furnished with Victorian antiques, many of which are original of the Cottage. The remaining pieces are from the old Hotel and other Allegheny estates, which have been collected throughout the years. Candlelight dining at the Deer Park Inn is styled and prepared by the owner and chef, Pascal Fontaine, formerly the Executive Chef at the Westin Hotel, and the Ana Hotel, in Washington, D. C.

The Deer Park Inn is minutes from Deep Creek Lake, Wisp Ski Resort, the Potomac, Savage and Youghiogheny white water rivers, and the many other state parks and recreational areas in western Maryland. You can enjoy Horseback Riding, White Water Rafting, Kayaking, Boating at Deep Creek Lake, Wake Boarding, Water Skiing, Waverunners, Rock Climbing and many other attractions our area has to offer. Pascal is a french chef who after years of traveling around the world finally found a home in Western Maryland. He found in this gorgeous Victorian mansion (The Deer Park Inn) all the history he left in France. His cooking is influenced a lot by his travels, however if he had to name it, he would call it French cuisine with American influence.

Pascal was formerly executive chef of a large hotel (over 400 rooms ) in Washington D.C. It sounds crazy to leave a fully equipped kitchen with a staff of 30 cooks, but in today's world, executive chefs are doing less and less cooking, this is one of the reason why he moved to the Deer Park Inn Here, by love and by necessity everything has to be made in house, from his multi grain bread, to the delightful chocolate pate, going thru his confit de canard. He is using as many local products as possible, and after three years, he is finally able to get local farmers to grow the vegetables he needs for his cooking The season in the Deep Creek Lake area is very short however it is plentiful. Corn, squash, tomatoes, beets, peaches, and many other fresh fruits and vegetables are grown for The Deer Park Inn.. Then it is time to work like before, which is with the seasons, here we are not eating berries that was harvested a couple weeks ago, 5,000 miles away. This is a lot of work but it is very rewarding.

Sandy also is French, she has the ability to adjust to any situation, she was a hairstylist in Paris, she was a painter in Bermuda, she taught pottery and stained glass in Washington area, now she joggles between the books, the Kitchen and the Dinning Room. She is the fairy of The Deer Park Inn, her knack of being very creative is challenged everyday, her smile and her warmness make the most difficult guests at ease right away. She is the really true artist of The Deer Park Inn.