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Manchester, Maryland: River Valley Ranch - Wild West Shootouts

A strip of Wild West buildings that unexpectedly appear and line both sides of an otherwise normal public road.

River Valley Ranch

Address:
4506 Grave Run Rd, Manchester, MD
Directions:
From Baltimore, take Falls Rd north to Grave Run Rd. Follow the signs. From Pennsylvania, take Hwy 516 from Glen Rock. After the sharp right turn, take the next left to Grave Run Rd. Follow the signs.
Hours:
Shootouts Saturday afternoons. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
443-713-1010
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Western town.

River Valley Ranch - Wild West Shootouts

Drove through the "western town" at night in August. A couple weeks after, a flash flood damaged a lot of the camp.

[Glenn & Rebecca Brown, 09/18/2009]
River Valley Ranch - Wild West Shootouts

Whoa Pardner! As you pass the farms and tract houses northeast of this rural town, suddenly you find yourself in the Old West. A western "town," complete with wooden sidewalks, false front buildings, a rodeo ring and a herd of bison is the home of a retreat and summer camp owned by a fundamentalist religious group from Baltimore. During the summer, the campers stage shootouts in front of the "sheriff's office" every Saturday afternoon, followed by a rodeo.

The corner hotel and saloon is right out of the old Gunsmoke TV series, except of course, no madame and no alcohol. There's a "chuckhouse," and a "bunkhouse" and a "livery" and cowboys roaming around in chaps and 10-gallon hats. It's either a lot of fun, or completely wacky, depending on your frame of mind.

It is laid out on both sides of a public road, just like any other small village you would encounter in this rural area. So you can just park your car and wander around.

[Roger, 05/05/2002]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Bicycle Parts Horse and RiderBicycle Parts Horse and Rider, Seven Valleys, PA - 10 mi.
Town Named BoringTown Named Boring, Boring, MD - 11 mi.
Whittaker Chambers' Pumpkin PatchWhittaker Chambers' Pumpkin Patch, Westminster, MD - 11 mi.
In the region:
Charles Siegert: Death by Tiger, Washington, DC - 57 mi.

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