Visit Frederick Again and Again!

From the center of the 50-block Frederick Town Historic District to the surrounding mountains and valleys, Frederick County offers a wealth of attractions for young and old. 

 

Conveniently Located
Its location is an attraction in itself. The county is well positioned as a hub that makes this a convenient place to stay for visits throughout a larger region, from Gettysburg to Washington, DC.

 

Civil War Buffs Delight
It is this crossroads location that has made Frederick County the site of significant activity throughout our nation’s history. No period in local history presently attracts more visitor interest than the Civil War.

 

Frederick’s National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a perfect complement to the story told at other area sites. Civil War buffs can visit the site of the lesser known but strategically important “Battle That Saved Washington” at the Monocacy National Battlefield.

 

Just a few miles across the county line you’ll find the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg, PA and Antietam in Washington County. South Mountain State Battlefield straddles the western county line; Harpers Ferry, site of John Brown’s raid, is just across the Potomac River.

 

A series of Civil War Trail driving tours is now under development in cooperation with the Maryland Office of Tourism.

 

Significant Places In History
The county’s geographic significance is also evidenced by the fact that the National Road, which links the Chesapeake Bay with the West, runs through Frederick County. It crosses the county starting at Mount Airy, proceeds through New Market, the City of Frederick, Braddock Heights, Middletown and up South Mountain.

 

Francis Scott Key
Other reminders of Frederick County’s role in history include the impressive monument at Francis Scott Key’s grave in Frederick.

 

Barbara Fritchie
In the  Mount Olivet Cemetery is Barbara Fritchie, whose 1862 flag-waving defiance of Stonewall Jackson’s presence in Frederick was immortalized in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “Barbara Fritchie.” Her reconstructed home is in Frederick’s 50-block historic district along with many other noteworthy examples of 18th and 19th-century architecture.

 

From the Brunswick Railroad Museum to Emmitsburg’s National Shrine of (first American-born Saint) Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frederick County is home to numerous historic sites and attractions for visitors to enjoy. 

 

Antiques
Buckeystown, Burkittsville, Brunswick, Catoctin Furnace, Emmitsburg, and New Market, the “Antiques Capital of Maryland,” are smaller but equally impressive gems listed on the National Register of Historic Towns.

 

Community
Current residents are also putting Frederick County “on the map.” The Community Bridge mural has garnered international attention. This painted illusion of an old stone bridge, on a modern city bridge, took five years to complete.

 

The trompe l’oeil mural includes images representing the spirit of community collected from thousands of area residents. It is one of a series of public arts projects throughout Frederick, where the performing arts also abound.

 

Frederick Has Something for Everyone
Numerous local, state and federal parks, beautiful scenery, renowned restaurants, specialty shops, water gardens, a zoo, minor league baseball, covered bridges, orchards, fruit products and markets, wineries and many exciting events combine to make Frederick County a great place to visit! The Tourism Council’s Frederick Visitor Center at 19 E. Church Street is a good place to start.