A Stone’s Throw: Frederick, MD

Just 40 miles southwest of Westminster is the town of Frederick, an emerging artistic area with deep roots in history. A good place to start your visit to Frederick is the Visitors Center, newly opened in April of this year.

Once a cannery warehouse, this center now boasts of an award-winning orientation film, dramatic murals and interpretive exhibits. Maps and brochures are available to help plan your Frederick visit, but we’ve outlined a few of the most popular activities for you!

Walking Tours: An easy way to discover the many treasures of Frederick is by foot. There are a few options for walking tours to help you find your way around town.

One such tour is the Great Frederick Historic Treasure Hunt. With the help of a treasure map, visitors scour around town in search of 23 predetermined locations to in search of answers to questions posed on the treasure map. This tour takes about two hours and is suitable for all ages. Maps can be found at the Frederick Visitor Center.

Another option is to join a “Murder and Mayhem” walking tour. This one-hour tour through Historic Frederick highlights some of the most fascinating and scandalous stories about the city.

Visit a historical museum:  The museums in Frederick go a long way to help weave the past with the present. Some of the more popular include The National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, or the Frederick County Farm Museum, just to name a few.

Carroll Creek Park/The Community Bridge: Take a leisurely stroll through Carroll Creek Park and enjoy the many works of art and water features.  Take your time walking under the Community Bridge, a hand- painted bridge using amazing trompe l'oeil ("deceive the eye") techniques.   Be sure to stop in the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, a special view of the Archangel painting on the bridge can be seen from this building.

Summer Concert and Theatre Series:  Celebrate Frederick presents a series of free concerts and family theatre performances. The series takes place at the Baker Park Band Shell on Thursdays and Sundays. For more info see the Celebrate Frederick website.

The Monocacy Battlefield: Known as “the battle that saved Washington, D.C.,” the Battle at Monocacy played a major role in the Civil War. Spend some time at the battlefield learning about what happened on July 9, 1864 using the on-site visitor center, self-guided auto tours and walking trails.

There are an abundant number of restaurant choices in Frederick, here are just a few to consider:

 LaPaz Mexican Restaurant:  Situated in the Carroll Creek Promenade, LaPaz offers indoor and patio dining. This creek side restaurant provides a casual atmosphere to enjoy dinner and drinks.

The WOW Café and Wingery: This New Orleans inspired Café boasts an extensive menu including wings, burgers, salads and more. A variety of seventeen different sauces are available to compliment your wings.

The Orchard Restaurant: The Orchard’s menu is made up of all homemade items made from fresh ingredients. You won’t find any red meat on the menu, but there are plenty of healthy choices, including fish, chicken and vegetarian dishes.