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Frederick Historic Frederick. The historic district embraces 33 blocks of central Frederick, but the important structures are concentrated along eight short blocks of downtown. The downtown Visitor Center offers a map for a short walking tour, but its 90-minute guided walking tour given weekends and holidays at 1:30 is well worth the $5.50 tab. Many of the fascinating sights (and insights) aren't detailed in the written tour. Among these are the unique top hats atop dormer windows, the cast-iron dog stolen by Confederate soldiers desperate for bullets and later returned and resting today in front of Dr. John Tyler's Home and the unbelievably realistic murals painted on downtown store walls under the city's Angels in the Architecture program. You see the law offices of Roger Brooke Taney and Francis Scott Key (famous brothers-in-law, one a Supreme Court justice known for the Dred Scott Decision and the other the author of the National Anthem) opposite City Hall and Court House Square. Other tour highlights: the oldest consecrated Catholic church in the country, the oldest ginkgo tree in the country across from the synagogue, the flag-waving Barbara Fritchie House and Museum (open Thursday-Monday or by appointment, $2), the home of the first president of the Continental Congress, the Historical Society of Frederick County and stately townhouses, mansions and public buildings shaded by trees and parks. Of particular interest are the stained-glass windows in All Saints Episcopal Church, one side of which is original Tiffany glass, beneath a ceiling that is a replica of Noah's Ark. Carroll Creek Park. A promenade and linear corridor – the result of a flood-control project – stretch nearly a mile and a half through the city's heart. Benches, fountains, plantings, wood sculptures and a bridge with trompe-l'oeil stone walls are among diversions for passersby. The annual Frederick Festival of the Arts is staged here, and more activities and commercial and office developments were planned along the creek banks. Already, an old mill has been turned into the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center at 40 South Carroll St. and the Frederick Brewing Company brews Blue Ridge beers and ales and gives weekend tastings and tours at its microbrewery at 103 South Carroll St. War Memorabilia. Frederick, a city where families and friends were divided by the War Between the States, is a center for devotees of the Civil War. It's centrally located between Gettysburg, Antietam and Harpers Ferry, among the more significant sites. More than 500 Confederate soldiers are buried in the city's vast Mount Olivet Cemetery. The Revolutionary War Hessian Barracks, the only surviving structures of the Civil War hospital complex here, are nearby. The National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 East Patrick St., details the story of care and healing amidst all the death and destruction. A new visitor center serves visitors at Monocacy National Battlefield, 4801 Urbana Pike (State Route 355), where Confederate General Jubal Early's advance on Washington was delayed long enough to allow Union reinforcements to enter and save the city. Antietam National Battlefield. This battlefield is another story. One of America's best preserved (and least crowded) battlefields, it was the site of the bloodiest battle in U.S. history. More than 23,000 men on both sides were killed or wounded on Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North on Sept. 17, l862. Antietam Creek “actually ran red that day,” we were told by our Frederick walking-tour guide. Pause at the visitor center to view the award-winning, 26-minute movie, “Antietam Visit.” It's gripping, grisly and melancholy. An eight-mile-long tour road allows visitors to drive past important sites and more than 350 monuments, tablets, markers and cannons. Open daily, 8:30 to 6, to 5 in winter. Adults, $2. Antiquing in New Market. Just off the interstate, this little one-street town crossed by alleys is heaven for antiquers. The village that originally served as a stopover for travelers on the National Pike between Baltimore and Frederick has staked its reputation on being a destination for those with a serious interest in antiques. More than 30 shops are tucked in and behind houses in a half-mile stretch. There's not a souvenir shop or boutique in sight. Most shops are open only the latter half of the week or on weekends. You can stop for lunch or dessert at the cozy Village Tea Room, 81 West Main St., where the owner-baker makes 22 kinds of pies and offers sandwiches and vegetarian fare in the $5 to $7 range. Breakfast and lunch also are available in a café section of the atmospheric New Market General Store, 26 West Main St., which looks much as it did when it was built in 1881. Shopping. Frederick's downtown has never been lost, and even retained a local department store into the early 1990s. Although boutiques and crafts shops have sprouted up, it still has a barbershop located on the main street, where the window was filled with old glass milk bottles and seven men were waiting on a Tuesday morning for the three chairs. And people are apt to say hello; even the policeman bade us good morning and the meter maid awarded us a reprieve with a courtesy parking ticket. The owners of the Museum Shop Ltd., well-known for restoring museum paintings, moved from Washington to 20 North Market St. to open a gallery of exotic works, including a line of cards and plates with animal prints. Dougherty’s Irish Shop is among the gift shops. The Candy Kitchen has dispensed candy made the old-fashioned way for more than 50 years. There's another concentration of shops, some of them
hard to find or get to, at the restored Everedy Square & Shab Row
three blocks east of downtown. Flights of Fancy is a colorful
place on several levels with a New Age atmosphere, handmade items,
educational toys and handcrafted jewelry. Wonderful specialty foods,
chocolates, Maryland wines and gift baskets are among the offerings at The
Frederick Basket Company. In between is the local branch of Talbots.
Across the street from each other are the Calico Fudge &
Creamery and the Frederick Coffee Company & Café. McCutcheon’s Factory Store, 13 South Wisner St., is one of those family-run apple stands grown big. Run by three generations of McCutcheons, it's been expanding since 1938 and now occupies a large facility on the southeast side of downtown. Have a sample of cider (cloudy, clear or cherry) while you shop. Apple products and fruit preserves are featured at factory prices. You'll also find relishes, honey, horseradish mustard and caesar salad dressing.
Extra-Special Lilypons Water Gardens, 6800 Lilypons Road, Buckeystown. If you've ever been interested in water gardening, and even if you haven't, you should drive out to this fascinating aquatic farm and shop (incidentally named for Lily Pons, the opera star), eight miles south of Frederick. Here are 300 acres of tranquility, with pond after pond containing lilies and lotus with names like queen of whites, glorisa, rosy morn, floating heart and pink sensation. Holding tanks in back of the shop contain koi, the colorful Japanese carp (some as expensive as $250), comets, calico fantails and the like. The shop carries everything one needs to start a water garden, from books to filters, pumps and pool de-icers. Lectures and demonstrations are offered from spring to fall. The annual Lotus Blossom Festival occurs around the middle of July when the lotus begin to bloom, and the Koi Festival takes place in early September. Any time, you can take a picnic, stroll around the ponds, and dream of your own lagoon-shaped pool with the underground lights, the fan fountain and the black Japanese snails, tadpoles and clams to help keep it all clean. (301) 874-5133 or (800) 723-7667.
www.lilypons.com. Open daily 9:30 to 5:30 (Sunday from 10:30,
March-September; rest of year, Monday-Saturday 9:30 to 4:30. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places / Mid-Atlantic, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2003. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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