Frederick, Maryland, is home to a bustling music and arts community. Visitors find no shortage of creative activities, including museum hopping around the county. From Civil War medicine and railroads to architecture and the history of fire rescue, these museums keep your family excitedly learning all day
National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Follow the footsteps of Civil War soldiers and surgeons to discover the harsh conditions, personal sacrifices, and life-changing and -saving innovations in this Frederick museum. The local museum physically showcases a few hundred of more than 5,000 artifacts related to Civil War medicine. Professional guides offer pay-as-you-please historical walking tours of Downtown Frederick. Online, the Museum of Civil War Medicine offers digital curated bibliographies, letters, and diaries of the most influential people and events, as well as an insider look at Soldiers On The Go; What They Wore; and Headquarters, Home, Hospital as digital exhibits. Visit its sister museums, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in Washington, D.C. and Pry House Field Hospital on Antietam National Battlefield in Keedysville, Maryland.
Roads and Rails Museum
The Roads & Rails Museum celebrates miniature railroads. It’s a world of its own that’s home to one of the largest miniature world model train displays in the nation. Visitors see a zoo, circus, working volcano, walk-through mountains, a subway, coal mine, castle, and towns with moving trains, trolleys, cars, and trucks.
This local museum on the corner of N. East Street is designed to be a family-friendly, fun display of three-dimensional art with sound and movement. Host weekend birthday parties, schedule a group tour, or enjoy the displays, gift shop, and more!
Rose Hill Manor Park & Museums
Sponsored by Frederick County Parks and Recreation, the Rose Hill museums include the Carriage Museum, an exhibit of restored carriages and sleighs; Farm Museum, a glimpse into Frederick County’s rich agricultural history; and Children’s Museum, a hands-on experience for kids to roleplay life in early America. Visitors can also tour Rose Hill Manor, the old home of the first Maryland governor, Thomas Johnson. Experience the history of transportation, agriculture, and politics of the county in a hands-on environment.
Schifferstadt Architectural Museum
On Rosemont Avenue in Frederick, this museum is one of the oldest buildings in the city. Built around 1758 to potentially hide refugees from the French and their Indian allies, Schifferstadt offers the best examples of early Colonial German architecture in the nation. Open for weekend tours from early April to December, this local museum is run by volunteers and accepts a suggested donation for entry. Special events, including Bell and History Day and a Barnstormers Day, are outlined on the online calendar.
Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum
The history of Frederick County Fire & Rescue Service comes to life in this local museum in Emmitsburg. Visitors find artifacts, photographs, and more that share the stories of companies and individual members of this helpful service. Featured apparatus include an 1821 hand tub pumper called the “Old Lady”, 1939 Ahrens-Fox piston pumper, and 1893 hand-drawn hose cart.