Frederick, Maryland Docs & Hops: A Civil War Tour

Day One

Frederick Visitor Center
The site of an old spoke factory, this building offers wonderful exhibits, an orientation film, "A Turn of the Wheel", and plenty of time to stretch your legs.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Tour the National Museum of Civil War Medicine to hear about the story of care and treatment of the wounded during the Civil War. 7,000 square feet of life-like exhibits tell the story of courage and devotion amidst the death and destruction of war. 

Monocacy National Battlefield
On 9 July 1864, Union General Lew Wallace’s greatly outnumbered troops, many of whom were untried in battle, were defeated by Confederate forces led by General Jubal Early. The Visitor Center tells the story about the “battle that saved Washington”.

Flying Dog Brewery
Tour and taste at Maryland's largest brewery. With up to 20 beers on tap, Flying Dog is at the fastest-growing regional craft brewery in the mid-Atlantic.

Monocacy Brewing Co.
Taste their award-winning, locally brewed beers, including Riot Rye, made with locally grown and malted grist.

Overnight in Frederick
Frederick offers a wide variety of hotel accommodations.

Day Two

Museum of Frederick County History
The Museum of Frederick County History is located in an 1820's Federal-style mansion that maintains a unique collection of furnishings, art and memorabilia from Frederick's past.

Downtown Frederick
More than 200 specialty shops, art galleries and restaurants can be found in bustling Downtown Frederick.

Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam National Battlefield is the site of the bloodiest single-day in American history where 23,110 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on 17 September 1862.

Pry House Field Hospital Museum
The Pry House Field Hospital Museum served as headquarters for Union Commander General George B. McClellan and Major Jonathan Letterman, Medical Director for the Army of the Potomac. The museum details the history of local families and Jonathan Letterman’s reorganization of the medical department as well as the invention of triage at Antietam. 

Dinner at Brewer's Alley Restaurant
Frederick County's original brewpub offers contemporary American regional cuisine and wood-fired pizza oven that complement fresh beer brewed locally in Frederick. Brewer's Alley also partnered with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine for a Civil War Beer series during the sesquicentennial. 

Day Three

South Mountain State Battlefield
South Mountain State Battlefield is Maryland’s only state battlefield. The battle of South Mountain was fought 14 September 1862, prior to Antietam, and was the first conflict on northern soil. A museum at Washington Monument State Park details the conflict there. A small hike, which also connects to the Appalachian Trail, leads to the Washington Monument, the first monument dedicated to the memory of George Washington. 

South Mountain Creamery
South Mountain Creamery is Maryland's first on-the-farm dairy processing plant that home delivers farm fresh and all-natural products. Watch the cows being milked from 1:30-5:00 pm, bottle feed the calves at 4:00 pm, play on the play-set or rock pile, and get a scoop of super-premium ice cream from the farm store.

Gathland State Park
Gathland State Park is the mountain home of Civil War journalist George Alfred Townsend. The famous stone War Correspondents Memorial Arch serves as a tribute to army journalists and photographers from the Civil War.

Day Four

Catoctin Iron Furnace
Thurmont is the site of the Catoctin Iron Furnace. Production at the two furnaces was never interrupted during the Civil War, despite troops moving in the area very close by. Iron produced here was used in the manufacturing of ironclad ships like USS Monitor.

National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Tour the home of the first American born Saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton. Self-guided and docent lead tours of the grounds include a video presentation depicting Elizabeth Seton's life and accomplishments, the original 1770's farmhouse and the beautiful basilica dedicated to her memory.

Lunch at Carriage House Inn
Emmitsburg's Historic Carriage House Inn offers quality cuisine and gracious service in an elegant colonial atmosphere. A northern Frederick County tradition of excellence in hospitality.  The Carriage House chefs prepare your meals with only the finest and freshest local ingredients. 

Gettysburg National Military Park
The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North.