Hagerstown offers visitors not only the elusive relaxation that money just can’t seem to buy, but also great natural attractions, arts and culture, sports, outlet shopping and a college semester’s worth of intriguing history.
Here, in a small town that might have been a page torn from Norman Rockwell’s sketchbook, families can enjoy a wallet-friendly vacation close to home.
“Hagerstown is much less expensive at hotels, B&Bs and campgrounds than elsewhere,” said Tom Riford, president and chief executive officer of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Once settled in, the exploring begins.
For lovers of the great outdoors, Riford’s “to-do” list is immense.
“Visit Antietam National Battlefield and Fort Frederick State Park,” he said. “Stay at Jellystone Park and experience the new 400-foot water slides, float down the Potomac on canoe or kayaks, hike or bike the C&O Canal [or] visit Maryland’s only public caverns, Crystal Grottoes.”
Bureau information specialist Fran Rinehart is all for the grottoes. “When you walk into the caves, you are in an underground world of beauty.”
Shoppers will appreciate the Prime Outlets at Hagerstown with more than 100 designer and specialty outlet shops, while those interested in the performing arts can catch performances by the Maryland Symphony Orchestra or enjoy live shows at the Maryland Theatre.
Riford suggests visits to the town’s many museums, which include the Beaver Creek School Museum, a two-room schoolhouse built in 1904 and filled with period desks, books and musical instruments.
The Jonathan Hager House & Museum, built in 1739, served as fort and trading post for the town’s founder and features 18th-century furnishings. The Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum showcases a fantastic collection of Western Maryland railroad memorabilia. The Hagerstown Aviation Museum highlights through photographs, models and related materials the 70-year history of aviation and aviation-related manufacturing in the area.
A “not-to-be-missed’ attraction is the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, with a permanent collection emphasizing 19th and early 20th-century American art.
Hagerstown’s own City Park presents concerts under the stars along the town’s beautiful lake.
“This town is a jewel,” Rinehart said. “You could never run out of things to do.”
If you go:
- Where: Hagerstown-Washington County Visitors Bureau, 16 Public Square, Hagerstown, Md.
- Distance: 72 miles from Baltimore; 70 miles from D.C.
- Info.: 301-791-3246; www.marylandmemories.com
