Day Off:
Frederick

Frederick is a wonderful anomaly. Most old towns anywhere near a major city have been absorbed into suburban sprawl and lost their personality. Mom & Pop shops fall victim to competition from outlying malls; in-town houses become professional offices; the streets are deserted after 5 p.m.

Frederick, though, bucks the trend. Just a few speed traps from DC and Baltimore, it remains vital and original. Malls and subdivisions surround it, but the city and surrounding countryside seem not to have noticed. Covered bridges, B&Bs, wineries, farmers markets, country fairs, historical sites, outdoor encounters, antiques, shopping - the place is a theme park of genuine rustic Americana.

The congestion and pressures of the cities evaporate on the drive as the scenery changes from office buildings to corn fields.

Frederick sits in the shadow of the Catoctin Mountains. Catoctin Mountain Park and Cunningham Falls State Park give visitors plenty of chances to get close to nature. The National Park Service runs Catoctin, while Cunningham Falls is a State Park. They are separated by Rt. 77, but share many trails and plan activities that complement each other. Between the two parks, outdoor lovers can hike (trails run from ½ mile to 27 miles), camp, boat, fish, canoe, swim, or just relax. Educational and recreational programs satisfy those who can't quite let go of structure.

To the south are the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Look for River & Trail Outfitters and C&O Bicycling. Lee Baihly and his enthusiastic crew shepherd guided raft adventures and cycling trips. The rapids ride down the Potomac near Harper's Ferry is a good introduction for first-time rafters.

History is as thick in the air around Frederick as political rhetoric is in DC. The historic district has a "Georgetown" feel to it, minus the Starbucks and overpriced boutiques. And the gridlock. Real people live and work here. It's even possible to pick up one of the town houses near the courthouse square for less than the cost of a Congressional re-election campaign.

There are guided and self-guided walking tours, horse-drawn carriage tours, candlelight ghost tours, and holiday house and church tours. Most of them focus more on the people and the gossip than on the cold, hard facts, which keeps the place alive.

Many of the stories focus on the Civil War. Frederick was in the middle of both of Lee's ventures into the north. Troops trooped through town before and after Antietam and Gettysburg.

The nearby Antietam and Monocacy Battlefields have been spared the commercial development of Gettysburg and the threats of development at Bull Run. The fields remain largely untouched as a poignant monument.

The back roads would still look familiar to a resident from that era, right down to the covered bridges that cross several streams. Four bridges invite picnickers and romantics to linger, perhaps with a bottle of wine from one of the area's vineyards or a chilled bottle of a local microbrew.

Elk Run, Linganore, and Loew Vineyards open for tours on the weekends with tastings and other events on their schedules. In town, the Frederick Brewing Company gives brewery tours of their facility, conveniently adjacent to its brewpub.

Mischief brews for dedicated shoppers throughout the town. If antiques are your thing, arrive with an empty U-Haul and prepare to use your credit card until it melts. Antique Station has over 200 dealers under one roof. Embassy Antiques specializes in French items. Then there're Old Glory and Warehouse Antiques, also in Frederick proper. Great Stuff by Paul stocks modern accessories and other items, as well as antiques. It's another good place to browse.

Everedy Square and Shab Row is the heart of the commercial shopping district. With 35 shops in renovated 19th century buildings, it's a sort of Early American-themed shopping mall. Browsers find contemporary crafts and gifts, stationery, candy, garden and household accessories, fine jewelry, and clothing.

Foodies need to check out McCutcheon's Factory Store. These condiments have been locally made since 1938. Most farm stores and produce stands in Maryland seem to carry their apple butter, relishes, honey, ciders, and other goodies. The factory store is a one-stop excuse to stock up.

One of the best features about Frederick is that it stays alive after dark. The city boasts a great collection of restaurants. Upscale places with Continental cuisine and extensive wine lists, casual bistros where the music is lively and the beer is cold, Mexican restaurants where the habaneros are hot, coffee bars with designer blends, and delis with oversized sandwiches are all busy.

The arts are strong here, too. The Weinberg Center for the Arts is a treasure. Housed in a restored 1926 Art Deco movie palace, it is home to a year-round schedule of professional music, dance, and theatrical performances. Classic movies are routinely shown, too. The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theater has a schedule of Broadway musicals and children's shows, while the Maryland Ensemble Theater performs five shows per year.

Accommodations are equally fine. There are as many B&Bs here as there are lobbyists on Capitol Hill. Several of the stately townhouses in the historic district let visitors live in a style to which they could easily become accustomed, with four-poster beds, antique-filled suites, attentive innkeepers, and breakfasts that are a far cry from the usual morning Pop-tarts and instant coffee. That may be the way of the rest of the world, but Frederick will stay true to its own way of life, thank you.

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The best place for information about Frederick is the Frederick Tourism Council. 1-800-999-3613, www.visitfrederick.org. The visitors guide has detailed information, phone numbers, and addresses.

Tours:
Walking tours begin at the Frederick Visitor Center, 19 East Church Street on weekends and some holidays. They are 90 minutes long and cost $4.75 for adults. The Center also sells self-guided walking tour brochures. For cyclists, the Center has detailed maps of 9 routes through Frederick County.

Horse-drawn carriage tours: Frederick Tour & Carriage Company 301-694-7433
Ghost tours: 301-694-7433

Antietam National Battlefield 301-432-5124 www.nps.gov.anti
Monocacy National Battlefield 301-662-3515 www.nps.gov/mono/home.htm
River & Trail Outfitters 301-695-5177 www.rivertrail.com
Cunningham Falls State Park 301-271-7574 www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western.html
Catoctin Mountain National Park 301-663-9388 www.nps.gov/cato
Everedy Square & Shab Row 301-662-4140
Weinberg Center for the Arts 301-228-2828 www.weinbergcenter.org
'Way Off Broadway Dinner Theater 301-662-6600 www.wayoffbroadway.com
Maryland Ensemble Theater 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org
Antique Station 301-695-0888
Embassy Antiques 888-276-6472 www.embassyantiques.com
Great Stuff by Paul 301-631-0004 www.greatstuffbypaul.com
Old Glory Antique Marketplace 301-662-9173
Warehouse Antiques 301-663-4778
McCutcheon's Factory Store 301-662-3261 www.mccutcheons.com
Elk Run Vineyards 410-775-2513 www.elkrun.com
Linganore Winecellars 301-831-5889 www.linganore-wine.com
Loew Vineyards 301-831-5464
Frederick Brewing Company 888-258-7434 www.fredbrew.com

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