Frederick is a bustling city located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Washington DC and Baltimore metropolitan area. The city has been an important crossroads since colonial times with a rich history, civil war battlegrounds and museums to explore. Frederick’s historic downtown streets, museums and visitor centres attract visitors eager to delve deeper into its unique heritage.

Visitors interested in exploring the history of Frederick should begin at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Follow in the footsteps of surgeons and soldiers and uncover the sacrifices they endured to assist front line troops. Alternatively, Frederick Visitor Centre houses a state of the art theatre, showcasing regional attractions and exhibits which every traveller will want to see. Downtown, Main Street is home to over 200 specialty shops selling everything from handcrafted jewellery to “on trend” clothing. Main Street also offers signature eateries from celebrity chefs and charming cafes. There is a dining experience to suit all tastes and budgets. Visitors can take guided walking tours during the daytime or by candlelight to explore the city and homes of its heroes. Venturing 10 minutes outside Frederick, Monocacy National Battlefield is a site for all history lovers. The battlefield has been preserved with a host of monuments which include tributes to Union troops and Confederate forces. Those wishing to explore American Civil War and political history further can travel to Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virginia both less than an hour away.

Reaching Frederick from Washington D.C. is easy via car, bus or train. The journey by car takes approximately 1 hour, by train 1.5 hours, and via bus 2.5 hours. Visitors staying in Frederick will find the city easy to navigate on foot, as major attractions are a short walk from each other. Buses, taxis and Uber services operate throughout the state. Frederick also has a railway station, where visitors can access trains heading for Washington D.C and outlying towns and cities.

The city of Frederick was always known as a crossroads, even before European traders arrived. Native American hunters would follow the path of the Monocacy River and it became known as the “Great Indian Warpath”. When European settlers arrived, they were from a variety of backgrounds, Pennsylvania Dutch, Scots, Irish, French and Evangelical Lutherans from Germany. Frederick became a leading mining area during the 19th century with exports of gold, limestone, marble and copper strengthening the city’s wealth. Today, Frederick is popular with historians eager to uncover the city’s civil war secrets, and travellers keen to explore its many churches and buildings displaying its historical, cultural diversity.