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Yes, boredom fosters creativity, but sometimes we need to kick start the creative engine with some fun ideas. Here are some fun family-friendly ideas for ways to explore, create, and play in and around Frederick.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Check the Macaroni Kid Calendar for free and low cost things to do in our area. Not a subscriber? Sign up and you’ll get the goods each weekly directly in your email in-box. It’s free. No sales. No gimmicks. Just plain fun.
Sign the kids up for a Summer Camp.
WATCH A FILM FOR FREE (OR A BIG DISCOUNT)
Watch a free movie outside during Movie Night on the Creek or Lovettsville’s Summer on the Green
AMC Theaters has a $4 movie deal that includes snacks.
Regal Westview Stadium 16 & IMAX 2019 Summer Movie Express - $1 a ticket, movies start at 10:00 AM
ANIMAL & INSECT ENCOUNTERS
Baltimore National Aquarium
Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo
Catoctin Creek Park & Nature Center
Fountain Rock Park & Nature Center
Baugher’s Petting Zoo
Land of Little Horses
Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly & Caterpillar Exhibit
South Mountain Creamery - Feed the baby calves and enjoy some ice cream
INDOOR FUN
Home Depot Free Kids Workshop
Kids Skate Free
Learn about the history of the railroad and see an interactive model train at Brunswick Heritage Museum
Go Ice Skating at Skate Frederick
Go bowling for free this summer
Check out an indoor play place like Pump It Up or Backyard Inflatables
Attend a story time and participate in the Summer Reading Challenge at the library
Michael’s Kid Club Craft Days
Jo Ann Fabrics Kid Club Craft Days
Take a cooking class.
Attend a story time or event at The Dancing Bear
Exercise like a ninja
See something unbelievable
THE ARTS
Summerfest Family Theatre- Thursdays at Baker Park- June-August at 10AM
See a show at the Weinberg Theater in Frederick
LISTEN TO SOME TUNES
Concerts on the Promenade – Every Third Wednesday, May-Sept., 6-8PM
Summer Concert Series - Sundays at Baker Park Bandshell, June-Auguse at 7PM
Sky Stage Live Music Series
Friday night music at Black Ankle Vineyards or Big Cork
Join a drum circle at Sky Stage
EXPAND YOUR MIND
Maryland Science Center
Learn all about the Battle of Antietam
See the stars at the Earth, Space and Science Center
Discovery Station
Visit the Original Playhouse or Rose Hill Manor children’s museum
THRILLS
Purchase discounted tickets to a ton of amusement parks through Frederick County Parks & Rec
Adventure Park USA
Hershey Park
PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES (AND BICYCLES)
Visit the B&O Railroad Museum and take a train ride
Ride a the rails on Walkersville Southern Railroad
Visit the Roads and Rails Museum in Frederick, MD
Visit the train museum in Brunswick, MD and watch trains zip by from the station; walk or bike along the C&O Canal
Western Maryland Railroad
Watch planes takeoff and land at the Frederick Municipal Airport
Clustered Spires High Wheel Race
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
Go kayaking or canoeing on the Potomac
Hit the lake at Cunningham Falls (Thurmont, MD) Or Greenbrier State Park (Boonsboro, MD)
Go camping at Gambrill State Park or the Brunswick Family Campground
Antietam Creek Canoe (tubing, canoeing) - Boonsboro, MD
Go canoeing or whitewater rafting at Harpers Ferry Adventure Center
Become a pirate on a Pirate cruise in Baltimore or DC
Piney Run Park - Sykesville
Ida Lee Water Park - Leesburg, VA
HEAD TO THE FAIR
The Great Frederick Fair
Washington County Agricultural Expo (Boonsboro, MD)
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2019
Boonsboro Greenfest
Frederick Festival of the Arts
Find a whole list of local carnivals here
OUTDOOR FUN
Make a fairy garden or an outdoor racetrack with supplies from Mar-Lu View Nursery and Landscaping.
Paint, hide, and find Frederick Rocks
Visit a National Park for free
Try Geocaching
Get Junior Ranger Certificates at nearby National Parks
Explore the many battlefields nearby, like Monocacy National Battlefield
Catch a baseball game – Washington Nationals, Frederick Keys or the Hagerstown Suns
Head to a Farmers Market
Pick your own fruits and vegetables at nearby farms
Walk or bike on the C&O Canal
Take a hike at Gambrill State Park
Grab a map from the Visitors Center to explore the area
Hike Great Falls Park
Take a hike in one of America’s best walking parks at Harpers Ferry
Be a kid again at the outdoor tire park
The Big Slide at Rocky Ridge
Rent a pole from the Brunswick Library and fish at the Lion’s Merryland Park pond.
Explore a natural cavern at Crystal Grottos Caverns
FUN AT HOME
Sensory Walk
Edible Play Dough Ice Cream
DIY Garden Gnomes
Solar S’mores Oven
Toilet Paper Roll Firework Painting
Fruit Print Craft
Swimming Pool Scrabble
Frozen Paint Cubes
DIY Bead Suncatchers
Bubble Snake Maker
SUMMER READING PROGRAMS
Frederick County Public Library Summer Reading Program
Barnes and Noble
Scholastic
Book It
B&O Railroad Museum
HIT THE ROAD
Turkey Hill Experience
Hershey’s Chocolate World
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Dinosaur Land
Visit every stop on Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail
