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.
SPECIAL SUMMER EVENTS IN 2022
Summer Fest at Sweet Clover Farm
American Dreams Car Show
Independence Day Festival
Fourth of July Fireworks at Adventure Park USA
Touch a Truck at Adventure Park USA
Art Festival at Lilypons Water Garden
Summer Market at Catoctin Breeze
Sensory Friendly Fourth of July Celebration at Sophie and Madigan's Playground
Libertytown Festival Weekend
Frederick County Craft Beer Festival
South Mountain Creamery Summer BBQ
Storytime in the Garden
LISTEN TO MUSIC
Summer Concert Series at Baker Park
Alive at Five in Downtown Frederick Every Thursday
Frederick Jazz Festival Presents Summer Night Series at Sky Stage
Shab Row Sunday Brunch Concert Series
Summer Reggae Wine and Music Fest
WATCH A FILM OR CATCH A PLAY
Landless Theatre presents School of Rock
Peter Pan Jr. at Maryland Ensemble Theatre
Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Neil Simon at New Spire Arts Stage
SummerFest Family Theatre: Rainbow Rocks
Warehouse Cinemas
Regal Westview and IMAX
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
INDOOR FUN
Play time @ Me Land
Create art at home or in the studio with Pottery & Canvas @ Hot Fired Arts
Book a gaming room @VR Virtual Reality in Frederick
Go boulder climbing at The Boulder Yard
Go on a customized Scavenger Hunt @ Surelocked In Frederick
Browse the fun and unique gifts @ Dancing Bear Toys
Try out your ninja warrior skills (kids beginner class) @ Frederick Ninja Warrior Gym
Pay once & Play all day! @ Spinners Pinball Arcade
Have an adventure in an Escape Room @ Clue IQ
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
Michael’s Kid Club Craft Days
Jo Ann Fabrics Kid Club Craft Days
Take a cooking class.
TREAT YOURSELF
Treat yourself @ Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream Co
Taco Tuesday! Enjoy authentic Latin-American cuisine @ Mexicali Cantina
Pop on over to the Original Popcorn House!
Enjoy a mid-week treat @ Bruster's Real Ice Cream
Try some of the 400 unique soda flavors (and pair it with ice cream!) @ North Market Pop Shop
Shop for locally made gifts, wine and baked goods @ Chartreuse and Co.
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
Take a self-guided tour @ The South Frederick Arboretum
Walk through history @ South Mountain State Battlefield Park
Take a self-guided Historic Covered Bridges driving tour around Frederick
Civil War Walking Tour in Downtown Frederick - hosted by National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Book a Ghost Tour of Historic Frederick @ Maryland Heritage Tours
Take a self-guided African American History driving tour around Frederick
THRILLS
Local Carnivals
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
OUTDOOR FUN
Bikes and Burgers on the C&O Canal
Take a family hike @ Sugarloaf Mountain
Explore Nature at Fountain Rock Park
Feed the fish in the koi pond @ Lilypons Water Gardens
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
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
