P.O. Box 158
Sharpsburg, MD 21782-0158
301-432-5124
Antietam Website
The beautifully preserved Antietam Battlefield is the site of the bloodiest single day of battle in American history. Here, about 4,000 soldiers died, and some 19,000 others were wounded or listed as missing in the Sept. 17, 1862 battle. The battle became a turning point in the Civil War, halting Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North. President Abraham Lincoln, visiting the battlefield a few days after the Confederates pulled out, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery. Today, tablets, markers, monuments and cannons dot the battlefield, and National Park Service signs at each numbered auto tour stop tells the story of battles and provide maps, photographs and quotes. More than 300 War Department tablets provide more detailed information, while 103 monuments, built primarily by veterans and states, commemorate sacrifices here. Cannons on the battlefield today mark the locations of those used during the battle. (The barrels date to the Civil War; the wheels and carriages have been rebuilt.) A Visitor Center has a museum, an observation room, a 134-seat theater, a bookstore and a research library. The award-winning film “Antietam Visit” (shown every 30 minutes, except noon and 12:30) recreates the battle and Lincoln’s visit to the Union commander, General George B. McClellan. The one-hour “Antietam Documentary,” narrated by James Earl Jones, is shown daily at noon in the visitor center auditorium.
Hours: Sept. 1-May 31, daily 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; June 1-Aug. 31, daily, 8:30-6 (Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.)
Admission: Individual, $3 for three-day pass; family, $5 for three-day pass
[r514]Western Maryland Scenic Railroad13 Canal Street
Cumberland, MD 21502
1-800-TRAIN-50
Scenic Railroad Website
Journey through the mountains of Western Maryland between Frostburg and Cumberland in restored, steam- and diesel-powered coaches of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The round trip covers 32 miles, through tunnels and over bridges, with climbs and drops in elevation spanning 1,300 feet. Trains chug through a breach in the Allegheny Mountains, over an iron truss bridge, around Horseshoe Curve and through the 914-foot Brush Tunnel under Piney Mountain. Visitors ride on the historic 1916 Baldwin 2-8-0, known as Mountain Thunder, or on a restored diesel engine. A narrator points out scenery, history of the Allegheny area and culture along the route. Daytime scenic excursions, with seating by large windows, depart from the Western Maryland Station in Cumberland at 11:30 a.m. and return about 3 p.m. The excursion allows for a 1 1/2-hour stopover in Frostburg, where visitors can shop or eat near the depot or along Frostburg’s main street or visit the Thrasher Carriage Museum. Reservations are recommended for the standard scenic excursions and required for first-class seating, which is available only at 11:30 a.m. on weekends, with seating at reserved tables and lunch served aboard. Specialty, evening trains include a Murder Mystery theme and musical trains.
Hours: Trains run May-December. Daytime excursions depart from the Western Maryland Station in Cumberland at 11:30 a.m. and return about 3 p.m. Check schedule for specialty trains.
Admission: Standard: Adults, $19; seniors (60 and over), $17; children 12 and under, $10; children under 2, free (if not occupying a seat); first-class (includes lunch): adults, 37.50; seniors 60 and over, $35.50; children 12 and under, $17.50; children under 2, $10. (Fares higher for specialty trains, including “murder mystery” and “musical trains.”)
[r515]Rocky Gap State Park
12500 Pleasant Valley Road
Flintstone, MD 21530
301-777-2139 or, for camping reservations, 888-432-2267
Rocky Gap Website
Rocky Gap is a nature-lover’s delight, with its sheer cliffs, ridges, gaps, valleys and lake set amid one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges. The park, comprising more than 3,000 acres of public land, offers canoeing, kayaking, hiking, bicycling, hunting, rock climbing, boating, rafting and fishing. For those who like to sleep under the stars, Rocky Gap has 278 individual campsites (including 30 equipped with electric hooks-ups), bathhouses, a family group site, three youth camping areas, a boat ramp, a nature center and a camp store. You can also rent one of the 10 mini-cabins — each with electric, bunk bed and double bed – or a three-bedroom chalet that accommodates up to eight people. The chalet features a furnished kitchen, wrap-around deck, fireplace, outdoor campfire area and grill. The park’s 23-acre Lake Habeeb offers boating year-round (but gas-powered motors are prohibited). You can rent canoes, kayaks, row boats and paddle boats, and the fishing is excellent. Rocky Gap also has hiking, from short, easy trails to the challenging five-mile Evitts Homesite Trail. Inside the park are the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort and the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.
[r516]Thrasher Carriage Museum19 Depot St.
Frostburg, MD 21532
301-689-3380
Thrasher Website
The Thrasher Carriage Museum features a remarkable collection of horse-drawn vehicles such as milk wagons, mail wagons and funeral wagons, the carriage President Theodore Roosevelt rode in during his Inauguration and even sleighs once owned by the Vanderbilt family. The more than 40 vehicles comprise what the museum calls one of the top collections of horse-drawn conveyances. The vehicles, housed in a renovated 1800s warehouse, date to the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection is complemented by guides, interpretive signs and fascinating details of the vehicles and some of the people who rode inside them. The museum also diplays travel accessories like hitches, saddles, bearskin lap robes, charcoal foot-warmers and lanterns.
Hours: March-December, Wed-Sun, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; January, February, by appointment
Admission: Adults, $3; children 18 and under, $1
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