Discover Washington: History, Trails, and Museums

Washington reveals itself through the connections between history, waterways, museums, and outdoor trails. Antietam National Battlefield and the facilities along the C&O Canal provide an introduction to the region’s past, while the Appalachian Trail, the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and the Historic National Road offer other ways to explore. This picture is complemented by museums in Hagerstown, the Pottery Trail, and individual sites in the immediate vicinity of Washington County.

Antietam and the C&O Canal

Antietam National Battlefield is located in Washington County. Its visitor center offers brochures, museum exhibits, a film, and a museum shop. Rangers and volunteers also assist visitors on site. One specific way to experience the grounds on foot is Antietam Remembered: The approximately quarter-mile loop with a paved path is located near the Antietam visitor center and leads to Dunker Church and the Maryland State Monument.

The C&O Canal is also represented by its own visitor site. The Cushwa Basin Visitor Center is located at Mile 99.8 along the C&O Canal towpath in Washington County.

Williamsport on the Canal

In Williamsport, an approximately half-mile-long section of canal, refilled with water, runs through the turning basin, beneath the canal’s only railroad lift bridge, and onward to Lockhouse 44. The Conococheague Aqueduct is located opposite the turning basin. The spatial sequence of canal, turning basin, bridge, lockhouse, and aqueduct makes Williamsport a particularly vivid section of canal history.

At the Williamsport Launch Boat Program, visitors can see a lift lock, a restored lockkeeper’s house, a railroad lift bridge, a canal turning basin with a warehouse, and a water-filled aqueduct in one location. The Williamsport Launch Boat Tour lasts approximately 40 minutes and includes an informative presentation on the canal’s history. If you want to combine engineering structures and historic transportation routes, this is a clearly defined focal point.

Hiking and Cycling

A section of the Appalachian Trail enters the eastern edge of Greenbrier State Park at Bartman’s Hill and runs through the park. For cycling, the Western Maryland Rail Trail offers a different scale: It is approximately 28 miles long. The short loop at Antietam, the path through Greenbrier State Park, and the longer rail-trail connection thus represent different forms of outdoor movement, without needing to be combined into a single trail system.

Museums in Hagerstown and the Surrounding Area

The Jonathan Hager House and Museum is located in the vicinity of Washington County. It is a restored house museum dating from around 1739, furnished with historic furniture and artifacts. Hagerstown is also home to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in historic City Park in Maryland. The two institutions have different emphases: One conveys the character of a historic house, while the other is situated in an established park setting and is dedicated to art.

The Doleman Black History Museum was founded to honor, highlight, and preserve the history and culture of the Black experience in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, and throughout the United States.

Crafts, Islands, and Churches

The Pottery Trail in Washington County includes ten local potters from the South Mountain Corridor. At the same time, the trail connects pottery with the agricultural history, cultural vitality, and relationship to nature and food in Washington County. In the immediate vicinity of Washington County, there is also Duck Island as an island, Mount Olive Church as a church, and Gay Street Brethren Church, also as a church. These sites expand the picture to include crafts, landscape, and sacred architecture.

Historic Roads and Driving Tours

The Historic National Road in Washington County can be explored as an open-air museum on day trips or multi-day road trips. The Maryland Historic National Road can be experienced as a scenic driving tour featuring engineering structures, historic attractions, museums, wineries, breweries, and recreational activities. For your planning, this means that in addition to individual destinations, there is also a road-oriented perspective in which the sequence of different stops shapes the excursion.

As an additional point of orientation, you can also include Clear Spring.

For the overarching travel overview: Maryland.