The explanation of where the activities were and the "path" to find them was great! The lower rooms…read morewere cold but the kids enjoyed the displays and activities anyway. The use of space was well thought out. My grandson was thrilled to see the passenger train disembarking and rebounding! A lot to see. We will be returning, even without grandchildren.

Super fun place, everyone is friendly and knowledgeable. The kids love this place and always ask to…read morego back. Admission is reasonable and there is a ton of interactive areas for little ones.

Holy concrete, glass and art! Glenstone is a canvas for adults' imagination. This retreat is if a…read moreminimalist billionaire and Mother Nature had a serene art child. Every turn of concrete and glass leads to a magical surprise. My favorite was the Alex Da Corte exhibits which were full of color and textures.

Glenstone is one of the country's most well-respected and influential modern art galleries. The…read moreRales' have amassed a private post-War art collection worth more than $2 billion, and they have built a private museum to showcase their collection, spending more than $200 million to build the structures over the years. The property encompasses 360 acres and includes not only the two buildings housing the art, there's also an arrival center, a cafe/cafeteria, a patio cafe/coffee shop, and a beautiful woodland walking path, along which one can experience many outdoor sculptures and pieces of art. And all of this is open to the public for free. You are advised to schedule your visit in advance via the website, but walk-ups are accommodated during the winter months. If you arrive via the Ride-On bus (the Rales' worked with Montgomery County to ensure that a bus would be routed right to the front door of the arrival center), you are guaranteed entry. Students 12 and older (including college and graduate students), educators, active-duty military members, veterans, and museum professionals enjoy guaranteed entry for themselves plus one guest, 12 or older. You might read articles about Glenstone that disparage what the Rales' have created, but the reality is that they are doing good in the world: they are making world-class art available to the public for free. I've visited Glenstone about a half dozen times over the years. There are some permanent exhibits but the majority of the galleries rotate art from their massive collection. The cafe has great food. The grounds are quiet and beautiful. The staff are all unbelievably knowledgeable and helpful. A visit to Glenstone is a gift to yourself.

I wandered into this art museum when they were doing exhibit installation and part of it was…read moreclosed. Entry was free, so there was no reason not to go. It was way too cold to go outside, but this museum is next to a lake in a park area that would admit of some walking during the summer. Despite the limited selection, I found a compelling suite of Americana and a nice atrium and event space in the middle of the museum. There were some pieces worthy of thought, and I rather wished I'd been in to see the visiting exhibition. Having said that, for a community the size of Hagerstown to have a building that looks this nice, is free, and has quality art is a great resource.

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is a lovely museum nestled in the greenery of…read moreHagerstown's City Park. The museum has a good variety of exhibitions for visitors to enjoy as well as a permanent collection of art pieces. The Museum also exhibits the art of local students each year, which is always a treat. It's free to the public (donations are happily accepted) and visitors are greeted by the friendly staff as soon as they enter. I've been visiting this museum since I was a child and still very much enjoy it. Definitely give it a try the next time you're in the area!

Visiting Antietam was a wonderful experience and the battlefield is very well-preserved. There's a…read morewealth of information available here and we learned a large amount about the battle that we hadn't known. The NPS has done a great job here and we really enjoyed being able to visit.

Wonderful place. Must be experienced to understand. The park service, abt and others have done a…read morewonderful job to bring the landscape back to September 1862 and preserve it. You can drive or walk the many miles of trails. Bucket list

We are visiting the area and, staying about 30 minutes away, decided to make a trip to Discovery…read moreStation based on the website's description, which presents it as an engaging, interactive experience. Unfortunately, we found the visit quite underwhelming. The space itself is very basic, with limited exhibits and minimal interactivity. Much of what was on display felt dated and sparse, and it did not hold our attention for long. For a destination marketed as a hands-on discovery center, we expected a more immersive and thoughtfully curated experience. While this may be suitable for a very brief stop or for locals looking for something close by, it did not feel worth the drive for us as visitors. Overall, the experience did not align with the expectations set by the website, and we left feeling disappointed.

We came out to Hagerstown to check this place out because it was described as a hidden gem in…read morechildren's activity blogs. So my first impression when I walked in was that it seem kind of dated but admission was seven bucks for adults and $10 for kids which is quite affordable. So I think he would spend maybe one or two hours here and then plan out other activities in Hagerstown which I had bookmarked. Eight hours, one missed nap and three diaper changes later we were still here. I think I massively underestimated this place as educational entertainment for my toddler. This is a two floor STEAM Museum built in an old bank, which is so cool. First floor is focused on dinosaurs, space, planes, trains, the Titanic and baseball. Second floor has aquariums, jungle themed rooms, play grocery store, a nursing room, and A GIANT arts and art room at the end of the hallway. They have dinosaur room where they have an exhibit on Maryland Dinosaurs (there wasn't an old bay crabasaurus), a place to dig for fossils and lots of books. This is where my toddler kept running back to. The old bank vault is in this room. Most likely you kids will spend a lot of time by the transportation exhibits (with a Cessna you can climb into), train tracks to build or the arts room where there are easels set up to paint. I would count on spending the whole day here if you kids are under 8 or so. The museum does close at 4pm and there is ample street parking nearby.

This review is for the Garden Lights NOT all of MSV; which I love ....while on the smaller side,…read morethe museum, garden, Glen Burnie House and trail are all lovely. While the Lights are beautuful, the overall experience is disappointing. Even though its timed entry tickets, it is crowded as you must follow a specific path that is single file most of the way. A lot of the path is not well lit and very uneven. Staff randomly positioned to keep you out of closed areas were not friendly. Seemed almost identical to prior year. I doubt we will visit next year.

Best ever ! Art , Music, hiking and more !…read more Well kept trails filled with plants , sculptures and views. MSV at Night shows are awesome not to mention the many beautiful acres to explore. It's always a pleasure to visit and see what is new. Become a member and support the Museum- it has many perks and is well worth it.

This is a beautiful house and farm situated on the outskirts of town. There are 2 floors that have…read morevarious artifacts from the war and house. There is also a barn that you can go into which has more artifacts. The sign out front says no photography but it is okay as long as you do not use the flash. The entrance to the house is difficult to get to and it is very hard for young ones to get to without help. Would not recommend for those that have trouble walking as it is on a steep hill side. They do ask for a $3 donation per adult. Which isn't unreasonable. Overall it was a nice experience.

Pros: Free, but donations are appreciated. Outskirt of Antietam National Battlefield…read more Cons: Entrance way isn't well marked so you can easily miss it. Open limited hours during the off season so check before visiting. 1/3 of the information is contained at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, which is nearby.

What an amazing place! You literally can just feel the history in the walls of this place…read more The Miller House (which also houses the Washington County Historical Society) was built in 1825 and may just look like an ordinary brick building from the front, but you would never guess this structure has over 20 rooms and 4 staircases. Ms. Linda, the Executive Director of the historical society, gave my classmates and I a tour of the house and it was amazing (and a workout). If you're looking for a place with a lot of Civil War history, this is it! Stop by in Hagerstown and check this place out, then find an awesome place to eat down the street! For more information, please check out http://www.washcomdhistoricalsociety.org/index.php

Such a fantastic time! I went to the Miller House 2 consecutive days and each time we went back we…read morelearned more and more about the local history of Hagerstown! Linda, the executive director of the Washington County Historical society in Hagerstown, was such a wonderful guide through history. She has an impressive amount of knowledge of local history and is a pleasure to be around. Get out and learn about some local history!!

Since my last review, I ended up purchasing a family membership to the Children's Science Center…read moreand it is the BEST purchasing decision I have made all year. It's close proximity means that I have a go-to spot to bring the kids on school breaks, rainy days, cold days, or whenever we simply have nothing to do. While there are a few standing exhibits, the staff does a really good job at changing things up (and keeping things topical) so each visit feels special. And the best part... SLIME. We've made slime conductors, spider slime, fluffy slime, snowflake slime, glow-in-the-dark slime .. basically alll the slime. The experiment lab always has a slime option and it is a highlight of every visit. My eldest daughter went from barely reading and needing help at the beginning of our membership to fully reading and creating experiments on her own. It is so much fun to see. For the littles, there is a small playroom with building blocks, magnatiles, books, and those large blue fort/construction material building materials. My two-year old loved spending time in this room but now that she is three she likes making her own hovercrafts and setting them sail in the wind tunnel. The staff is SO kind, SO helpful, and so passionate about what they do. I love how they offer volunteer/internship opportunities to teens and will also set up special traveling science labs to Title I schools. If you are a member you also get discounted or free visits to children's science museums all across the United States which has made this membership 100% worth it for our family. If you are looking for an experience gift to give a little one this year, I highly recommend the Children's Science Center!

Had a great time with my toddler today. She's not quite two so her admission was free and there's a…read more$2 discount for purchasing tickets in advance. I was worried there wouldn't be enough activity for her age but she had a blast playing with exhibits and blocks in the interactive room. She also made "play dough" as an experiment. The staff were all friendly and helpful, we will definitely be back.

So many town of Martinsburg educational items and a beautiful museum layout, Very impressed! And…read morefelt very welcome from the woman at the desk. A great way to learn and a fun experience in one place. If you are local and never been, it's a must! if you are from elsewhere please visit and have a quick peak around, you will learn something interesting, I promise.

We saw this place in a book at our hotel and decided to stop in as we've heard about Belle Boyd and…read morewanted to learn more. We were met by a worker and asked what they could help us with. We had to explain that we wanted to see the house. It was a little off putting as it seemed like he didn't want us there. Then, come to find out, it's basically a history of the county and not just about her. There was little information about Belle Boyd and her family. To be honest it was a little disappointing.