We came here on the first Saturday it was open and it was extremely crowded. They had several…read moreparking lots that costed $15 so we went to the one that did not have a price on it as we assumed it was free. It ended up being $10 which we didn't know until we were already inside the lot. Then we had to wait for the tractor tram to take us to the side door which had a lot of dust. I ended up using a napkin to cover my nose so I wouldn't breathe it in. There is an admission fee which is $10 per person then inside, there was no map so we peed in a porta potty. I had a good time looking at the horses, cows, pigs, and goats. They were super close up and the opportunity to see such a view is very rare. The carnival games were very expensive, Ferris wheel was $6 per person and there is a fee to buy a card to allow you to ride the rides, and there is a credit card convenience fee for every purchase. A corn dog was $8 and also had a cc fee. The lines for each ride was about 20-30 minutes. I usually go to the Howard county fair which was way cheaper. They had free parking, rides were only $2 per person on the Thursday I went, and admission fee was cheaper.

Great is one word to describe the Frederick Fair…read more Enormous Gargantuan Huge-gantic a few others. Luckily I got there at around 3 in the afternoon. By the time I left there were lines of cars stretching for miles in each direction trying to get into the fair. They had rides galore. Like there was at least like 4 different rides that resembled Tilt-O-Whirls. There was funnel cake, bbq, popcorn, nuts and everything else you'd expect to be a at a large fair. And then there was the animals section. Hundreds of animals that included, but was not limited too: sheep, cows, goats, rams, horses, donkeys, geese, turkeys, pigs, and more. A special baby animal tent where you could see animals that had recently been born. A swath of of educational farming activities and exhibits. I mean, it was surely a farmers dream. The 4H kids there were competing and showing their animals. An experience that I have never had before. Ever seen someone bring out a goat by holding it's head and trot it around for a judge to see what pedigree it was. It was like a dog show but with cows and goats and what not. They had a small beer garden at one end of the fair where I was able to try a "Feed The Monkey" beer which, as expected, had subtle notes of banana and burnt sugar. And to top it off, the Amish were there, selling their amazing pretzels, whoopie pies, and more. One thing is for sure; People in Frederick are serious about their fairs.

Came here for the first time with the family. Reminded us a lot of the drive-thru holiday light…read moreshows that we used to go when we lived in Northern California. We prefer the drive-thru ones so we can stay nice and cozy in the car. It's cheaper on the weekdays and more expensive on the weekend. The ticket allows you to enter any time during your entry day. I highly recommend buying the tickets in advance. We enjoyed looking at the lights and singing along with the Christmas music. We went on a Saturday (week before Christmas) and the line was not long and the cars moved at a pretty good rate. Overall a fun holiday family event.

I've been meaning to write a review, since its been in my drafts like forever. Since the holiday…read moreseason is about to approach, I'm compelled to write my review . Tbh, it's NOT worth it! Save your money and gas. Yes, the tickets will sell out fast, and there's always no sense of order. Very chaotic. Plan to get here early. Or during the week. As the weekends is the worst times to go. Make sure everyone has gone to restroom before coming here. If you get here after 8pm, good luck. Expect lots of crowds. Now as far as the decos, lots of the same ol decos as when I was a kid. Very outdated. There's a few new exhibits but it's not worth the trip here or the price. There's really no assistance like the other reviewer mentioned. It's a quick drive, but plan for lots of traffic. If anything I prefer the lights at these locations. Moron Temple in Kensington Brookside Gardens- Glenmont Winter Lights Watkins Pk Upper Marlboro Zoolights-National Zoo Or winter lights sight seeing - Kentlands neighborhood / or Potomac. Thank me later

The MOOseum is a dairy barn that is opened on Saturdays, from May through October, from 10AM-3PM…read more They also have a special program/event offered on the fourth Sunday of each month (from 1-4PM), such as Montgomery County History Tours, Farm Tour & Sales, County Fairs, etc. Admission is free! With your admission ticket, we participated in one of their offered tours (you can see their collection of dairy farm-related items (like milk bottles, cans, and related equipment from local farms), check out their dairy maps, photographs, hear oral histories, and were able to peruse their research library that has a collection of books/print/videographic material that's related to the dairy industry. Just note that there aren't any 'live' animals, as this is more of a museum/educational set-up. There is also plenty room to picnic and a children's playground for the little ones. We also stopped by the shop where you can purchase gifts of local artists/artisans, books, and anything 'MOO'-related. If you're into barns, the farm-life, or just curious and want something interesting to do, check out the MOOseum - it's close by, too, in Germantown :D

So....not quite what I expected. I had hoped for a bit more liveliness out of a barn, but hey, it…read morewas still fun. And free. Free is awesome. Just so we are clear though, there are no live animals at this barn. There are no dead ones either. But fake ones aplenty. The volunteers were very knowledgable and friendly and there was a lot of education to be found regarding Montgomery County's disappearing dairy farm history. You can "milk" two different cows and play conductor with the toy trains. At most you need maybe 30 minutes to see everything. For kids, there is a little playroom off to the side where they can color. And the park just right out front is very nice with a play set for kids and lots of room to run.

This is a very creative, well thought-out haunted attraction with a lot of eerie sets and actors…read morewho will jump out and grab you. However, the extremely loud music at the entrance and in several sets almost ruins it. Take ear plugs with you. The high volume of the music shouldn't be allowed for any age group unless you want to lose your hearing. Also, it is very dark in the woods and on the sets. So if you're afraid of the dark or walking in pitch black, don't go. This could be so much better.

I'm not really sure how some can say that this is the BEST trail in the DMV area, since there are…read moresome majorly scary trails in Maryland, but.... to each their own. I think that our crummy experience was mostly due to the group of children we were with. There had to be at least 20 (maybe 25-30) total in our trail group, including myself & 2 friends. Enough people that we couldn't all fit on the hay seats on our ride to the woods - we (the adults of the group) had to sit on the muddy floor. Too large for my taste, especially since everyone in this large group was about 12-13 years of age. Myself and the 2 friends who joined me... try about 20 years older than that! The kids were obnoxious, yelled at the leader (who does not speak to the group, merely takes you through the trail from one fright experience to the next) things like "Are they going to TOUCH ME?!"; "You're cute"; "How much longer?!"; "I have to pee!!"; ect ect. I even had a child latch onto my hoodie and almost choked me through many of the experiences as I was trying to walk ahead & she was shitting her pants. After one area, there was a character pretending to chase after some people. This caused a stampede with the youngsters. Mind you, we're in the woods... I got shoved around & almost tripped over branches. I had to use my "Teacher Voice" & tell them to chill out. That worked as well as can be expected. If it were possible, I would definitely want to try it again with a more adult group. I think then I'd have a real opportunity to actually get scared then! I encourage any of you adults out there to get a big group together & make sure you all go at one time. Otherwise, as soon as you pull in and see the large crowd... you will be able to pretty much sum it up yourself. This is an excellent kid drop-off place for parents. For $20, you can leave your kid there for like 4 hours. There's the trail, a DJ, dancing, a bonfire, paintball.... essentially, kid heaven. And I did NOT see parents accompanying them. I will give these guys (and gals) credit, although they are a church group, they certainly do a good job of making you forget that on your journey through the woods. Although the church doesn't look like it needs any more funding (HUGE & NEW!!), the organizations they support make me feel better about spending the $20 on a not-so-terrifying experience.

It's a pretty nice place with good facilities and "real" restrooms! I came here for Oktoberfest a…read morefew weeks ago, and it was just an overall nicely run fairground with nice restrooms for a fairground and a nice temperature-controlled building where the majority of the entertainment was. Parking was in the field adjacent to the Oktoberfest, and you could tell it was well-kept. The grass was mowed well to a proper height and wasn't clumped or anything. Highly recommend visiting this fairgrounds for various events.

Visited here for the MD Gun Show in November. Nice fairgrounds. Better prices on ammos and guns…read morethan you find at some of the local stores. Only concern was that more care, with respect to limiting occupancy, should have been taken for COVID.

Please never apply for becoming part. They collect only your $40 for the jury fee. See what they…read moresent to my ZAPP - "Thank you for applying to the 27th Annual Frederick Festival of the Arts. We regret to inform you that your work has not been juried into this year's event. We had a large pool of applicants and appreciate you taking the time to apply. On behalf of the Frederick Arts Council, best of luck with the rest of the festival season! ~Jasmine & the Festival Committee." Cheaters!

This is a fun outdoor event, we visit every year. There is tons of art for sale at various price…read morepoints (something for everyone) along with food, entertainment, and activities for the kids. You can't go wrong with an event that runs along beautiful Carroll Creek Linear Park.

Loved it! The trail was well decorated, and had some really outstanding lighting features…read more Went on a Friday evening that had nice weather, and it was not very crowded at all. Not sure I understand why, other than it's a bit pricey to get tickets. But I would say the lighting is worth it. The food trucks had decent food, but that part was also a bit pricey. They also have a large tent which is their tavern, and expect to pay $15 for a small cocktail. However, the cocktail was good!

This was a Christmas activity on steroids! Located in Morven Park in Leesburg, once you enter the…read moregrounds, it feels as if you are transported into a Christmas village. Tickets were around $25-35, depending on the day and parking is also included. There was signage displayed for directions on where to go and exit, in addition to plenty of helpful staff around who are able to answer any questions and/or guide you in the right direction. The various Christmas themes, little villages, and lighting were amazing throughout the entire road! The "road" (trail) itself took about an hour to walk through and it was pretty stroller friendly for the most part, although we wish we brought our jogging stroller for the gravel portions of the trail. Our baby enjoyed the visual stimulation and had wide eyes throughout our entire walk. At the end of the trail, there's a market with food, hot drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and several Instagram photo ops throughout. There is also plenty of seating for you to take a rest or enjoy your food. Overall, we had an awesome experience and hope that Holiday Road comes back again next year!

Absolutely gorgeous gardens and the best part is that admission is completely free…read more Rain or shine, the gardens were stunning and exceptionally well maintained. We were impressed by the variety of plant collections, some of which rivaled gardens we had previously paid admission to visit. Parking was free and we chose to park at the Visitor Center. However, those planning to visit the Butterfly Experience should park closer to the Conservatory, as the walk between the two was fairly substantial. The map was detailed and pathways were well maintained, making the grounds accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. We purchased tickets for the Butterfly Experience and check in was quick and seamless. I did find the additional $2 service charge unfortunate, especially since there was no option to purchase tickets in person. Thankfully, staff were flexible with entry timing. The volunteers were incredibly kind and guided visitors through the double door system efficiently. Inside, butterflies freely flew around the conservatory and many rested on the ground, so we had to stay mindful of where we stepped. I especially appreciated the bulletin board displaying all the butterfly species currently housed inside. The Children's Garden was relatively small but wonderfully colorful and dense with greenery. The vibrant artwork throughout added a whimsical charm that made the area feel playful and inviting. Nearby, the Winter Garden and Camellia Garden were similarly well maintained, though neither was particularly abundant in blooms during our visit. I still appreciated the many art installations scattered throughout the surrounding trails. The Fragrance Garden absolutely lived up to its name and ended up being one of my favorite sections. Beyond the floral aromas surrounding the garden, the entire area felt incredibly serene and the air itself felt remarkably fresh and crisp. The Japanese Tea House was beautifully simplistic, featuring plain wooden benches along the exterior while overlooking still water framed by lush Japanese trees. The Anderson Pavilion offered a similar tranquil atmosphere on the opposite side of the Visitor Center, though surrounded by a different collection of trees and landscaping. The Visitor Center contained a small gift shop, though I did not notice many customized or particularly memorable souvenirs. The building otherwise seemed primarily dedicated to educational programming and exhibits. The grounds were incredibly well maintained and there was an impressive variety of gardens to explore and interact with. While I found the Butterfly Experience somewhat expensive, it would absolutely be worthwhile for those who have never visited an active conservatory before. Otherwise, the free portions of Brookside Gardens alone make this an easy and worthwhile stop for anyone in the area.

This is a lovely park and served as a great alternative to going downtown to see the cherry…read moreblossoms. They have areas to sit with various views of the lake. Dogs are not allowed unless they are service animals. There are centers on the premises that have bathrooms in addition to events and programs they give yearly.