Super cool landmark…read more As per the plaque: Constructed in 1860, the Gatehouse was designed by the Baltimore firm of Thomas and James M. Dixon. Built in Tudor Revival Style, it provided for two living units, one on each side of the archway. The Gatehouse resembled a Swiss chalet and became a trademark of the Sheppard. The neighborhood children viewed it as the home of Hansel and Gretel. A tenant alwavs lived in the Gatehouse until 2005. The beautiful Rhododendron Drive was historically entered by driving through the Gatehouse. In 2002 the entire Charles Street entrance was reconstructed and cars no longer entered through the Archway.

I'm leaving in the place for the last twenty four years…read more Obviously I would not stay there for this long time if I wasn't be happy with this place

This is my favorite area in Patapsco state park, I've brought many friends and family here over the…read moreyears. It's beautiful, you can find the ruins of an old mining camp and religious boarding school here. There's even a decent spot to jump off the train tracks into the water below, although take care because the water can be shallow in spots.

My friends and I experienced the English High Tea Express and had a wonderful time! This event…read moresells out fast! We took a lovely train ride in a historic railcar from New Freedom to Glen Rock which is about a half hour. The conductor pointed out notable sites along the way. We then enjoyed a fabulous high tea at Table 1837 Glen Rock Mill Inn. There was so much to eat that we left with a doggie bag. There were only 3 choices of tea but the salted caramel was delicious. They had 4 finger sandwiches, 2 scones and fruit. We also received a grilled chicken salad as an entree accompanied by a glass of wine (there were 3 choices of wine. Originally we were offered mimosa but then they ran out of orange juice). For dessert, we had Pots du Crème. We boarded the train and headed back to New Freedom. I'd definitely recommend and intend on doing another event in the future.

We headed to Northern Central Railway for their special event The Great Northern Central Train Raid…read moreand had a blast! Plenty of free parking right outside the gift shop/museum (handicapped parking, too). We browsed the gift shop first--lots of train-lover trinkets, and of course, Adventure Buddy snagged a couple of those irresistible 3D wooden train models. I was over the moon when check-in handed us oversized souvenir tickets--complete with our traincar and seats punched out. Such a fun keepsake! The small museum next door took maybe 15 minutes but was nicely done and staffed by a friendly volunteer. After a quick pit stop, we boarded the D. Reed Anderson car. The open windows made for a breezy ride past pretty scenery--green trees, a creek, even small towns like Glen Rock where folks waved from porches. Actors in full Civil War character moved through the cars during the ride, building the story of Union vs. Confederate soldiers battling over rumored gold. At times it was hard to hear or follow the storyline depending on where you sat, but the big skirmish at the park--cannon blasts, musket fire, and all--was definitely the highlight. Tickets were $31.99 and worth it for a few hours of history-meets-theater-meets-train ride fun. This is a great daytrip for adults (grab lunch before and ice cream after nearby). Kids would love the trains, but younger ones may struggle with the length of this particular event. We'll definitely be back in the fall for one of their seasonal rides!

On the side of the road near where Greenbelt Road crosses the Beltway is this historical marker…read moresign denoting the Taoping Castle (circa 1750). It is on Walker Road. It reads: On this site, Isaac Charles and Nathan Walker erected a large white oak log house named for their ancestral stronghold in Scotland which the three brothers had fled after the failure of attempts to unseat George I, King of England, as ruler of Scotland. Isaac permanently settled here and obtained land grants for 188 acres. He and his three sons served in the Revolutionary War. The graves of Isaac and his son Nathan are north of here. Taoping Castle was the birthplace of Samuel Hamilton Walker (February 24, 1817 - October 9, 1847). Lt. Colonel of the Texas Rangers and Captain of the US Cavalry, he left home at age 19 to fight Indians and later became a leader and hero of the Rangers. His suggested changes to Samuel Colt's revolver resulted in Colt's success as an arms manufacturer. 1000 Colt-Walker pistols - the first, heaviest and longest revolvers ever issued to American forces - were purchased for the Texas Rangers during the Mexican war. Walker was killed in that war at the Battle of Hua Mantla, Mexico. The family cemetery is all that remains of the Taoping Castle estate.

We enjoyed the tour. Started off with an interesting video. The docent was good and knowledgeable…read more Took so see many interesting spots in and around the home, including a life size version of a wigwam that would have been in the area at the time.

Why is the Hans Herr House significant and who the hell was Hans Herr?…read more The house itself is significant as it is the last remaining structure that is still standing from the original group of Mennonites who came to the Lancaster County area to escape religious persecution from their native Switzerland. The house is also significant in that it is the oldest structure in Lancaster County and likely the oldest remaining Mennonite meetinghouse in the Western Hemisphere. The original group traveled from Switzerland to Germany to escape religious persecution then after a governmental regime change they were forced from Germany to England where they met with William Penn who allowed them to colonize a portion of what is current day Lancaster County or when they arrived in 1711, the extreme most western frontier of Pennsylvania. One interesting piece of information is that the house did not belong to Hans Herr as it was built by his son Christian which is why his initials are over the doorway along with the inscribing mark of 1719. On the tour you are told why the name remained(s) Hans Herr House versus Christian Herr House but honestly I forget why. Maybe something just deferential from Christian towards his father or because of his father's status with the original group that came to the area or maybe everyone just liked the flow of the name more so it's based on tradition? The tour itself is around 40-45 minutes and it starts in the building which houses the gift shop and you are given a brief overview of the Anabaptist faith, the Mennonites who are direct descendants of the faith and a map which shows the route the initial settlers took from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. After that you are taken over to the house where you see the three rooms which make up the first floor (kitchen, bedroom and all purpose dining room-meeting room-family room) and the second floor which is where the eight children slept and finally the basement which is accessed from a side entrance outside of the house. You learn that the key to the home's design is that they didn't believe in wasting any space so every inch served a purpose such as not having hallways so as soon as you walk in the front door you're right in the kitchen. One thing worth noting, if you are someone who is hardcore hung up on only visiting historical places if they have lots of original items then this place might not be for you. There is not a whole lot original to the house that you can see with the exception of a piece of the ceiling insulation on the first floor (rye straw + manure + ??), the wooden crossbeam over the kitchen fireplace and the steps which go from the second floor to the third floor attic (obviously you can't use them). Past that I think most everything else was changed out in the 19th century when the house was still used as a residence or in the early 70's when the initial renovation occurred to make things into a tourist destination. If you want more original take a look at the bibles on display in the gift shop which are original to Hans and Christian. I wouldn't call the Hans Herr House a must see, but it's interesting enough and the tour is the right length to keep everyone interested along with being located close enough to most of Lancaster County's tourist elements. If you go: The 1719 Hans Herr House is open April 1 through November 30, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. Forty-five minute Herr House tours are offered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This is not the tour information for their reproduction Native American Longhouse. That tour is offered at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m and has an entirely different focus. Prices are currently Adults: $8, Children 7-12: $4 and Children 6 and under: free with a slight discount if you choose to tour both structures. There are also several special events that happen throughout the year and that information is available on their website.

We did the tour of the Overseer house and slave (enslaved) quarters…read more First, the reviews here on Yelp emphasize how nice and tranquil the grounds are, and they are. But this family OWNED HUMANS AND FORCED THEM TO WORK THE LAND! Our guide, Anokwale Ananessemfo, was/is amazing. A true educator. I highly recommend this tour.

We visited the Hampton National Historic Site in Towson this past weekend. This estate was owned by…read morethe Ridgely family for 7 generations from 1745 to 1948. The Georgia mansion home was the largest private home in America when it was completed in 1790. The estate was a plantation, one of the largest in Maryland, and hundreds of people were enslaved at the plantation until the end of the Civil War. The property is operated by the National Park Service, so a park ranger gives guided tours of the property. Our ranger guide was really friendly and did a wonderful job guiding us through the house. She taught us about the history of the area, the family, and the estate. She taught us about the architecture of the house and the artifacts visible throughout the house (many of which are original to the home). She also highlighted the lives and stories of enslaved persons who spent part or the entirety of their lives at Ridgely. There is some important Maryland history here at Hampton, and I really appreciated our experience. The house is undergoing some renovations right now and we were a bit tight on time, so we weren't able to explore the grounds (I think you can visit the slave quarters, cemetery, and more on the grounds), so I'd like to go back and explore more of the site's history. As an NPS property, it's free to visit and tour and definitely worth checking out. It's history hidden in plain sight - you've probably driven past it many times without stopping by!

How sad . . . this place sits, apparently unused/little used and in great disrepair…read more I was here once, when the owner and his "partner" (I don't know if it was business or personal but she was very nice) opened the mansion for a Boiling Springs Civic Association function. It is just lovely. Much of the house's original features have been keep - woodwork, floors, floorplan, etc. The kitchen had been completely remodeled. I did not have a chance to see the upstairs. I hope that the current owner does something with it or sells it to someone who will . . . it is such an icon of the Children's Lake area - it would be a shame to see it become so decayed that there is no choice but to tear it down. I can see it as a fantastic little french restaurant or an art gallery with a funky little cafe. The view of the lake is beautiful.

A forgotten Beauty, I give her 5 stars for what *could* be. I go to 'Bubbletown' several times a…read moremonth, for the beauty & tranquility. And each time, I stop by & say hello to this once magnificent Georgian style home. It was built some where around 1780 by Michael Ege, Sr. a prominent Ironmaster, and was later passed to J.C. Bucher, another Ironmaster until the late 1890's. Perhaps some day it will be returned to it's former glory.

Great historic house in town located in back of the resturant. Open sometimes during the warm…read moreseason. A must do on the shore.

This is an art center in PG county where they have periodic art exhibitions and area for artists to…read morecreate art. We were here for the Twelfth Annual Artists on the Rise: Juried Teen Exhibition. There's a garden and the exhibition was on the first floor and could be accessed using a boardwalk. The gardens look nice for a walk. The facility is very neat and well maintained.

I have driven past the sign for Montpelier Mansion numerous times and finally decided to explore…read morethis historical landmark. The grounds are beautiful, with a lovely garden filled with wildflowers. I visited the ironworks exhibit, the carriage house, and the main office/gift shop. The staff are friendly, and there is plenty of parking.