Museums & Historic Sites »

Name Contact Info More Info
Agricultural History Farm Park 18400 Muncaster Rd.
Derwood, Md.
301-948-5053
 The 410-acre complex along Rock Creek hosts seasonal festivals. Programs to interpret the typical Montgomery County farmer's lifestyle are planned. Open for special events only.
Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Drive Southern end of Memorial Bridge
Arlington, Va.
703-607-8000
 Major attractions include the Tomb of the Unknowns, where a formal changing of the guard ceremony happens every half-hour in the summer and on the hour the rest of the year. The tomb contains the remains of unidentified U.S. service members from world wars I and II and the Korean War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment, and the medals, as well as the flags that covered their caskets, are displayed inside the Memorial Amphitheater, to the rear of the tomb. The tomb is guarded at all times by the Army's Old Guard. Changing of the guard occurs on the hour Oct. 1-March-- and every half-hour March 15-Sept. 30. The Women's Memorial, dedicated in 1997, pays tribute to all servicewomen in the U.S. armed forces. It is at the ceremonial entrance to the cemetery. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily April 1-Sept. 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. the rest of the year. Closed on Christmas.
Beall-Dawson House Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine 103 W. Montgomery Ave.
Rockville, Md.
Office: 301-340-2825
Museum: 301-762-1492
info@montgomeryhistory.org
 The Federal-style mansion, built in 1815, shows the culture and daily life of the Beall family and enslaved African Americans. The museum, a one-room doctor's office built in 1852, shows the developments in medical science that occurred during the career of physician Edward E. Stonestreet. Hours: noon-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Closed on major holidays.
Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre 12229 Bristow Rd.
Brentsville, Va.
703-365-7895
 The center dates from the 1820s, when the county seat was established there. Today, Brentsville is the county's oldest surviving courthouse. The site also contains a jail, a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin and the Brentsville Union Church. The jail and the log cabin are closed for renovations. The 24-acre grounds, which include hiking trails and a picnic area, are open from sunrise to sunset daily.
Calvert Marine Museum 14200 Solomons Island Rd. P.O. Box 97
Solomons, Md.
410-326-2042
Fax: 410-326-6691
information@calvertmarinemuseum.com
 This public, nonprofit museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research and interpretation of the culture and natural history of Southern Maryland. Its mission is to interpret three maritime themes: regional Miocene paleontology, estuarine life on the tidal Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, and the maritime histories of these waters. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Adults, $7; seniors, $6; ages 5-12, $2; 4 and younger, free; members, free.
Cannon Branch Fort 10509 Wakeman Dr.
Manassas, Va.
703-368-1873
 This is one of two remaining Civil War earthworks fortifications in Manassas. Historians think they were built by Union troops in 1863 and 1864 as part of a series of forts meant to defend supply lines along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The fort is under renovation.
Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory 9419 Battle St.
Manassas, Va.
703-330-ARTS (2787)
info@center-for-the-arts.org
 The 1908 Hopkins Candy Factory was restored in 2001 and 2002 and a variety of arts programs.
Charles Carroll House 107 Duke of Gloucester St.
Annapolis, Md.
410-269-1737
 Three generations of Carrolls, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived here. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays, May-October. Group and school tours by appointment.
Chase-Lloyd House 22 Maryland Ave.
Annapolis, Md.
410-263-2723
 Built by Samuel Chase, an 18th-century lawyer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, this Georgian-style townhouse is known for its interior detail. Hours: 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2-4 p.m. most Saturdays (call first), March-December. Admission: $2.
Clara Barton National Historic Site 5801 Oxford Rd.
Glen Echo, Md.
301-320-1410
 Former home of the founder of the American Red Cross. Open daily at 10 a.m. with tours on the hour; last tour begins at 4 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Free.
Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum 10001 Old Georgetown Rd.
Bethesda, Md.
301-897-1518
 The museum has monthly exhibits of contemporary art, a collection of paintings and sculptures focusing on biblical images, and a building for children that highlights famous figures from children's literature. Hours: noon-4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sundays and by appointment. Free.
Fort Washington Park 13551 Fort Washington Rd.
Fort Washington, Md.
301-763-4600
 This is one of the few seacoast forts in its original form. The 341-acre national park has hiking and biking trails and overlooks the Potomac River and Mount Vernon. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April-Oct. 26; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 27-April 5, 2009. Park grounds are open 8 a.m.-dark. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. $3 per individual, $5 per vehicle.
Gaithersburg Community Museum 9 S. Summit Ave.
Gaithersburg, Md.
301-258-6160
 This community museum is in the old Baltimore & Ohio train station. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Tours by request.
Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department Fire Museum 13 E. Diamond Ave.
Gaithersburg, Md.
301-646-1222
 The history of the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department plus a restored 1941 pumper, helmets, uniforms, badges, department logs, radios and other items dating to the 1920s.
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. Group tours available by appointment.
George Meany Memorial Archives 10000 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring, Md.
301-431-5451
Fax: 301-431-5455
 The archives, on the campus of the National Labor College, house the historical records of the AFL-CIO. It also features an exhibit on the life and times of Meany, AFL-CIO's first president. Research is by appointment: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays; 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Glen Echo Park 7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, Md.
301-634-2222
Fax: 301-634-2260
Recorded information: 301-320-2330
info@glenechopark.org
 The site features a historic carousel and ballroom. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays.
Gunston Hall Plantation 10709 Gunston Rd.
Mason Neck, Va.
703-550-9220
Fax: 703-550-9480
 This was the plantation home of George Mason, a framer of the U.S. Constitution. The home, built about 1755, is on 550 acres and is open for tours. Many special events take place here throughout the year. Hours: 9:30 a.m-5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Historic London Town and Gardens 839 Londontown Rd.
Edgewater, Md.
410-222-1919
londontown@historiclondontown.org
 This 23-acre park and historic site on the South River in Edgewater is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Created in 1683, the town became an important tobacco port and ferry crossing. Today, London Town features the state's largest ongoing archaeological excavation, the National Historic Landmark William Brown House and reconstructed buildings of the "lost town," including the Lord Mayor's Tenement and Carpenter Shop. The site showcases several historic gardens and an eight-acre woodland garden. The foundation offers special events and educational programs throughout the year.
Hours: April-December, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays. House tours are given hourly, with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. January-March, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission: Guided historic area and self-guided garden tour, $12; seniors, $10; youths 7-18, $5; age 6 and younger, free. Self-guided historic area and garden tour, $8; seniors, $6; youths 7-18, $3; age 6 and younger, free. Reservations required for group tours of 10 or more. Free to members of the London Town Foundation.
Historic St. Mary's City 18751 Hogaboom Lane, off Rosecroft Road
St. Mary's City, Md.
240-895-4990
800-762-1634
hsmc@smcm.edu
 This outdoor living history museum and archaeological park documents the life of Maryland's first permanent colony and the first Colonial capital (1634-95), Godiah Spray Plantation, Woodland Indian Hamlet, 1676 State House, historic town center and the Dove, a replica of one of the two vessels that brought the original colonists. Exhibitions are open from mid-March through November, with special events on weekends through December. Adults, $10; seniors, $8; college students and students, 13-18, $6; children 6-12, $3.50; and children 5 and younger, free.
Hyattstown Mill Arts Project 14920 Hyattstown Mill Rd.
Hyattstown, Md.
301-874-2452
 Originally built in the mid-18th century, and rebuilt in 1918 after a fire, this former grist mill is a nonprofit arts and humanities facility. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends and other times by appointment.
John Poole House General Store and Stock Arboretum 19923 Fisher Ave. P.O. Box 232
Poolesville, Md.
301-972-8588
 Part of house built in 1793 by John Poole as a general store. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and by appointment.
King Dairy Barn Mooseum South Germantown Recreational Park 18028 Central Park Cir.
18028 Central Park Circle
Boyds, Md.
301-528-6530
dairymooseum@aol.com
 This dairy barn has been turned into a museum to educate residents about the importance of the dairy industry to Montgomery County in the early 20th century. It is closed for renovations through 2008, but the grounds remain open to visitors.
Manassas National Battlefield Park 6511 Sudley Rd.
Manassas, Va.
703-361-1339
 The 5,000-acre park was established in 1940 to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles, including the first major engagement of the war in 1861. Visitors center hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Monocacy Chapel and Cemetery Routes 28 and 109, off West Hunter Road
Off West Hunter Road
Beallsville, Md.
301-831-9078, 301-471-3722
Before 8 p.m.:301-977-0087
 Established in the 1740s as an Anglican chapel, it was destroyed by Union troops during the Civil War but was rebuilt in 1915. Confederate soldiers are buried in the cemetery. The chapel is closed except for special occasions.
Mormon Temple 9900 Stoneybrook Dr.
Kensington, Md.
301-587-0144
301-588-0650
 The world's third-largest Mormon temple is on 57 acres near the Capital Beltway. Visitors center hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except in December, when it is open nightly until 10.
Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy.
Mount Vernon, Va.
703-780-2000
 The estate of George Washington is open daily, year-round. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February.
Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy.
Mount Vernon, Va.
703-780-2000
 The estate, home and burial place of George Washington is eight miles south of the city of Alexandria. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February. Adults, $13; seniors, $12; ages 6-11, $6; 5 and younger, free.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center Soil Conservation Road and Explorer Drive
Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-9041
Fax: 301-286-1781
gsfc-pao@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov
 The hub of all NASA tracking activities, Goddard is also responsible for the development of unmanned scientific spacecraft and research in space and earth sciences, including NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Collections include space flight artifacts and photographs.
Visitors center hours: September-June, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; noon-4 p.m. weekends; closed Mondays. July-August, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, noon-4 p.m., Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Closed on all federal holidays. Free.
National Capital Trolley Museum 1313 Bonifant Rd.
Colesville, Md.
301-384-6088
 A collection of streetcars from Washington and other cities. Open weekends year-round; call or refer to Web site for schedule of Thursday, Friday and holiday hours. Trolley rides available.
National Colonial Farm at the Accokeek Foundation 3400 Bryan Point Rd.
Accokeek, Md.
301-283-2113, Ext. 15
Fax: 301-283-2049
programs@accokeek.org
 The farm, an agricultural-historical museum project of the Accokeek Foundation, has exhibitions and demonstrations of the agricultural methods, crops and livestock of a modest Tidewater farm of the mid-18th century. Open throughout the school year for guided tours scheduled in advance. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, mid-March through mid-December; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, mid-December through mid-March. Guided tours available at 1 p.m. on weekends. $2; 50 cents, ages 4 to 11.
National Park Seminary Historic District Linden Lane and Woodstock Avenue c/o Save Our Seminary at Forest Glen P.O. Box 8274
Silver Spring, Md.
301-589-1715
info@saveourseminary.org
 The district includes two dozen Victorian-era buildings, including a windmill, a castle and a pagoda. Portions of the site may be closed because of the rehabilitation of historic buildings.
Oakley Cabin 3610 Brookeville Rd.
Brookeville, Md.
301-258-4044
Office: 301-563-3400
 A refurbished slave cabin. Hours: noon-4 p.m. Saturdays, to Nov. 1.
Oatlands Plantation 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane
Leesburg, Va.
703-777-3174
Fax: 703-777-4427
 Oatlands, owned and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers guided tours of its antebellum plantation, including a 22-room mansion built in 1804 by George Carter, great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter, who in the early 1700s was said to be the richest man in the English colonies. Afternoon tea is served in the carriage house Thursday through Saturday until the end of June and again after Labor Day. Candlelight tours are conducted at Christmastime.
Point Lookout State Park 11175 Point Lookout Rd.
Route 5
Scotland, Md.
301-872-5688
Fax: 301-872-5084
 The Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay join here. The area served as a watch post to warn of British ships during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. During the Civil War, it was a Union military district in which the federal government established a hospital and prisoner-of-war camp. Hours: sunrise-sunset year-round. The park is open to night fishing with a valid license.
Red Brick Courthouse 29 Courthouse Sq.
Room 110
Rockville, Md.
301-762-0096
info@peerlessrockville.org
 Constructed in 1891, the building houses a visitors center, a restored, active courtroom (to which access is restricted), a library and collections of Peerless Rockville, a historic preservation organization. Hours: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and by appointment.
Sandy Spring Museum 17901 Bentley Rd.
Sandy Spring, Md.
301-774-0022
 Exhibits focus on the history of the Quaker community. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon-4 p.m. weekends.
Seneca Schoolhouse Museum Seneca Creek State Park 16800 River Rd.
16800 River Rd.
Poolesville, Md.
301-972-8588
info@historicmedley.org
 An 1880s one-room sandstone schoolhouse. Hours: 1-5 p.m. Sundays, April-October, and by appointment.
Silver Spring Acorn Park Newell Street and East West Highway
Silver Spring, Md.
301-537-1253
sshistory@yahoo.com
 A marker indicates where Francis Preston Blair came upon a mica-flecked stream in 1840. He later built his home, which he called Silver Spring, on a 250-acre homestead at the site. Open during daylight hours.
Silver Spring Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station 8100 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, Md.
301-495-4915
 Built in 1945 and restored in 2002. Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. the first Saturday of each month, April-December.
St. John the Evangelist Historic Church and Carroll Chapel 9700 Rosensteel Ave.
Forest Glen, Md.
301-681-7663
 The chapel is a reproduction of the Carroll Chapel built about 1774. St. John the Evangelist Church was built in 1893 from the same type of sandstone used to construct the Smithsonian Castle in the District.
St. Paul Community Church 14730 Sugarland Lane
Poolesville, Md.
301-330-3937
301-717-9304
 The frame church was built about 1893 by W. Scott Beall and stands in the heart of the Sugarland community. Tours of the church are available 2-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment. Open house: noon-4 p.m. the fourth Saturday in June.
The Barracks 43 Pinkney St.
Annapolis, Md.
410-267-7619
Fax: 410-267-6189
 Similar to the residences used to house troops during the Revolutionary War, the building has two main rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor. It is maintained by the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Hours: by appointment only as well as during Maryland Day celebrations in March.
Thomas Stone National Historic Site 6655 Rose Hill Rd.
Port Tobacco, Md.
301-392-1776
Fax: 301-934-8793
 This is the site of Haberdeventure, home of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stone and his wife, Margaret Brown, built the home in the early 1770s, and it remained the Stone family home until 1936. The National Park Service, which finished restoring the site in 1997, offers hiking and birding trails, as well as guided tours of the house.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Memorial Day-Labor Day; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, Labor Day-Memorial Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Free.
U.S. Geological Survey 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.
Reston, Va.
703-648-4748
 A visitors center at the federal agency offers an introduction to such topics as volcanoes, earthquakes, disaster preparedness and flooding. Hours: self-guided tours 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; call ahead for guided tours.
U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial Just north of Arlington National Cemetery, at Route 50 and North Meade Street
Arlington, Va.
703-289-2500
 The memorial honoring all fallen Marines depicts one of the most famous images of World War II: Marines raising the U.S. flag while fighting the Japanese on the West Pacific Ocean island of Iwo Jima. The memorial is also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial.
U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (Building 38) 8600 Rockville Pike
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Md.
301-594-5983
888-346-3656
 Tours of the National Library of Medicine, the world's largest medical library, are available at 1:30 p.m. weekdays. Main reading room hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.
U.S. Naval Academy Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center 52 King George St.
Annapolis, Md.
410-293-8687
tourinfo@usna.edu
 The academy was founded in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. The visitors center offers walking tours, including a visit to a sample midshipman's room, and exhibitions.
Visitors center hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March-December, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. January-February. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Visitors older than 16 must have a valid photo ID. Adults, $8.50; older than 62, $7.50; students, $6.50; 5 and younger, free.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Museum 600 Dulany St.
Suite 0100
Alexandria, Va.
571-272-0095
 Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Closed all federal holidays. Free.
Warren Historic Site 22625 Whites Ferry Rd.
In Martinsburg between Poolesville and White's Ferry
Dickerson, Md.
301-972-7263
 The site includes the Warren Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1903; a one-room schoolhouse built in 1886; and Loving Charity Hall, built in 1914.
Waters House History Center 12535 Milestone Manor Lane
Germantown, Md.
301-515-2887
 The Waters House History Center, in the oldest house standing in Germantown (circa 1790), offers changing exhibitions on Montgomery County history, people and places, a reference library, and a museum shop. Visitors may request a free brochure for a self-guided tour of the 3.9-acre property to learn about the three stages of building the historic farmhouse, how the surrounding farm buildings were used and about Waters family members who lived here from the 1790s until the 1930s. A small section of the original farm, known as Pleasant Fields and noted for breeding racehorses, has been preserved in a park setting. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays or by appointment. Free, with fees for some events.
White's Ferry 24801 White's Ferry Rd.
Dickerson, Md.
301-349-5200
 This is the only regularly operating ferry on the Potomac River. Hours: 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, weather permitting. $4 one way, $6 round trip.
Woodlawn Manor 16501 Norwood Rd.
Sandy Spring, Md.
301-299-5026
 Woodlawn Manor's origins are closely linked to Sandy Spring's Quaker community. The manor house was constructed about 1800 by the Thomas family, which also built the nearby Friends Meeting House. It can be seen by appointment.

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