Blake Walsh

20 Best Things to Do in Hagerstown, MD

  • Published 2021/11/12

Hagerstown in Maryland is one of the best places to visit on our bucket list, as it has abundant natural beauty and many parks.

Other historical structures reflecting traditions and cultures also abound here.

Nicknamed the “Hub City,” it is a bustling metropolis and a hub for culture and nature.

It is blessed with beautiful topography and is surrounded by stone ridges.

The stone hedge limestone is quarried in a large quantity here and can be seen in the construction of many famous churches and local houses.

This imparts a regal and old-school charm to the otherwise modern city.

If you are interested to know more about this city, read on!

Here are the 20 best things to do in Hagerstown, MD:

Tour Jonathan Hager House Museum

Outside View of Jonathan Hager House Museum

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

Touring the Jonathan Hager House Museum is one of the best things to do in Hagerstown; it will take you back to the past.

It is a stone house with two stories erected in 1740, which serves as a historic structure.

Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant and the founder of Hagerstown, owns this building.

Outside View of Jonathan Hager House Museum

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

There are two spring-fed ponds in the basement, which supply freshwater; the home is considered a historical display of the 1700s lifestyle.

It has a massive central chimney, with a 22-inch thick wall and a vast home cellar packed with restored antiquities.

Visitors interested in learning more about the history of the Jonathan Hager House can take advantage of free guided tours.

Outside View of Jonathan Hager House Museum

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

Learn Some Exciting Science Facts at the Discovery Station at Hagerstown

Outside View of Discovery Station at Hagerstown

BrittanyWedd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This nonprofit museum is sure to enthrall you with its stimulating science experiments.

Suitable for all ages, there are various exhibits that can interest people across all age groups.

They also provide some profound hands-on knowledge.

Complicated scientific concepts are explained through real-life experiments, which you and your kids can actually work on so that you understand these concepts.

The museum charges a very nominal fee and is worth every penny.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 AM-4 PM, and on Sunday, from 2 PM- 5 PM.

It is closed on Mondays.

Be One With Nature at the Hagerstown City Park

Hagerstown City Park

refrina / shutterstock.com

Hagerstown City Park is home to various monuments of cultural significance, such as the Jonathan Hager House and Museum and the Hagerstown Railroad Museum.

Here, you may watch swans and geese cackle in the ponds surrounded by green lawns and trees.

View of Hagerstown City Park

refrina / shutterstock.com

Art lovers will also love the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts and the Mansion House Art Center.

The park itself has many playing fields, tennis courts, renting pavilions, and playgrounds, where you can play to your heart’s content.

Dog trails are also present for you to meet cute little ”floofs.”

Wander Around the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

This museum showcases selected works from all kinds of local and international artists.

With more than 6,500 types of works on display, this museum will surely make you fall in love with it.

It was initially owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Singer and later donated to the city in 1929.

Today, it houses artworks, paintings, and sculptures exploring 19th-century European and American cultures and other world cultures.

Shop at Hagerstown Premium Outlets

Hagerstown Premium Outlets

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

This mall is beautiful and it is where you can window shopping.

The open-air Hagerstown Premium Outlet is the one-stop-shop for all famous brands like Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Kate Spade New York, Under Armor, and many more shopping stores.

Modern restrooms, cash services, and various other shopping facilities are all available here.

The food court serves some very delicious food and American fast food like burgers and more.

View of Hagerstown Premium Outlets

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

Watch a Concert at the Maryland Theatre

Front View of Maryland Theatre

MrGPS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This famous silent film house is located in downtown Hagerstown, also referred to as Arts and Entertainment District.

It has a massive capacity of 1,279 seats and hosts a variety of shows.

Music shows like concerts and recitals are especially popular among the audience.

Get some regal feel as you enjoy a musical night in this vaudeville.

Visit the Price-Muller House for Some Historical Insights

Outside View of Price-Muller House

Acroterion, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This house was made in 1824 and has since come a long way as it kept a record of the development and growth of Hagerstown over the years.

It was converted to its local museum form in 1966 and only had various artifacts and exhibits.

A special exhibit section is the many local clocks collected over the years.

Now called the Miller House Museum, it is built in an authentic neoclassical style.

The theme reciprocates through the entire townhouse, with its hanging stairway, Victorian-style decorations, and large bedrooms.

Shop Till You Drop at the Valley Mall

Outside View of Valley Mall

Mike Kalasnik from Charlotte, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If the Hagerstown Premium Outlets is not enough to satisfy you, then visit Valley Mall.

Moreover, if you don’t like open-air malls, then it’s best to come here.

This huge indoor mall in the busy Metropolitan area has everything you looking for in a typical mall.

Shop at outlet stores, including famous brands like Bath & Body Works, Claire’s, Foot Locker, Victoria’s Secret.

The prices are affordable, and the stores are filled with all sorts of modern stuff.

So indulge in some in-house shopping and flaunt these new clothes as you spend the remaining days of your vacation in Hagerstown.

The food court also boasts many famous eateries and restaurants, like Auntie Anne’s, Tacos Carlitos, Primanti Brothers, and Noodles & Company.

The vast 40,000-square-foot arcade is another must-visit area.

Watch Baseball at the Hagerstown Suns Municipal Stadium

View of Hagerstown Suns Municipal Stadium

Gregory Koch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This huge stadium was built in 1930 and is one of the city’s hotspots to watch some exciting live games for all kinds of sports.

With a 4600 members seating capacity, you are surely going to enjoy the match as well as a big cheering crowd.

This municipal stadium is home to Hagerstown Suns minor league baseball.

It also has a special Hall of Fame that showcases some of the best players that have ever played.

Fret not!

If you don’t love baseball, the stadium also hosts a variety of other sporting events like football, wrestling, and professional boxing.

If you don’t like sports at all, the stadium can still be visited for attending other events if they are being held at that time.

These include exciting events like competitions, concerts, and dog shows.

Attend the 4th of July Celebrations at Fairgrounds Park

Fairgrounds Park

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

Fireworks abound the skies on the 4th of July all over the USA.

The event at Fairgrounds is an enormous and meaningful celebration, so if you are around, then set your time for a visit here.

Other than this, it has all the recreational facilities in any good, modern park.

Basketball courts, playgrounds, and walking trails are also here.

View of Fairgrounds Park

Alejandro Guzmani / Shutterstock.com

Other superb facilities are the ice skating rink and volleyball courts, where you can play to your heart’s content with some locals or friends.

Other than the aforementioned celebration, various other events are also conducted at this kid-friendly park all year round.

If nothing, the dog park is sure to fill you with happy vibes.

Have Some Beers at Bulls and Bears

This unique restaurant founded by Jone and Don Bowman in 2008 is unique in its quirky stock-market theme.

With a posh ambiance and warm atmosphere, it will be a fun evening.

The in-house bar has a well-curated menu of the choicest wines, cocktails, craft beers, and more.

Enjoy your glass sitting on the beautiful tables and soft, warm lighting.

Accompany it with some great starters and meats like ribs, juicy beef, or succulent chicken and pork.

Fish lovers will also love the food.

Visit the Just Lookin’ Gallery

As the name implies, Just Lookin’ Gallery will definitely keep you looking at all its beautiful artworks.

All the paintings and drawings showcased are original pieces by people of various ethnicities and backgrounds.

Though there are artworks by renowned artists, you might find some really amazing work by unpopular ones.

See Old Aircrafts at Hagerstown Aviation Museum

View of Hagerstown Aviation Museum

Preservation Maryland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This aviation museum is a great place to spend a day if you’re a fan of planes of all kinds and sizes.

On July 14, 2005, the museum opened its doors to downtown Hagerstown, Maryland.

Fairchild C-82A Packet, Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar, Fairchild C-123K, and Bellanca CE are just a few planes you can see at the museum, housed inside the Fairchild Aviation Museum.

View of Hagerstown Aviation Museum

Preservation Maryland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Skate at the Turner’s Skate Palace

This skate palace is great for skating across all ages.

Whether you are an amateur or an expert, you will all have fun skating on this rink.

Safety and precautions are assured, and people of all ages can enjoy skating, dancing, or more inside the rink.

Many people also rent it out for local celebrations like birthdays.

So if by chance, your kid’s birthday is coming up while you are planning the vacation, you can check in with them and have a really brilliant and unique birthday!

Try Out Some Amazing Restaurants Serving Great Food

From typical American cuisine to Bavarian German-style food, Hagerstown has a vast array of restaurants serving delicious food.

Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant is a restaurant serving authentic German-style food right here in the American lands.

Sauerkraut, pork shank, Bavarian bratwurst with spätzle are some of the dishes it serves.

Don’t forget to end on a sweet tooth with the Apple strudel.

Locally sourced beer from Munich is also available to get some authentic feels.

Rik’s Café and Nick’s Airport Inn offer some great casual dining with your authentic American Fare on sale.

Local and fresh produce is used to create some great and unique dishes in-house at Rik’s.

These include salmon cakes with cusabi sauce and puttanesca meatballs pasta, among others.

Nick’s Inn gives you a delectable array of drinks to choose from, alongside some filling starters to fill your bellies.

It is also an excellent place for a nice lunch date.

You can also explore eating some good old pizza and pretzels at the Pretzel and Pizza Creations.

Do try their signature pretzels and wood-fired pizzas while at it!

Thus, foodies and sports lovers will surely love visiting this town of Hagerstown for their vacations.

With so many types of sporting grounds and family-friendly parks, Hagerstown will surely be a vacation place to remember.

The restaurants we have mentioned will surely awaken all your inner foodies, so don’t forget to eat to your heart’s fill.

Experience Peaceful Countryside at Good-Hartle Farm

Front View of Good-Hartle Farm

Acroterion, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Located in Hagerstown, Maryland, the Good–Hartle Agricultural is a historic house and farm complex that dates back to the 1800s.

With a 1765 wood component and an 1833 limestone expansion, the house is a stuccoed construction consisting of two parts.

The addition is a one-and-a-half-story frame structure from the twentieth century.

Log springhouse with cooking hearth and two frame outbuildings from late 19th century to early 20th century are also on the site.

In 1999, the National Register of Historic Places recognized The Good–Hartle Farm as a historic location.

Admire the Picturesque Yet Haunting Rose Hill Cemetery

Rose Hill Cemetery is Washington County’s oldest public cemetery, built more than a century ago.

Simri Rose, a botanist, built the cemetery as the last resting place for himself.

You may find over 10,000 graves throughout the cemetery’s 102-acre grounds.

There’s a good chance you’ll dismiss it as an enjoyable destination because of its historical significance.

On the other hand, Rose Hill Cemetery boasts a spectacular setting with several breathtaking vistas and a serene ambiance.

Over 43,000 people lie at the cemetery, and their families and friends visit from time to time to pay their respects to their loved ones.

Other Things to Do Nearby

Gaze in Wonder at the Prehistoric Fort at Fort Frederick State Park

View of Fort Frederick State Park

Zack Frank / shutterstock.com

This historic State Park houses one of the two colonial forts of Hagerstown and is a great place to visit.

It is located very near to the downtown part of the city; it was built in the colonial period.

It has stood testimony to many wars and battles, such as the French and Indian wars.

Established in 1756, it has well stood the weather and other calamities.

View of Fort Frederick State Park

Zack Frank / shutterstock.com

Recently, two of its barracks have even been embellished back to their 1758 appearance.

It is the most fun to visit on Labor Day and Memorial Day when volunteers adorned in colonial clothing spend a day at the fort doing the daily chores from the bygone years.

The park itself is really beautiful, too.

It has many things in stores, like fishing, hiking, camping, and boating.

The fort is open to the public all days of the week.

View of Fort Frederick State Park

Zack Frank / shutterstock.com

Final Thoughts

Hagerstown is a must-see site and should be on your travel itinerary.

Many green spaces and a bustling metropolis combine to create a unique combination of natural and urban splendor.

Numerous civil conflicts raged just a few miles away from Hagerstown throughout centuries.

Although Hagerstown has evolved into a busy metropolis in recent years, the city’s robust cultural and historical environment has remained.

With so many great things to do in Maryland, you shouldn’t miss out on this chance.

© All rights reserved.