Maryland’s second-largest city has figured prominently in three centuries of American history. Guided walking tours and candlelight ghost tours around Frederick’s beautifully revitalized, 50-block downtown area show off intriguing architecture and sites linked to celebrated “locals” like Francis Scott Key and Civil War heroine Barbara Fritchie. Specialty shops, art galleries and antiques stores round out the scene. No wonder the National Trust of Historic Preservation recognized Frederick as one of “America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations.”

Visit the Frederick city web site.