**As of February 2018** This place is not easily accessible anymore. First off, you cannot LEGALLY…read morepark under the railroad tracks/bridge area. It is clearly marked "No Standing Fire Lane". You can get a ticket or probably towed. There is no other parking for miles. We drove to the Patapsco State Park Avalon Entrance ($4 entry fee), then to "Lost Lake", where there is a trail called Grist Mill Trail. This trail will take you 2.5 miles into the park where it eventually meets Ilchester Rd (right near the hidden staircase to the ruins). After walking 2.5 miles there, we ran into construction signs and a closure near the Bloede's Dam. Because of the closure blocking the rest of the trail, the only way to get across is to travel down the steep woods and walk across the railroad bridge (cross at your own risk- there are active trains passing through that could kill you) to the other side where the ruins are. There is a scenic overlook in the trails near the Dam where you can get a better idea of how steep the woods are to get to the road. Other options may include crossing at the suspension walking bridge (called the Grist Mill Walking Bridge) which is about a mile from the ruins. I haven't seen anyone go this route, but the hiking is more difficult on the other side of the suspension bridge. It appears until the Dam construction is over, this place is going to continue to be very difficult to get to (unless you want to risk getting ticketed or towed). I hope once the construction clears up I will have another opportunity to see 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.

This is a nice little surprise as you're moving along the columbia trails - a small pond, set up…read moreagainst townhouses on one side. There's a fair amount of green space to the south of the pond where the trail splits allowing you to go either way around. To the West side you'll find one of those mini playground things that dot the trails. Pretty good for kids. Close enough to the pond you can have a nice view, but not so close you have to worry about your kids accidentally getting in. If you head to the East side (over the bridge) you'll find a big platform like dock. I've seen people do photos here, go fishing, or just hang out. It's a nice amenity. You'll find a great mix of kids, people running, biking, walking dogs, and even the occasional commuter going to or from the stores/restaurants in either direction. There isn't really parking here - so your only choice is to either travel the trails or to park on the street in one of the neighboring residential areas. You could probably try one of the schools on the weekends - but I'd be careful of any signs that might indicate otherwise.

A great place to attend a outdoor event. Brought the family to the hops and harvest festival. The…read morepark is large enough to accommodate a lot of people. Never fest closed in. They had hammocks available so the kids had a great time playing on them. They are several picnic tables throughout the park as well. Beautiful maintained grounds and scenic views.

Symphony Woods is a large park outside of the Merriweather Post Pavilion with trails, green space,…read morepicnic tables and a very trendy, design-forward stage that looks like something out of Star Wars. During the pandemic, they aren't doing events, but the picnic tables and trails are open for all to enjoy the outdoors.

There are often festivals of one sort or another among the many shops, bars, and restaurants around…read moreMain Street in downtown Ellicott City. This is the first time we've made it to SpringFest (Apr 2025). It was amazing! SpringFest took over the entirety of Parking Lot D, south of Main Street behind the old Post Office building, plus several other locations around town, with walkable nearby satellite parking and a free shuttle all day. We skipped the kids'-activities towards the west end of downtown, but we did see the cute results of face-painting :-). Onstage by The Wine Bin, we enjoyed a 45-min set by a favorite local rock band, Gary and the Groove, always laying down great dancing music and well-crafted vocals. Their stage had live performances noon to 8pm! We heard an excellent Red Hot Chili Peppers rendition as we took a free shuttle to the east end of Main Street. We saw art and a dj in a small park, and, across the river, found a cute little courtyard we hadn't noticed before at Old Mill Cafe! It was a short uphill walk back up to Lot D, full-to-bursting with artisans and food vendors and shops. Amid throngs of people, we tasted Asian, Mexican, juice, and some snacks among eight or ten food vendors, and a few tables around the edges. We checked out cool merch from around 15 artists, flower sellers, ceramics, soft crafts, herbs, candles, and more. We heard live music from two more stages, with a wide range of tribute-bands and some cool musicians from Columbia's Soundcheck Academy. We loved the true-to-life Grateful Dead. The Band was a fun groove. Classics by Cure, Black Sabbath, Van Halen. Every song you ever heard, which means Billy Idol :-). We had to leave as The Talking Heads started up. Darn. We missed Bowie and Santana, too. Music here was also noon to 8pm, with slightly shorter hours on the student stage. A long lovely day, which reminds us to watch for more events in downtown Ellicott City!

Great place to walk and explore. Lots of fun stores and places to eat. There is a large free…read moreparking lot. Traffic can be congested, but this place is definitely worth the stroll. I like the bridge over the water and the local coffee shops.

Columbia is known for all the nature trails, lakes, villages etc. This particular trail is my "to…read morego" since it's very close in proximity. I usually do my walks, bike rides with my dad and daughter, jogs and you might see me with a jumprope. Just a good trail for some fresh air and to get my steps in! It can be a bit crowded at time but the people do practice social distancing / wear mask.

This is one of our favorite trails to go one for sure. I think the greatest thing about living in…read moreHoward Co. is all the different trails available. I have walked this trail both ways and up to the Wincopin Trails and Its always enjoyable. It is heavily trafficked if you go the bike path way, I recommend going towards Wincopin Trails if you rather be more secluded.

I was happy to see that George Washington was here, but sad to see what happened next. The marker…read moreis in good condition next to the Holiday Inn. It reads: "George Washington stopped here at least twenty-five times between 1789 and 1798. On July 18, 1795, his diary says: 'Dined and lodged at Spurrier's where my sick horse died.'"

Last Saturday, we visited the largest, permanent, model railroad display in the mid-Atlantic, owned…read moreby the Baltimore Society for Model Engineers. The Society was founded in March 1932 and is the oldest exclusively model railroad club in the United States. They maintain 2,500 square feet of model railroad displays of steam and diesel freight and passenger trains and trolleys, plus so much more. It was fun to see all the parts of the display - it really gives you a glimpse into the history of railroading. It is not easy to find, as the doorway is tucked into the left front center of the building and the society is located on the third floor with no elevator. The display is normally open on the second Sunday of each month, except May.

These gentlemen have been around 81 amazing years. Great family environment with extremely…read moreknowledgable guys working. Displays are very detailed and even showcase popular Baltimore landmarks.

This arcade is cool, but it is so ghetto. The dining room area was so dirty and most of the games…read moredidn't work or wasn't working at the best capacity. You can tell the staff was over it. The food was really good and the customer service was really good. So that's why I'm giving them a 3/5 stars. I don't come here often because things don't seem to change often with this location even though it's in Columbia.

When you first walk into this place, you'll be greeted with the overwhelming smell of weed. I was…read morehoping it was just a fluke, but no matter where in the building I went, it's all I could smell. Went to the bar. Friend and I ordered a drink. Her wine was stale, and my espresso martini made me gag. It tasted like watered down milk. We left our drinks. My martini came out of a machine premade, so it wasn't the bar tenders fault. I decided to have some fun and put $60 on a card to play the ticket machines. That WAS fun until I accidentally dropped my card and this gigantic man with his family decided to pick it up and run off with it. They knew I saw them. They didn't care. Nice lesson for his children. Ugh. Columbia mall definitely has a rep now, but I was hoping this "family" place would feel safe. Oh well. It was a Friday night, so maybe that's why it was so bad. If I go back on a weekday, I'll update my review accordingly.

Bottom Line: Blink and you might miss this little yellow gem of historic Ellicott City. Although…read moreit's small in stature, this historic building is worth a closer look. If you've ever seen the little yellow building at the intersection of Church Rd. and Main Street in historic Ellicott City, that is the Firehouse Museum. Although it's a small spot, it can leave a big impression. The 126 year old fire station is generally only open on the weekends from April through December. However, it tends to be also be open for special events like Midnight Madness in December and you can schedule private tours. The museum is staffed by volunteers and has old fire fighting equipment and a collection of toy firetrucks. The volunteers are awesome and sometimes even hand out plastic fire hats for the kiddos. Personally, I like thinking about what it would have been like to be a firefighter at this station in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Situated on a hill, fire fighters rolled the heavy equipment out of the house and downhill to bravely fight fires in the community. There is a very small, humble jar for donations on the way (which you'll only see if you are looking for it) and I bet the firehouse will appreciate a small donation to keep this historic landmark open.

This is an interesting little site that's only open on weekend afternoons during the Summer and…read moreearly Fall. Most people would miss it, especially since it's not conveniently located right on Main Street. If you do get a chance, though, it's free and worth at least one visit. The museum details firefighter history, especially that of Ellicott City. You'll see some cases with old equipment, historical artifacts, various photographs and clippings, a case of firefighter-related toys, and some information on firefighting techniques through the years. The building is only one room and its small, but the information is still interesting. I give the place four stars for two reasons. The single staff member was very nice and informative. Also, my 5-yo son was fascinated just with looking at everything. I'm not saying this is on the level of a full historic site, but it's a quaint attraction and worth the stop. So, give historic Ellicott City some love and learn a bit about the old firehouse and firefighting.

I saw two movies at the AMC Columbia 14 on Christmas Day. The theater was average for theaters…read morenowadays. A large theater - with perhaps 14 screens? The seats in the theaters we saw movies in were new but not recliners, and you reserve a particular seat when you buy your ticket. The customer service at the ticket counter was friendly. Overall, not a bad place to see a movie.

I started a review for this theater before but didn't finish it so I'll just give an overall take…read more I came here the other day for an advanced screening of the movie Housemaid. It was actually really good, more interesting than I thought it would be when I first saw the trailer the week prior and that was great. What was not good, was the theater that we were seated in. I'm going to say the theater because I don't remember seeing dirty disgusting seats at my prior visits here. Look at the pictures and you'll see what I'm referring to. I then also went to the bathroom in the bathroom was nasty as well. I really don't know what is going on with this theater and why AMC has not corrected this issue. Is this what people are accepting from this Columbia theater? Maybe I never noticed because it was my friend who pointed out the dirty seat as I was trying to sit down. It could have been my haste to grab a seat before someone else since it was an advance screening and genpop seating but when she said something I quickly gasped and grabbed my bag. I also noticed that the floors were dirty as well as I walked back from the bathroom to my seat. There was food stuck to it and it just looked like they didn't really upkeep this particular Auditorium. And that is my hope that it is just specific to this Auditorium we were having the free advanced screening in. However if you have people coming to your movie theater for free screening, when you want them to have the best experience? So that confuses me as well. But also once you notice one thing that freaks you out , it heightens your senses and you're open to something else being wrong as well.