My husband and I had a wonderful experience at the Ritchie Boy Museum this Spring. Katy, the…read moredirector (as of last Fall) has done a great job with visuals and displays. We were fascinated by learning so much about how brave and bright the Ritchie Boys were and what their 8 weeks of training involved. I am the daughter of a Ritchie Boy and can't learn enough about my Dad. Our new friends brought us...he is the son of a Ritchie Boy and very involved with helping families learn more about their dads. These young Jewish German men came to the US on their own to escape persecution and joined the Army. The best and the brightest were trained at Camp Ritchie and sent back to defeat Hitler knowing that most of their family was killed by the Nazis. They successfully gathered 60% of the intelligence which helped us win the war. I continue to find more papers from Dad's treasures which Katy is gladly receiving to grow the collection. Most of us never learned from our dads how brave they were and the atrocities they experienced. The Ritchie Boy Museum recreates what life was like during that time.

We had a delightful and enriching time, looking at the artifacts and reading the moving stories of…read morethe American military that received their advanced training at what was then called Camp Richie during WWII. The museum director happened to be on site and helped my husband look up information about his Uncle Larry, who was trained at Camp Richie and deployed to England. Richie Boys, as they were known, contributed significantly to intelligence gathering during the war and debriefing of Axis members afterward. This is a spiffy, small and professional collection wonderfully well displayed. After visiting the museum, the rest of Fort Richie is worth exploring; the old classrooms and training buildings now host a cafe, an ice cream parlor, and soon, a taproom. Bring a kayak for the lake, or picnic under the trees. Such a cool discovery.

My parents are electrical/RF/satellite engineers, and I took them here on one of their visits to…read moreMaryland. While this is no Smithsonian, it is an incredibly educational and fascinating experience. The staff here are incredibly helpful and it is very sad that the museum will be shut down in October due to Northrop Grumman needing the space. Hopefully it will be relocated rather than closed permanently. For those who work in the relevant fields, like my parents, this will prove to be one of the best museums you will ever visit in your life, especially with all the unique exhibits featuring real artifacts from the defense and electronics industries. Overall, I don't think you need more than an hour or two (if you are reading every plaque carefully) to see the entire museum, we did it in 45 minutes.

Sunday, December 7 Pearl Harbor - At 7:02 a.m., two Army operators at Oahu's northern shore radar…read morestation detect the Japanese air attack approaching and contact a junior officer who disregards their reports, thinking they are American B-17 planes which are expected in from the U.S. west coast. This brand new (in 1941) Westinghouse radar performed flawlessly to its design parameters. A same type radar is on display outside of the museum. If you ever wanted to see real hardware, a comprehensive history and easy to understand technical explaination of military electronics of radar, communications, and electronic warfare for ground, air, navy and space applications under one roof, look no further than the Historical Electronics Museum. Nestled near the BWI Airport (and near some really great crab cake restaurants) this museum provides a wealth of information that will fascinate both grade schoolers and electrical engineering PhD's. I personally find this museum much superior to even the Smithsonian in providing real hardware as well as the explanations of the history and technical operations of the equipment. What is even more fascinating is that much of the hardware there is still in operating condition. There is even an active ham radio club operating out of the museum under the call sign W3HEM. The museum can also host lunches, dinners and parties. An interesting option for a Yelp event..... I have been to this museum several times and am always fascinated with something different. Best news is that this museum is free thanks to Northrop Grumman and the museum patrons and donors. 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays

Wandering around Frederick, I walked inside a historic house to find exhibits set up by one of the…read moreoldest historical societies in the country. Two friendly women greeted me and encouraged me to buy a $12 ticket to visit. The bottom floor takes visitors through several rooms of art and history of Frederick County. Upstairs are exhibits about the actual house and a few other topics. Outside is a garden that hosts events. I learned a lot about the area and saw art and photos about life back in the day. I also appreciated that the exhibit acknowledges that the house had owners that once enslaved people. Rather than ignoring it, they call it out.

This is THE PLACE for Frederick County History! Worth checking out if you're in the area. See some…read morecool stuff, go in the awesome building. Docents are nice and informative, or you can go self-guided. Takes credit cards for their admission but very much worth it. There is also a Research Center/Library in the basement, and the Taney House which is another museum owned by the same company. For one dollar more during the Taney House season, you can go to both museums.

Nice little gift shop in Gettysburg. I believe it's a brand new shop, too. They have a nice…read moreselection and the room goes way back.

When visiting Gettysburg I took family to this, one of my favorite Gettysburg shops. As always J&G…read moreArtworks did not disappoint. We each bought one of their stunning Haitian metal art works, all the more pleased because part of the money goes to these amazing Haitian artists and the nonprofit that supports them. My selection is in the photo attached. They also have some gorgeous "candles" for those who must avoid candles because of the fragrance. These are beautifully designed glass containers to which you add what's necessary for them to burn as candles but with virtually no fragrance. As always, this shop has various items you just don't see anywhere else. Special thank you to the owner for providing a platform for these talented Haitians who have suffered so much. Kathleen O'Reilly

WOW!! This event has changed since the last time we were there. It's much larger now and not…read morefamily friendly like it used to be. First thing I noticed was they "ran out " of handicap parking spots!! Not off to a good start?! They then send you to the next row which is a good large field away & find a spot. I'm sorry but I can't walk that far and I need to be dropped off. That's fine, and as we pass the designated handicap parking lot I notice that it's not full and there's plenty of parking available for the handicap. My placard displayed in window. They aren't using them now because they are waiting for a group!!?? Ok. 1/5 for NOT being handicap accessible. Train the people to address the situation and offer to let them be dropped off..they didn't. They only said go to the end of the row and park. My husband said my wife is handicapped and she can't walk that far and the guy replied something like well it's full and you have to go, keep traffic moving !?!? Where are they going? Way down yonder in the far pasture and they might be here before dark. Very disappointing for a state run affair on a day dedicated to military and first responders would be so unorganized. From running out of handicap parking spots (lie-from volunteer) and run out of drinks before an hour had passed. Second, found one of my favorite foods! Açaí bowl. Can't drink on an empty stomach, no hangovers here ! Overall I think this event was oversold on tickets and the vendors were not prepared for for the increase in number of people. The lines were very long at lunch time which is when we were there and I noticed right after they were done everyone disappeared. I also noticed for such a large outdoor event they didn't have any water stations. If you were thirsty than you bought water or something else. I wanted water. I did find some cute gifts for my mom & some other ideas for my crafting. Despite the heat, crowds, long lines, miscommunication and everything else I had a decent time. But I can always make something boring into fun:-). Maybe next year will be better?!

*Secret Garden Arts, Music and Wine Festival Review*…read more I visited a few days ago for this festival! I only recently heard of this event but glad I attended. It was a decent size crowd (not like the Linganore Reggae Festival) but that was a good thing (for me at least). This was my first "big" event since pre-covid! There was a line to get into the festival so word of advice - go early. Even though it was starting at noon, I'd suggest going at least an hour before so you're not in the line for too long and you get to pick your spot to set up. There's folks directing you where to park! They will scan your tickets and check your bags, lawn chairs and other belongings for contraband (weapons, drugs, outside liquor)! You're allowed to bring non-alcoholic beverages and food but no liquor! Don't bother because they thoroughly check and I saw lots of liquor being confiscated!!! There were two wine vendors there - Dejeon and Basignani. Your ticket gives you tastings to both. I only got to try Basignani and I loved the sangria so I ended up buying two bottles of that to share with my group. The reisling wasn't bad either, but it wasn't enough for me to get an entire bottle. Most bottles are $17 and there were some $30 bottles. There were some food trucks but the lines were super long. My group and I brought our own food - saves time and money. Tents are allowed but again if you want to be closer to the stage, go early! There were some art, cigars, hookah vendors. There's some indoor restrooms near the gate but mostly porta-potties! While I saw some kids here, I personally don't think this is a kid friendly event (at least not younger kids - under 12). There's nothing really for kids to do here! Overall, it was a good time! I would attend again in the future.

This is NOT the Discovery station building you see online or read about in the below reviews. They…read morehad a location change summer 2025 and the new space is quite lacking. Possibly good for 4 and under but we had been members for the last 4 years and as of right now are strongly considering not renewing. Some creative thinking and hard volunteer work could definitely improve the current space but it's not even 1/3 of what the old space was. **If the new space ups their game and adds value and better exhibits/ play spaces, I will remove or edit this review but I have ALOT of friends that have had the same lacking experiance and will also not renew the membership.

We are visiting the area and, staying about 30 minutes away, decided to make a trip to Discovery…read moreStation based on the website's description, which presents it as an engaging, interactive experience. Unfortunately, we found the visit quite underwhelming. The space itself is very basic, with limited exhibits and minimal interactivity. Much of what was on display felt dated and sparse, and it did not hold our attention for long. For a destination marketed as a hands-on discovery center, we expected a more immersive and thoughtfully curated experience. While this may be suitable for a very brief stop or for locals looking for something close by, it did not feel worth the drive for us as visitors. Overall, the experience did not align with the expectations set by the website, and we left feeling disappointed.

We had a wonderful, private tour with James Shriver III, who was knowledgeable, gracious and very…read moreinteresting. This is a fascinating place with historical artifacts to enlighten any history buff and to entertain anyone. Guaranteed that you will see something unusual or learn something you didn't know. GO!

Historic building on beautiful grounds; stumbled upon Union Mills while taking a drive to…read moreWestminster and had to stop to capture the fall foliage. Witnessed a few small groups doing photo shoots so this is definitely a great place off the beaten path to capture memories for a special occasion (or no reason at all!). Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. Not sure how many walking paths there are, but plenty of picnic tables and open area for kids/families to enjoy.

This is the best dance studio around and I've lived in several states and by far the best owner…read more It's inclusive, kind, helps dancers achieve their dreams and absolutely stunning costumes and performances. I couldn't take pictures in the recital, but trust me your kid will be cherished here. My daughter has gained confidence in her dancing after a really hard knee surgery and loves it here. We go to the New Market location, but there's also a studio in Frederick that's wonderful as well. Happy to be a part of this studio.