6 New Market
Pretty New Market
is the smallest and
best preserved of the
historical towns that lies
between Baltimore and
Frederick. Main Street,
full of antique shops, is
lined with Federal and
Greek Revival houses.
More than 90% of the
structures are of brick
or frame construction,
as opposed to modern
vinyl, sheet rock and/
or dry wall; the National
Register of Historical
places deems central New
Market ‘in appearance,
the quintessence of
the c[irca] 1800 small
town in western central
Maryland.’The Drive » Frederick is about
7 miles west of New Market via
I-70. Take exit 56 for MD-144 to
reach the city center.7 Frederick
Frederick boasts a
historically preserved
center, but unlike the
previously listed small
towns, this is a mid-
sized city, an important
commuter base for
thousands of federal
government employees
and a biotechnology hub
in its own right.Central Frederick
is, well, perfect. For a
city of its size (around
65,000), what more
could you want? A
historic, pedestrian-
friendly center of
redbrick rowhouses
with a large, diverse
array of restaurants
usually found in a larger
town; an engaged,
cultured arts community
anchored by the excellent
events calender at the
Weinberg Center for
the Arts (%301-600-
2828; http://www.weinbergcenter.
org; 20 West Patrick St);
and meandering
Carroll Creek running
through the center ofTRIP HIGHLIGHTStart: 1 Baltimore
A natural complement to your historical tour is the nation’s capital, just 40 miles
south of Baltimore on the BWI Parkway. The National Mall, part of which is covered
in our Stretch Your Legs tour (p246), is the site of some of the nation’s most iconic
protests, from Martin Luther King’s March on Washington to recent rallies for the
legalization of gay marriage.
The east end of the Mall is filled with the (free!) museums of the Smithsonian
Institution. All are worth your time. We could easily get lost amid the silk screens,
Japanese prints and sculpture of the often-bypassed Sackler & Freer Gallery (1050
Independence Ave SW).
On the other side of the Mall is a cluster of memorials and monuments. The most
famous is the back of the penny: the Lincoln Memorial (h24hr). The view over the
reflecting pool to the Washington Monument is as spectacular as you’ve imagined.
The Roosevelt Memorial (www.nps.gov/fdrm; W Basin Dr SW; h24hr) is notable for its
layout, which explores the entire term of America’s longest-serving president.
On the north flank of the Lincoln Memorial (left if you’re facing the pool) is the
immensely powerful Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Constitution Gardens; h24hr), a
black granite ‘V’ cut into the soil inscribed with names of the American war dead
of that conflict. Search for the nearby but rarely visited Constitution Gardens
(h24hr), featuring a tranquil, landscaped pond and artificial island inscribed with
the names of the signers of the Constitution.WASHINGTON DC
DETOUR:
WASHINGTON.DC,.MARYLAND.&.DELAWARE.TRIPS.15
.MARYLAND’S NATIONAL HISTORIC ROAD