Museums by Candlelight

Celebrate the season at more than 20 historic sites and museums across Frederick County. Museums by Candlelight is free, self-guided, and open to all ages.
Hosted by the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium, this holiday tradition has welcomed visitors for more than 30 years. Programs begin at noon, and several sites stay open into the evening. Visit as many as you like, in any order.
Expect period demonstrations, living history, hands-on crafts, guided tours, holiday music, and refreshments. Most locations offer special activities for children.
A few highlights:
- Meet the Blue and Gray Hospital Association at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine
- Watch the blacksmith at the forge in the historic ironmaking village of Catoctin Furnace
- Step into the winter of 1776 at Rose Hill Manor, with three exhibits new in 2026
- Hear Kwanzaa and holiday music programs at the new AARCH Society African American Heritage Center
- Find out what Civil War soldiers ate for Christmas dinner at Monocacy National Battlefield
- Enjoy Hessians, hearth cooking, brats, and glühwein at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, a 1758 National Historic Landmark
PARTICIPATING SITES
City of Frederick
AARCH Society African American Heritage Center (12–5pm)
C. Burr Artz Public Library (12–5pm)
Delaplaine Arts Center (9am–5pm)
Heritage Frederick | Museum of Frederick County History (12–7pm)
Historic Steiner House (12–5pm)
Hood College Library (12–5pm)
National Museum of Civil War Medicine (10am–5pm)
Rose Hill Manor Park and Museums, with the Daughters of the American Revolution (12–7pm)
Schifferstadt Architectural Museum (12–7pm)
Northern Frederick County
Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Thurmont (12–5pm)
Historic Harriet Chapel, Thurmont (12–5pm)
National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg (10am–5pm)
Snook Family Farm Agricultural Center at Utica District Park (12–7pm)
Thurmont Center for Agricultural History at Thurmont Regional Library (12–4pm)
Thurmont Historical Society (12–5pm)
Walkersville Branch Library (12–5pm)
Woodsboro Historical Society (12–4pm)
Western Frederick County
Brunswick Heritage Museum (12–5pm)
Middletown Branch Library (2–4:30pm)
South Mountain Heritage Society, with the Middletown Valley Historical Society, Burkittsville (12–5pm)
William F. Moran, Jr. Museum & Foundation, Middletown (12–5pm)
Southern Frederick County
Monocacy National Battlefield (12–5pm)
Zion Church and Cemetery | Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, Urbana (12–5pm)
Find addresses, full program descriptions, parking notes, and a printable brochure here: https://www.visitfrederick.org/events/annual-events/museums-by-candlelight/