Thurmont

Thurmont is a small town in Frederick County, Maryland. It hosts the Catoctin Colorfest, an arts and crafts festival that draws in about 125,000 people each autumn.

Understand

The town of Thurmont is in the northern part of Frederick County and is north of Frederick, Maryland, the county seat. It is on U.S. Route 15. Thurmont is near Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park (home of the Presidential retreat, Camp David).

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Thurmont has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Get in

By car
  • From Frederick and points South, take U.S. Route 15 north.
  • From Gettysburg and points north, take U.S. Route 15 south.

By bus
  • From Frederick take the Thurmont/Emmitsburg Shuttle from the Frederick Transit Center. The bus departs at 6:30AM.
  • From Emmitsburg take the Thurmont/Emmitsburg Shuttle from Jubilee on Main East St. The bus departs at 7:10AM.

By air
  • Hagerstown Regional Airport is 38 miles from Thurmont. There are very few scheduled commercial flights from Hagerstown.
  • Washington-Dulles International Airport is 58 miles from Thurmont, with many domestic and international flights.
  • Ronald Reagan Washington-National Airport is 66 miles from Thurmont, with many domestic flights and some international flights.
  • Baltimore-Washington International Airport is 68 miles from Thurmont, with many domestic and international flights.

Get around

Thurmont is a small town and has no car rental agencies or bus system. It is small enough to walk around in though. If you need or want a cab you can call Yellow Cab of Thurmont at ☏ +1 301-271-3340. During Colorfest weekend the town sets up a public transportation system to handle the crowd.

See
  • 🌍 Catoctin Furnace (head South from Thurmont on Catoctin Furnace Road). An iron furnace that played a role in the Revolutionary war and was important to the industrialisation of Thurmont. 
  • 🌍 Catoctin Wildlife Preserve, 13019 Catoctin Furnace Rd (from Thurmont town square, head south on water street, then take a right onto Frederick Rd.; the road will change to Catoctin Furnace Rd and destination will be on the left another 2 miles down from that), ☏ +1 301-271-3180. Zoo just outside of Thurmont. Has 1100 animals including exotic animals like Lions and local wildlife like timber wolves and native turtles. Between April and September runs daily Safari rides. Adults $22.50, Seniors (65+) and Military $21.50, Children (3-12) $16.95. Safari rides add $16.50/person. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Thurmont Community Park, Community Park Road, ☏ +1 301-271-7313. 7AM-10PM. This is the town park. It has a nice exercise trail, several pavilions, a park for younger children, and a baseball and basketball court. 
  • 🌍 Thurmont Trolley Trail, Moser Road (Begins between the bridge and the library). Sunrise to Sundown. Historical nature trail. 

Do
  • 🌍 Beach at Hunting Creek Lake (Cunningham Falls State Park). Sandy beach on a small lake in the middle of the forest. Swimming in the lake is allowed only between the weekend before Memorial Day and Labor Day. Lifeguards are typically on duty every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, between 11AM and 6PM. Arrive early in the day because capacity is limited, and people are turned away when capacity is reached, which often happens by mid-morning on weekends and holidays. Small charge at entrance, paid in cash. 
  • 🌍 Catoctin Breeze Vineyard, 15184 Roddy Road, ☏ +1 240-449-0677. Tasting and tours Sa Su noon-5PM. Tours by appointment M-F 10AM-3PM. 
  • 🌍 Colorfest, ☏ +1 301-271-7533. A huge arts and crafts festival that takes place over one weekend annually. Several thousand people flock to the town for it. The festival completely takes over the town. 
  • 🌍 Lawyer's Farm, 13001 Creagerstown Rd, ☏ +1 240-315-8133, . Pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, navigate your way through the corn maze, and even fire the two pumpkin cannons at 50 foot tall Transformer robots! (updated Oct 2015)
  • 🌍 Maple Run Golf Course, 13610 Moser Road, ☏ +1 301-271-7870, . 10AM-5PM. $11-28. 

Buy
  • 🌍 Catoctin Hope Chest, 104C Frederick Road, ☏ +1 240-344-0870, . Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM. Upon request can be open for additional or different hours. Sells hand-crafted items along with quilts. 
  • 🌍 Pryor's Orchard, 13841B Pryor Rd (Route 15, exit Pryor Road), ☏ +1 301 271 2693. Family-owned farm since 1905. Operates a fruit market in a barn built in 1940. Sells cherries, blueberries, apricots, plums, nectarines, pears, peaches, apples, corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, potatoes, kale, cabbage, sweet potatoes, melons, and pumpkins, when each is in season. 

Eat
  • 🌍 Bollinger's Restaurant, 210 N Church St, ☏ +1 301-271-3500. M-Sa 6AM-8PM, Su 7AM-2PM. Very cozy atmosphere. Specializes in barbecue. Its Facebook page describes it as "down home people with down home cooking". 
  • 🌍 Mountaingate Family Restaurant, 133 Frederick Road, ☏ +1 301-271-4373. 5AM-10PM. Both a menu and a buffet-style restaurant. Has private banquet rooms for between 10 and 200 guests. Southern American food. 
  • 🌍 Shamrock Restaurant, 7701 Fitzgerald Road, ☏ +1 301-271-2912. M-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM, Su noon-9PM. Family-owned "casual fine dining" restaurant. Participates in "farm to fork" program (at least 60% of the menu is sourced from local farms). Lots of traditional Irish food. Encourages reservations, but reservations are not allowed on St. Patrick's Day or during Colorfest. 
  • 🌍 Simply Asia, 120 Frederick Road, Suite B & C, ☏ +1 301-271-2857. M-Th 11AM-9:30PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM, Su noon-9:30PM. Serves Chinese, Thai, Japanese food, and a variety of sushi. "A Pan Asian Bistro" $5-20. 
  • 🌍 Thurmont Kountry Kitchen, 17 Water Street, ☏ +1 301-271-4071. 6AM-9PM. Award winning family owned restaurant. Large selection of food and very good broasted chicken. Motto: "Just like home but we do the dishes". American Southern food. Well-known for breakfast. 
  • 🌍 Fratelli's New York Pizza & Restaurant, 140 Frederick Road, ☏ +1 301-271-0272. New York-style pizza and subs. Reasonably priced, delivers. 

Drink

Sleep

Hotels

Camping
  • 🌍 Crow's Nest Campground, Rt. 77 West, ☏ +1 301-271-2818. Beautiful campground with water, electric, a bathhouse, and a swimming pool, next to a trout stream. Adults past the first two cost an additional $5. Open between April 1 and Oct 31 each year. $25-30. 
  • 🌍 Ole Mink Farm, 12806 Mink Farm Rd., ☏ +1 301-271-7012, toll-free: +1-877-OLE-MINK (653-6465), . Outdoor resort. Rates listed are for two nights with two adults. Cabins have full kitchens, cable TV, wi-fi, fireplace (with firewood), and an outdoor picnic area. There is also a swimming pool and a playground. $325-350. 

Connect
  • Thurmont Regional Library, 76 East Moser Road, ☏ +1 301-600-7200. M-Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. Wifi is available for anyone. Computer use is limited to 15 minutes for non-patrons. Free. 

Go next
Routes through Thurmont
Gettysburg ← Emmitsburg ←  N  S  → Frederick → Jct W E


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