This Destination Spotlight was paid for by a promotional fee from a Home & Away Publishing advertiser.

It makes sense for folks to find themselves drawn to Frederick County, Md.; the path has been blazed for them. After all, the country’s first highway marches right through the county. The National Road—now in the form of U.S. Highway 40 and Maryland 144—still brings notice for Frederick, but its appeal has grown beyond the highway. In fact, recent attractions have been added and can be regarded as must-see destinations.

And so should Frederick County.

Discovering Vineland
Six area wineries have joined to offer aficionados the opportunity to get close to the best grape-growing region in Maryland. The locale—just 45 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.—represents more than half of the wine production of the entire state. The gift of geography helps the county excel in winemaking. The winemaking region is ensconced in the Maryland piedmont, where rocky soil and rolling hills combine to provide ideal growing conditions for the finest wine grapes.

Plus, the grapes change by locale. Thus, a single variety will produce different flavors. The French call this phenomenon terroir, or the taste of the soil and the growing environment that is recalled in the wine. This attribute makes traveling the wine trail enriching, as each winery yields unique tastes and varieties.

The trail is small enough to travel in a day, though it may be hard to do given the lovely setting the wineries enjoy. In addition, the inviting tasting rooms and patios of the wineries beckon visitors to linger no matter the time of year.

Seeing Red
Visitors can shift easily from wineries to charity in Frederick County, as Walkersville is the site of the new Museum of the American Red Cross. Hosted by the Frederick County chapter of the famed organization, the museum recounts the American Red Cross’ history from its founding by Clara Barton upon her return from Europe in the late 1800s.

Artifacts collected by a long-time Red Cross volunteer over a 10-year period fill the museum. Among the displayed items are original letters written by Barton dating to the 19th century. There also are many old-time uniforms, as well as objects that bear the Red Crescent symbol.

Following the Battle
Barton witnessed firsthand the carnage of the Civil War. In Frederick County, travelers can glimpse the effects of the conflict at places such as Monocacy National Battlefield, where a new visitors center brings the experience up close.

Guests will learn that the battle is credited with saving Washington, D.C., from possibly being captured by Confederate forces during the summer of 1864. Troops under the command of rebel Gen. Jubal Early advanced into the North to take pressure off Gen. Robert E. Lee by diverting Federal attention. What nearly resulted was a clear shot at the U.S. capital.

The only Northern troops available to confront Early met his invasion at the Monocacy River. The Union forces, under Gen. Lew Wallace’s command, lost the engagement but held up Early enough that he had to abandon his attack and withdraw to Virginia. It was the last time the South brought the war into the North.

The new visitors center is located in a replica of an old-fashioned dairy barn and contains interactive exhibits that make the experience deeper than normal. Multimedia displays include vignettes that expound on locales integral to the battle. There also are electronic maps and many artifacts from the battle. In addition, there are walking trails and an auto trail that take visitors onto the site.

Driving the Byway
A bigger auto trail traversing the county is the Catoctin Mountain National Scenic Byway. Designated in 2005, the byway takes in the best of Frederick with a course that touches on the area’s scenic beauty, including Catoctin Mountain Park and Cunningham Falls State Park; as well as its historic towns, such as downtown Frederick.

Created in the 1930s, Catoctin Mountain Park was a major Works Project Administration success. The result was a recreation area so attractive it became a place of respite for presidents. Famed Camp David is here but isn’t open to the public. Still, Catoctin Mountain Park has plenty of other spots to enjoy. Nearby Cunningham Falls State Park is enjoyed for its singular beauty, eponymous cascade and lake area.

Manmade attractiveness comes in the form of Frederick’s 50-block historic district, which showcases arresting 18th- and 19th-century architecture. The city also boasts locations where American heritage was formed, such as a spot where Abraham Lincoln spoke; the home of John Hanson, who was president of the United States under the Articles of Confederation; and the burial site of Francis Scott Key, composer of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Remembering Old Favorites
Of course, not everything that makes Frederick so great is new. The county has plenty more going for it. There is the aforementioned National Road, which heads west out of the county through the Middletown Valley; George Washington called it one of the loveliest places he’d ever seen.

There also are several historic water crossings in the county—some that are on the National Register of Historic Places. Included on the list are three of the eight remaining covered bridges in the state. All three spans also have adjoining recreation areas.

As evidenced by Monocacy National Battlefield, Frederick County is alive with Civil War lore. Another major battle, South Mountain, was fought within the county. And its proximity to two of the war’s most important engagements, Gettysburg and Antietam— both of which lie just beyond its boundaries—meant the county was used as a center of caring for injured soldiers.

Wartime injuries take center stage at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick. The 7,000-square-foot facility vividly recounts the efforts undertaken by individuals to ease suffering and minimize injuries during the conflict. (Displays include one that depicts an amputation at a Confederate field hospital and one that contains the only known surviving surgeon’s tent.) The museum also recounts how medical developments during the Civil War helped shape future military medicine. In fact, the display illustrating evacuation of the wounded could be seen as a template; modern field evacuation is modeled after it.

Throughout the war, the county was crossed and recrossed by troops from both sides and the loyalties of its citizens were tested and retested. These tales can be recalled on the Civil War Trails that flow through Frederick County. The mapped interpretive auto tours let travelers see the sites they’ve probably only read about in history books.

They’ll also find a place that is central to the formation of the nation, what made that nation great and what makes up Maryland’s Frederick the Great.

For more information, call (800) 999-3613 or visit www.fredericktourism.org.