Thurmont is a small town in Frederick County, Maryland.
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 (where the Presidential retreat of Camp David exists). Also, the Catoctin Colorfest takes place in Thurmont, an arts and crafts festival that draws in about 125,000 people each autumn.
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 6:30 AM.
- From Emmitsburg take the Thurmont/Emmitsburg Shuttle from Jubilee on Main East St. The bus departs at 7:10 AM.
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 301-271-3340. During Colorfest weekend the town sets up a public transportation system to handle the crowd.
See
- 1 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.
- 2 [dead link] Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo, 13019 Catoctin Furnace Road (From Thurmont town square, head south on water street, then take a right onto Frederick Rd. 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. $16.95.
- 3 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.
- 4 Thurmont Trolley Trail, Moser Road (Begins between the bridge and the library). Sunrise to Sundown. Historical nature trail.
Do
- 1 Catoctin Breeze Vineyard, 15184 Roddy Road, ☏ +1 240-449-0677. Tasting and Tours Sat-Sun 12pm-5pm. Tours by appointment Mon-Friday 10am-3pm..
- 2 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.
- 3 Lawyer's Farm, 13001 Creagerstown Rd, ☏ +1 240-315-8133, Taylor@LawyersFarm.com. 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!
- 4 Maple Run Golf Course, 13610 Moser Road, ☏ +1 301-271-7870, headpro@maplerungolf.com. 10AM-5PM. $11-$28.
Buy
- 1 Catoctin Hope Chest, 104C Frederick Road, ☏ +1 240-344-0870, catoctinhopechest@yahoo.com. Tue-Sat 11AM-5PM. Upon request can be open for additional or different hours. Sells hand-crafted items along with quilts.
- 2 Thurmont Plaza Shopping Center (From the town square head North on North Church Street. Will be on right shortly after the street changes to Sabillasville Rd.). Has a dollar store, convenience store, Chinese food restaurant, and sandwich shop.
- 3 Unnamed Shopping Center. Has a grocery store, dollar store, Wendy's, Chinese food restaurant, and pizza joint.
Eat
- 1 Bollinger's Restaurant, 210 N Church St, ☏ +1 301-271-3500. Mon-Sat 6AM-8PM, Sun 7AM-2PM. Very cozy atmosphere. Facebook page describes it as "down home people with down home cooking".
- 2 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.
- 3 Shamrock Restaurant, 7701 Fitzgerald Road, ☏ +1 301-271-2912. Mon-Thu 11AM-9PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-10PM, Sun 12PM-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.
- 4 Simply Asia, 120 Frederick Road, Suite B & C, ☏ +1 301-271-2857. Mon-Thu 11AM-9:30PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-10PM, Sun 12PM-9:30PM. Serves Chinese, Thai, Japanese food, and a variety of sushi. "A Pan Asian Bistro" $5-$20.
- 5 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.
- 6 Fratelli's New York Pizza & Restaurant, 140 Frederick Road, ☏ +1 301-271-0272. New York style Pizza and subs. Reasonably priced, does delivery.
Drink
- 1 Dale's Place, 12841 Catoctin Furnace Road, ☏ +1 301-271-6995.
- 2 Thurmont Bar & Grill, 10 East Main Street, ☏ +1 301-271-7422.
Sleep
Hotels
- The Cozy Country Inn, 103 Frederick Rd, ☏ +1 301-271-4301. Check-in: 3 PM, check-out: 11 AM. Small hotel based around the smallness of the town. Has attached Camp David museum and restaurant. Offers cottages and traditional hotel room options. $60-$125.
- [dead link] Rambler Inn, 426 N Church St, ☏ +1 301-271-2424, rajuhina@yahoo.com. Right off the highway. Cheap clean rooms. Independently owned with flexible rates for larger groups. Price for room varies considerably during the year. $40-$60.
- Super 8 Thurmont, 300 Tippin Dr, ☏ +1 301-271-7888. Check-in: 3 PM, check-out: 11 AM. Offers smoking and non-smoking rooms. The hotel also has wifi. $70-$100.
- The Cinnamon House, 101 W. Main St., ☏ +1 301-271-7677. Bed and Breakfast
Camping
- 1 Crow's Nest Campground, Rt. 77 West, ☏ +1 301-271-2818. Beautiful campground with water, electric, a bathhouse, and a swimming pool. Located 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.
- 2 Ole Mink Farm, 12806 Mink Farm Rd., ☏ +1 301-271-7012, toll-free: +1-877-OLE-MINK (653-6465), minktale@verizon.net. 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. Mon-Thu 10AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 1PM-5PM. Wifi is available for anyone. Computer use is limited to 15 minutes for non-patrons. Free.
Go next
- Frederick
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Catoctin Mountain Park
- Cunningham Falls State Park
Routes through Thurmont |
Gettysburg ← Emmitsburg ← | N S | → Frederick → Jct W E |