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Each year, the Partnership tackles strategic initiatives to bring more residents and employees to Downtown Frederick, offers an exciting season of events and works closely with downtown businesses and partners to continue to strengthen and improve Downtown Frederick.
Why We LOVE Downtown Frederick!
With our one-of-a-kind specialty shops, restaurants and people, Downtown Frederick stands out. We have a personality all our own…friendly, vibrant, eclectic and thriving.
Downtown business owners are passionate about what they do. They spend time in their shops and restaurants to make sure you are well cared for.
Downtown residents make this community home. A neighbor’s friendly face, an afternoon happy hour with friends, an evening stroll with the family — THERE’S ONLY ONE DOWNTOWN FREDERICK.
The Latest News in Downtown Frederick
Don’t skip a beat. Read the latest about how we LIVE, WORK, STAY, PLAY & CONNECT in Downtown Frederick.
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Addressing Fire Risks in Downtown Frederick
In January 2019, Downtown Frederick Partnership announced two new grant programs to address the risk of fire in historic buildings – the Downtown Frederick Fire Suppression Incentive Program and the Attic Fire Separation Program. As an outgrowth of the Partnership’s 2020 Strategic Plan and the Live Downtown Frederick goal of welcoming 335 new residents to Downtown Frederick by 2020, these programs are some of the first of their kind to address the known risk of fire damage in historic downtown environments. The Downtown Frederick Fire Suppression Incentive Program addresses the high costs of installing sprinklers in smaller commercial/multi-family/mixed use buildings. These smaller buildings are disproportionately impacted by the cost of sprinkler installation, which may make it financially infeasible. Since properly sprinklered buildings increase personal safety and protect our historic and cultural heritage, the Partnership seeks to lessen this financial burden and increase the number of fire-protected buildings in Downtown Frederick. This grant program is for existing commercial, multi-family residential or mixed use buildings located in the Frederick Town Historic District that are > 50 years old Provides a grant of up to $15,000 for the connection between the interior sprinkler system and the City’s water main Find the grant application, program […]
Date Night Ideas in Downtown Frederick
Spend your next date night in Downtown Frederick! Enjoy a romantic dinner at your favorite restaurant, browse through an art gallery or one-of-a-kind shop… the possibilities for a fun (and romantic) evening are endless. Here are a few date night ideas to help you get started! Take a walk through Downtown Frederick Who said taking a good-old fashioned stroll with your loved one wasn’t a good date night idea? Take a turn through our historic streets, basking in the glow of the holiday lights which decorate storefronts and twinkle in trees overhead. January First Saturday offers something extra special, with flickering luminaries lining Market & Patrick Streets during the evening hours. And if you’re out before February First Saturday, don’t miss your chance to catch a glimpse of the glowing boats along Carroll Creek. Photo by Don Burgess, featuring “Sailing Through the Winter Solstice” installation Sample a taste of Downtown Frederick Make a reservation for two at your favorite downtown restaurant, or pop into places like Frederick Fudge & Ice Cream, Perfect Truffle, The Candy Kitchen, Zoe’s Chocolate Co., Cakes to Die For, Sweeties, or The North Market Pop Shop for a sweet treat. If you’re feeling thirsty, […]
Historic District Guides
Thank you for calling Downtown Frederick home! By choosing to live here, you are a key part of keeping our city’s historic buildings great. Whether you’re a home owner, renter, business owner or simply someone who loves Downtown Frederick, you understand that this city’s wealth of historic buildings is what sets our community apart. To help answer some of the most common questions about the historic district, the City of Frederick Historic Preservation Commission and Downtown Frederick Partnership have created a series of general guides for residents, merchants and contractors who live and work here. While these guides tackle many of the basics, we know that each project is unique. If you ever have questions, the City of Frederick Planning staff is always happy to help! The City strives to safeguard its historical and cultural heritage through the preservation of historic sites, structures and districts. We are thankful for the participation of the community in helping us preserve and protect our historic city. Before starting your next project, take a few minutes to review the Frederick Town Historic District Design Guidelines. Visit bit.ly/freddesign for the complete guidelines, or contact us for more information. DOWNTOWNFREDERICK.ORG/LIVE PHONE: 301.600.1499 EMAIL: preservation@cityoffrederick.com Download Downtown Frederick Residents Historic District Guide Download Downtown […]
Holiday Cocktail Competition
Get ready for the Holiday Cocktail Competition! Stop by participating locations from 4-7pm this Frosty Friday (November 23) to try out their special $5 Holiday Cocktail, or non-alcoholic Mocktail! Take a sip, try a few, and vote for your favorite by liking its photo in our Holiday Cocktail Competition photo album on Facebook. Find more Frosty Friday fun at downtownfrederick.org/frosty-friday
Shop Local for the Holidays
Downtown Frederick is open 7 Days a Week this holiday season! With more than 200 independent retailers, restaurants, galleries and services – shopping local is a no brainer for our community. Frederick, MD is also just an hour drive from D.C. and Baltimore, making it the perfect weekender’s excursion. Downtown Frederick boasts a walkable shopping district filled with fashion, home decor, outdoor gear, toys and antiques – hand-picked by store owners to suit customers just like you. The local food scene features American and International specialties, casual and fine dining, indoor and outdoor dining spaces and everything from comfort food to cutting-edge cuisine. Feeling a yen for culture? Then you’ll definitely want to check out the many arts and entertainment venues in Downtown Frederick, from fine art galleries to museums and activities that entertain the whole family. Pick up a copy of our downtown map to help guide your trip or flip through the 2018 Get it Downtown magazine to see what all Downtown Frederick has in store for you. Shop Local, Shop Late! The following businesses will be open 7 days a week from Frosty Friday (November 23) through the last weekend in December. Hours may vary, but feel free to shop late ’til 8pm on Thursdays […]
Pitchcraft: Downtown Frederick’s First Placemaking Competition
Introducing Pitchcraft: a placemaking competition for Downtown Frederick YOU COULD WIN $2,500 TO MAKE YOUR CREATIVE DREAMS A REALITY! Pitchcraft, Downtown Frederick’s first-ever placemaking competition, invites creative people from every background, profession and city to pitch an idea that, if physically implemented in Downtown Frederick, will better connect the people and places of our community. Pitches must be received by September 21, 2018. A panel of judges will review all submissions and narrow it down to the final four, who will pitch their ideas in front of a live audience on Thursday, October 25. Every audience member will vote for their favorite pitch and a winner will be announced that evening. The cost of your ticket goes directly toward funding the winning idea. In addition to an award of funds, the winning person will receive guidance from Downtown Frederick Partnership and volunteer advisers to help implement their idea. THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? Learn more about placemaking, buy tickets to watch the pitches live, or submit your idea at downtownfrederick.org/pitchcraft.
Why do you <3 Downtown Frederick?
Your favorite business? That beautiful building you’ve admired for years? Everything?! Whatever reason you love Downtown Frederick, shout it from the rooftops with us this First Saturday by participating in our community heart bombing project! Find more First Saturday fun here. Making your heart bomb is as easy as 1, 2, 3… Stop by 30 N Market St between 5-9pm. Make a heart and write why you LOVE DOWNTOWN FREDERICK. Take your heart and stick it anywhere you want in Downtown Frederick! We want to fill downtown with all the love and good vibes that make our city so special. Why heart bombing? Heart bombing is a social movement started by historic preservationists to send Valentines to the places we hold nearest to our heart. Our cities give us so much to love, so why not take a few minutes to give a little love back to them? Downtown Frederick Partnership has partnered with the Maryland Historical Trust and Preservation Maryland to bring this fun heart bombing activity to Downtown Frederick. <3
Dino Alley in Downtown Frederick
When we announced a call for artists to paint a mural in Downtown Frederick and Goodloe Byron suggested a 3-story dinosaur… we said, “When can you get started?!” Born out of an initiative to connect some of downtown’s underutilized pedestrian spaces, Dino Alley is now a must-see tourist attraction in the heart of Downtown Frederick. Standing more than 30-feet-tall, it’s a little hard to miss the astrodon johnstoni (Maryland’s state dinosaur… for any of you wondering) who’s now proudly standing on the side of the Church Street Public Parking Garage. In addition to the colorful mural that stretches from end to end of the garage’s western face, the Partnership also contracted the team at Rick Jones Electric to brighten up the pedestrian alleyway with overhead string lights, which come on every evening to make the popular walkway a more welcoming cut-through in downtown’s busy nightlife district. Without question, Dino Alley is a favorite photo opp for tourists, a hidden gem for locals and the most perfect backdrop to a roof-top happy hour at Brewer’s Alley. Stomp through and see for yourself! Downtown Frederick Partnership’s Dino Alley project was made possible by support from Brewer’s Alley, the City of Frederick‘s Parking Department and […]
Tipsy Tour of Downtown Frederick: Margarita Edition
It’s that time of year again…Cinco de Mayo! As arguably the first day drinking event of the summer season, we have taken it upon ourselves to locate some of Downtown Frederick’s best margaritas. And who knew downtown was such a hub for these marvelous drinks? From yuzu flavors to prickly pear, Downtown Frederick offers some of the most unique and scrumptious margs in the area! Just remember to drink responsibly… there’s a serious risk of brain freeze from these muchachos. North Market Street Margs Start your Tipsy Tour of Downtown Frederick on N Market St at Volt! For Cinco de Mayo they are featuring a smokey and sultry Grapefruit Mezcalita Margarita (pictured bottom left). This classic cocktail with a twist will be sure to impress and throws in exotic flavors of strega, lime, ginger and Hellfire Bitters. Then work your way to Bushwaller’s for more of a classic margarita with a kick! Their Jameson Margarita contains Jameson Irish Whiskey AND Grand Marnier — a drink that will be sure to really set in the party vibes (pictured top right)! Just like tacos come in twos, so do the margaritas at Taco Daddy (pictured top center)! Their Limecocorita will transport you to the beaches of […]
Scavenger Hunt with Surelocked In Escape Games
Help us reveal the hidden treasures of Downtown Frederick by participating in this year’s April First Saturday scavenger hunt! For our first clue, we interviewed the mastermind behind the scavenger hunt, Chris Sparks. Sparks owns Surelocked In Escape Games on 220 N Market St in Downtown Frederick and they have just opened up a second location at 5 N Market St! Chris, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you’ve ended up in Frederick, Maryland? I was born and raised in Frederick! I graduated from Urbana High School, where I spent all of my free time on the stage. I attended Carnegie Mellon University from 2009 – 2013, and then became a youth minister here in Frederick in 2014. How did you jump from being a youth minister, to running Surelocked In Escape Games? Of the events I hosted at the Church, I noticed that puzzle or scavenger hunt games had the highest turnout. I had been planning to open an escape room for years, so we listened to the community and did just that! So who is the mastermind behind Surelocked In Escape Games? Did you bring in a consultant? Everything at Surelocked In is made in-house! […]