Frederick County is widely considered to be a "crossroads" of the Civil War and contains many historical sites, museums, and tours on the subject.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine houses 1,200 artifacts and many displays on medicine, surgery, and nursing during the 1800s, especially the Civil War, and how it has helped to shape medicine today.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum is a fine example of 1758 German colonial era architecture and one of the city's oldest buildings. Built by a German immigrant and his family, the house now stands as a museum about its architecture, immigrant history, and what life was like at the time of the French and Indian War.

The War Correspondents Memorial Arch is one of the only monuments in the country dedicated to journalists who died during war. It is located at Crampton's Gap in Gathland State Park, the site of the Battle of South Mountain during the Civil War. The arch was built by one of the war's youngest correspondents, George Alfred Townsend, and several of his own personal buildings still stand, including what is now a museum about the man himself.

Barbara Fritchie House is the home of Barbara Fritchie, a local woman who was on the Union side of the Civil War and, as legend has it, waved the Union flag at Stonewall Jackson as the Confederate troops rode by her house. Whether this actually happened is up for debate, but Fritchie was quoted in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier about respecting the flag and her home, now a museum, still holds many of her belongings.

The Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum proudly displays over 250 years of fire and rescue equipment, pictures, and displays about the history of Frederick County. Prized antique firefighting vehicles include a 1821 hand tub pumper by the Rogers Company in Baltimore, a 1893 hand-drawn horse cart by the Charles C. Holloway Company of Baltimore, and a 1939 Ahrens-Fox piston pumper.

The Hessian Barracks is an L-shaped building circa 1780 that served many purposes, some of which included serving as a Civil War hospital and housing German prisoners during the Revolutionary War, a state armory, school for the deaf, and agricultural fairgrounds during the mid-1800s. Today the barracks showcase Civil War weapons and an antique kitchen and schoolhouse.

The John Hanson National Memorial is a dedication to an often forgotten man in history; the country's first president under the Articles of Confederation, the original government called the United States in Congress Assembled which preceded George Washington's presidential term. The memorial and the John Hanson Memorial Association strive to keep the knowledge of Hanson and his important contributions as a Founding Father alive.

The Original Playhouse and Exploratorium encourages hands-on and creative learning through play, especially for the age ranges of 3-8 years old. Through colorful, sensory-engaging toys and equipment, kids can learn and grow socially.

The Walkersville Southern Railroad operates train tours through historical Walkersville in antique train cars from the turn of the century. The railroad also offers special events throughout the year, dining tours, and has a museum near the depot station with model trains and historical railroad artifacts on display.