VisitHagerstown.com; @VisitHagerstownWashingtonCoMD
Nestled within western Maryland’s Appalachian Mountains, Washington County is a 60- to 90-minute drive from three international airports in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area. The county’s largest city is Hagerstown. “Groups love our scenic views, national parks, and rural settings; they also love the fact we are not too far from urban settings,” says Tiffany Ahalt, director of sales and community engagement for Visit Hagerstown. “Groups meeting here also get a lot for their budgets, such as free planning assistance, incentives, and other perks.”
The Hagerstown Aviation Museum features a beautifully restored 1943 flight-test hangar, which is adaptable for meetings, trade shows, receptions, and other events; outdoor space also is available. Meritus Park, home of Minor League Baseball’s Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, offers several indoor and outdoor event areas for private functions, including two bar/pub spaces with a capacity of 200 each, as well as a concourse area and turf ballfield available for events.
Live at Hub City Vinyl, a music venue in Hagerstown, features two performance spaces. The largest can accommodate up to 640 people (standing), while the second space holds up to 240 people (standing) and 180 for theater-style seating. The Washington County Agricultural Education Center, south of Hagerstown on Interstate 70, offers 68 acres of indoor and outdoor areas, including a 7,200-square-foot multipurpose building with a capacity of 400 people.
In Sharpsburg, Shepherd’s Spring Retreat, Global Village & Camp Center has event space, 24 overnight “hotel-style” rooms, cabins for larger groups, and onsite dining. The venue
also offers wellness retreats for groups, one-hour guided tours of the 220-acre site, and other activities.
A new Tru Hotel opens this month in Hagerstown, adding to Washington County’s 2,000-plus guest accommodations. A new wedding and event venue in Boonsboro, The Vineyards of Mapleville Manor, is now open. Willowood Washington, a circa-1835 estate set on 66 acres in Boonsboro, offers elegant indoor/outdoor spaces for weddings, corporate retreats, and other events. Willowood’s amenities include five double-occupancy overnight guest suites, premium culinary experiences, and curated outdoor excursions, including whitewater rafting
and golfing.
Washington County is also home to Antietam National Battlefield, the site of a pivotal moment in American history during the Civil War. Several battle-themed leadership and professional development programs, including the Antietam Institute, are available to groups.
Washington County also offers cycling and hiking opportunities along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Appalachian Trail. Several charming communities dot the area: Funkstown is known for its antique shops, while Boonsboro features quaint shops like Turn The Page bookstore and offers cozy boutique accommodations at the eight-room Inn Boonsboro.
