Brunswick Heritage Museum — Attraction in Brunswick

Brunswick Heritage Museum is one of my son's favorite places. The city of Brunswick was essentially built on two things: the C&O Canal and railroads, and both are celebrated here. The first floor is split between the lobby/gift shop of the Brunswick Heritage Museum and and a small interpretive display operated by the National Park Service showcasing the history and influence of the C&O Canal. Behind the desk of the Museum, down the hall, is a small train-themed children's room. The second floor, accessible by either stairs or elevator, represents life in Brunswick from the early 1900s. If you take the stairs, you'll meet a giant wooden cigar store Indian, who represents the building's history as the former headquarters of the local chapter of the fraternal organization Improved Order of Red Men. Finally on the third floor is a huge HO scale model train layout representing the B&O Railroad's Metropolitan Line between Washington DC's Union Station and the Brunswick Rail Yard, which is still active. Guests can get a bird's-eye view of the rail yard from the third floor. Signs above different spots along the display name each location and its real life distance from Union Station, and many of the buildings in the layout still exist along the actual line. As of this writing (February 2017), an extension is under construction on the layout, marking the leg between Brunswick and the Harpers Ferry Tunnel. The one thing that, in my opinion, keeps Brunswick Heritage Museum from earning a 5 star rating is that the third floor tends to get extremely hot...

This charming museum is worth the trip if you're a train or history buff because it's a bit of American history that you don't normally see. It has exhibits on three floors. The first floor covers the town's relationship with the C&O canal and how the area was settled. The second floor is full of local historical artifacts from both the railroad days to the Little League World Series run. The top floor has a full room scale model of the railroad line as it would stretch from Brunswick to Washington DC. There are little buttons on the side that play music and sound effects that you might have heard along the way. (And some Easter Eggs in the models as well; see if you can find the dinosaur!)

The staff is friendly and helpful while answering questions about the exhibits in the local area. It's free but you can give a financial donation. There are a couple of spots to eat nearby and you can walk down to see the C&O...

This is quaint and comprehensive museum. It has history of the region, along with the C&O canal and B&O railroad, especially as the three are entwined extensively here. There are three floors to walk through and experience. One area is even the official visitors center for some National Parks. There has been considerable effort put in by the local historical associations and organizations to have a comprehensive and cohesive exhibit. My personal favorite was the third floor which is a scale model of the train route from Harper’s Ferry to Washington DC. If you’re in the area with extra time, I suggest stopping in this local museum. They’re entirely donation and volunteer funded and they all clearly care about their responsibility. No advance tickets...