Clarksburg, MD

The pastoral landscape surrounding Clarksburg features several large regional parks and recreation areas. Little Bennett Regional Park covers more than 3,700 acres with campsites, trails, and historic sites including 19th-century mills, houses, a schoolhouse, and a distillery. Little Bennett Golf Course has 18 challenging holes with beautiful views. Butler’s Orchard offers seasonal fruit picking and fresh country produce from the farm market. The farm market is well-stocked with specialty foodstuffs such as raw honey, jams, sauces, and apple butter alongside locally-reared meats and baked goods. Butler’s Orchard hosts special seasonal events including hayrides, bonfires, and pumpkin harvest days, as well as private events such as birthday parties. Black Hill Regional Park spans 1,300 acres with a beautiful boating and fishing lake at its center. There are more than 16 miles of trails winding through Black Hill’s oak and hickory forests with many stunning viewpoints. Black Hill also has a children’s playground and a dog park. Dowden’s Ordinary Special Park is named after an 18th-century tavern that fed and sheltered early settlers and British soldiers involved in the French and Indian wars. The park covers 2.75 acres with walking paths, play structures, and an elephant statue commemorating a historic visit to the park by the first elephant brought to North America.