A Visit to the Ponds: Lilypons Water Gardens

Although perhaps not a destination in and of itself -- unless you have or would like to have a backyard water garden -- Lilypons Water Gardens is set in lovely Frederick County farmland, and well worth a visit if you're near by or taking a scenic drive through southern Frederick County. If you're visiting SugarLoaf Mountain (either the park or the nearby Sugarloaf Winery), or if you're spending the day in Frederick, then I recommend taking a short drive over to Lilypons.

Lilypons started off as Three Springs Fisheries. Back in the 30s, when the post office deemed that the business needed its own post office, the owner at the time named the post office after his favorite opera singer, Lily Pons.

In the interests of full disclosure - I worked there for a couple of summers 20 years ago, and loved working around -- and in -- the ponds then. I always thought the scenery was quite lovely. Since then, they've added a number of formal water gardens to the property and created a lovely garden area to walk around or enjoy a few moments of peaceful solitude.

While we were there last Saturday, we noticed a young couple, dressed very nicely, there, taking photos of each other and clearly enjoying their picturesque surroundings, so we were not the first to have considered just dropping by for the pleasant surroundings. :) The ponds in July are a flower photographer's dream, so if you enjoy photography, bring your camera and have fun. Be careful around the edges of the natural ponds, as these are uneven and may be slippery.

Getting there: GPS it - 6800 Lily Pons Road, Adamstown, MD 21710

Hours:  March thru June: Monday thru Friday, 9 am to 6 pm eastern time. July thru October: Monday thru Friday, 10 am to 5 pm eastern time. (closed July 4); November thru February: Monday thru Friday, 10 am to 4 pm eastern time. (closed Thanksgiving Day & Friday, Christmas Eve thru New Years Day and during inclement weather). Best time to visit: June - August.

Dogs: Welcome on the grounds but not inside the showrooms.

Eats: Nothing there and not much nearby. There's a couple small lunch places in nearly Adamstown and Buckeystown.

Website: www.lilypons.com