About Mount Airy

Centrally located between Washington, DC, Baltimore and Frederick, the town of Mount Airy is a growing community with a rich history rooted in railroad transportation and the civil war.

A collection of commercial, residential and church buildings comprise Main Street, the central spine of the Mount Airy Historical District which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984.

Downtown Mt. Airy is a dynamic mix of locally owned shops and services. Main Street offers furniture and antique stores, a full-service florist and gift boutique and even a day spa. Visitors will find the usual and unusual collectibles, country handcrafts, original art and photography, fabric for quilting, and many interests for the hobbyist. Visitors who enjoy the outdoors will find a full service shop for hunting and fishing needs. Also a portion of the abandoned B&O rail line over Parr’s Ridge will soon be converted into a pedestrian trail, connecting the downtown business district to Watkins Park on Route 27.

Downtown also offers visitors breakfast, lunch, a coffee shop and a casual evening dinner. And Main Street continues to welcome new businesses into the mix.

The Mount Airy Museum, featuring exhibits of local lore, is housed in an historic Flatiron building located in the heart of downtown. For history buffs, the Pine Grove Cemetery includes the graves of civil war soldiers, townspeople and the grave of the inventor of the first electronic digital computer, John Vincent Atanasoff. A theoretical physicist and mathematician, his 1939 invention changed education and communication worldwide.

Several events are held downtown each month, bringing activity and excitement to Main Street on a year-round basis. Main Street highlights include the May Fest and Fall Festival. An old-fashioned "Main Street Christmas" celebration is a growing favorite, attracting families from Mount Airy, as well as visitors from the surrounding counties, Baltimore City and Washington, DC. Check out the event calendar for a complete list of MAMSA sponsored events.

MAMSA sponsors a Farmers Market every Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:30 in the Municipal Parking Lot from May 19^th to September 29^th. It features fresh in-season vegetables, fresh bread, cakes, and pies, gourmet coffee, plants, cut flowers, honey, and much more. Most Wednesday’s there’s live entertainment and demonstrations.

In late March or early April, MAMSA and the 4 County Lions Club sponsor an International Chili Society sanctioned Main Street Heat chili cook-off with competitors from the Mid-Atlantic States and beyond. The two organizations team up again for the Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned Smoke’n BBQ Showdown. Both events include great food, entertainment, kids’ activities, demonstrations, and vendors. You can enter the hot dog eating contest, the wing eating contest, or be a judge of some of the best competitive chili or BBQ (BBQ judges must be registered with the KCBS) you’ll find anywhere.

Today, Mount Airy celebrates its many accomplishments and new businesses, while retaining its small-town charm. Residents and visitors alike experience a true sense of history and community as they enjoy a stroll along Main Street.