Things to Do in Carlisle

Named after "The Star Spangled Banner" songwriter and Frederick County resident Francis Scott Key, the Frederick Keys have represented the Baltimore Orioles as their Class-A affiliate since 1989. In the decades since, they've claimed the Carolina League championship four times, most recently in 2011. During the seventh inning stretch, up to 5,400 fans rise inside Harry Grove Stadium for a rendition of "We're the Frederick Keys," a song that encourages fans to shake their car keys, house keys, or any Keys player that needs a stern pep talk.

As more theaters converted to high-quality digital projection, FunTime Cinemas knew it had to keep up with the times. There was one small problem: the cost. Independent from the industry behemoths, the community-focused FunTime Cinemas needed some help to fund the conversion and maintain its affordable ticket prices. So it reached out to its patrons through the Dollars for Digital campaign, which helped raise enough money for all three theaters to become 100% digital. The updated projection allows FunTime to continue showcasing the newest major releases, as well as special one-time screenings of smaller features, with crisp picture and sound at deeply discounted prices.

Sarah Withers adores her hometown. To chronicle her forays into her beloved city's flourishing culinary scene, she started writing a blog. She soon set out to give her audiences a more hands-on experience, and now immerses them in Frederick's offerings with food and walking tours. Inspired by a tour she took in New York City, she recruited tour guides who can bring the burg's history to life and are familiar with the secret portals to 19th-century chocolate stashes. The experts guide visitors in storied jaunts through Frederick's center, where they sample painstakingly crafted cuisine and suds from the town's first brewpub while learning about its past and present.

When Superior Tours looks for new drivers, it wants polite, reliable, and personable people, and it doesn't even consider those with fewer than five years of experience. Its drivers all work only for Superior Tours so that they can be on time and well rested for each trip. Luxury, 54-passenger motorcoaches pick up groups from the airport, ferry people to New York City for a day of urban exploration, or steer toward Atlantic City where passengers can hit the slots. The company also programs charter trips for corporate outings, church trips, and charter-bus-of-the-month clubs.

Hershey Theatre, conceived in 1933 by noted philanthropist and chocolatier Milton S. Hershey, stands as an opulent tribute to the performing arts. Taking architectural cues from Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, the foyer’s towering arches gleam with golden paint and crystal chandeliers. The blue-and-gold mosaic that leads to the main seating area is the masterwork of two German artists who spent two years on its construction. Once inside the theater, audiences might think they’ve stepped onto the streets of Venice thanks to the atmospheric ceiling, stonework facades, and gondoliers paddling them to their seats.

Carlisle Sports Emporium is a 20-acre complex, which houses a new 6,800-square-foot laser-tag arena, multiple go-kart tracks, and two 18-hole miniature-golf courses. Flanking these three attractions is a roller rink where skaters can experience walking on wheels without having to stick their legs through two different cars’ sunroofs. Visitors can also stretch their sinews on the computerized indoor climbing wall—which can simulate classic climbs such as El Capitan or Devil’s Tower—or hone their hand-eye coordination in an arcade with more than 100 games.