Travel opportunities abound in Maryland. The shores that surround the state bring thousands of visitors seeking water recreation and provide a source of livelihood for thousands of residents. Clams, crabs and oysters are bountiful for both catching and dining. Annapolis, located in the south, is the state's capital and also the sailing capital of America. The U.S. Naval Academy, which trains many of the finest navy officers in the world, is also located in Annapolis. The state's maritime past is evidenced throughout the state with maritime museums scattered about the landscape, such as the Baltimore Maritime Museum, located in Baltimore - the state's largest city. Baltimore has undergone extensive renovation and is a vibrant and exciting city. In the South, Civil War buffs will want to visit the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick. Recreation is abundant along the eastern shore, especially in Ocean City, the Maryland's most popular ocean resort.

ATTRACTIONS

Western   Capital   Central   Southern   Eastern Shore   National Parks

Western

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts - Founded by Mr. and Mrs. William Henry Singer Jr., the Museum has a long and tradition of cultural leadership in the Cumberland Valley region, providing residents and visitors with access to an outstanding Permanent Collection and an active schedule of exhibitions, musical concerts, lectures, films, art classes and special events for children and adults throughout the year.

Canal Place - Visitors can ride a steam train, hike or bike the towpath, tour a full scale Canal Boat Replica, learn about canal history at the C&O Canal National Historical Park's Cumberland Visitor Center, enjoy unique festivals like the annual C&O CanalFest and, in the near future, take a ride on a canal boat on the rewatered terminus!

History House - Costumed tour docents transport visitors back in time. A Museum-Explorer tour is offered to school aged children. This tour offers children the opportunity to use clues to find specific items in the house. It highlights how people lived, worked, and played in the 1800s. Young children may look for items on the tour which our museum puppet, Victoria Mouse, packed for a trip in the 1800s.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine - The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the center for the study and interpretation of the medical history of the War Between the States. These studies include understanding the impact of Civil War Medicine on modern practice. The Museum collects, exhibits and preserves medical artifacts, manuscripts, books, documents and other materials related to the period from 1861-1865.

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad - The trip covers a 1,300 foot change in elevation. You'll see tunnels and bridges and catch glimpses of scenery hidden for decades. More than three hundred years of American history are tied together by a ribbon of steel that thrills riders of all ages.

Frostburg Museum - The Museum has a replica of the entrance to a mine, with miners' equipment, and a great deal of primary information about various coal companies and the people employed by them. Also other historical displays.

Capital

Community Bridge - The Community Bridge mural project transformed this plain concrete bridge in Frederick, Maryland, near Washington D.C., into the stunning illusion of an old stone bridge. The entire structure was painted by hand by an artist and his assistants, using advanced trompe l'oeil ('deceive the eye') techniques.

The Brunswick Railroad Museum - Walk back in time to the 1890's when Brunswick was a sprawling, raucus town at the center of a regional railroad universe. Besides exhibits about the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, there are displays interpreting the way of life of the railroaders, baseball history of the town, and the C&O Canal.

Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo - Wonderful adventures and new furry, feathered and scaly friends await you in this 30 acre park.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - The Visitor Center offers children an opportunity to expand their imaginations with space science. Through exploring the history and evolution of Earth science, space science and technology, the center has developed interactive, hands-on activities for children to have fun and learn about the Space Program.

Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth A - Beautiful religious, historical site. Basilica, visitor center, museum, historical houses.

Audubon Naturalist Society - Enjoy bird and nature walks. Headquarters in restored Georgian mansion with education center, nature trails, and bookstore.

National Capital Trolley Museum - The collections consist of 17 streetcars from Washington D.C. and other cities. Many of these are operated on a one-mile demonstration railway. In addition, there is an O-scale model layout representing a Washington streetscape from the 1930's, a film program, and traditional exhibits of street railway artifacts and photographs.

Surratt House Museum - The country home of Mary Surratt, first woman to be executed by the United States government after being found guilty of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Today, the museum presents a variety of programs and events, recapturing the history of mid-19th century life and focusing on the fascinating web of the Lincoln conspiracy.

Belair Mansion and Stable Museum - Belair Stable was home to Gallant Fox and Omaha, father and son horses that won the Triple Crown, to Nashua, who was 'Horse of the Year' in 1955, as well as to many other well-known race horses. The Stable has been restored and is open as a museum.

College Park Aviation Museum - Located at the 'World's Oldest Continuously Operating Airport', the College Park Aviation Museum houses a collection of aircraft and artifacts documenting the many historical events for which the airport is also known as the 'Field of Firsts' and 'Cradle of Aviation'.

Central

Star-Spangled Banner Flag House - Visitors to the Flag House are given a personalized tour of the 18th-century home of Mary Young Pickersgill and the adjacent 1812 Museum. The house is furnished in fine Federal antiques and is the ideal place to learn about the making of the Star-Spangled Banner, America's oldest national flag.

Port Discovery - Kid-Powered museum offers three floors of endless interactive fun for the whole family, with exhibits designed in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering. Education and entertainment are joined in wondrous hands-on activities that run non-stop daily.

USS Constellation Museum - The last all sail warship built by the US Navy provides a spectacular view of Baltimore's historic waterfront. As the only civil war era vessel afloat, USS Constellation invites guests to step back in time and explore the decks of history. Interactive presentations and demonstrations by the ships crew.

The African Art Museum of Maryland - The Museum's galleries occupy 750 square feet. African art exhibited by the Museum include masks, sculptured figures, textiles, baskets, jewelry, household items and musical instruments, and goldweights.

Savage Mill - Presently, the mill is home to more than 175,000 square feet of collector quality antiques, home furnishing centers, resident artisans, galleries, craft shops, specialty shops, a French Bakery (with wood-fired ovens), and a Gourmet Café.

Historical Electronics Museum - At this museum, one can begin to understand the enormous technology leaps that have occurred during this 'century of electronics.' Actual radar, radio and other electronics systems, including such items as the camera system used by Apollo 11 astronauts during their July 1969 landing on the moon, are just a few of the types of displays at the museum.

Cascade Lake - Spring-fed lake nestled among rolling hills and woods. Visitors may swim, fish and picnic. Roped-off swimming are includes waterslides, high-dive platform, & floating rafts. The facility also features a Petting zoo.

The Baltimore Zoo - Visit the Zoo, and meet more than 2,000 animals - including chimpanzees, warthogs, elephants, leopards, and more! Take a safari through Africa. Discover hands-on adventures in the #1-rated Children's Zoo. And explore the winding path through the Lyn P. Meyerhoff Maryland Wilderness.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Home to the American League baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. Great family fun in a beautiful baseball venue. Tours by appointment.

Maryland Science Center - Enjoy three floors of exhibits and demonstrations, the Davis Planetarium, and the IMAX Theater.

Babe Ruth Museum - If you love the Babe, Baseball, Home Runs, the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles, Cal Ripken, Memorabilia, Games, Trivia, or Sports History, this is the place for you.

Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame - Discover and relive the origins of America's oldest sport! Engulf yourself in rare photographs and art, vintage equipment and uniforms, striking sculptures and trophies, cherished memorabilia and artifacts. View the all-time greats of lacrosse in the beautiful Hall of Fame Gallery and study their outstanding accomplishments through state-of-the-art computer interactives.

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural C - Museum serves to showcase the works of renowned and aspiring artists with the focus on increasing public awareness of the contributions of African Americans in the Fine Arts.

National Aquarium in Baltimore - The Aquarium features more than 10,000 marine and freshwater animals. The Aquarium remains one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced aquariums in existence. Its architecture, exhibits, programs, and management structure are considered definitive role models worldwide.

Historic London Town and Gardens - Historic London Town and Gardens is a 23-acre park located on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. London Town has within its boundaries part of the late-seventeenth and early eighteenth-century town of London, which is currently being excavated by archaeologists from the Lost Towns Project.

B & O Railroad Museum - Through programming and exhibitions, the B&O Railroad Museum seeks to explore many new facets of American railroading and offer a wide range of experiences to its visitors.

Irvine Nature Center - Irvine Nature Center gives visitors the opportunity to learn about nature through hands-on exhibits and outdoor nature trails.

The Baltimore Museum of Art - The Baltimore Museum of Art is Maryland's largest art museum featuring more than 85,000 works or art, ranging from ancient mosaics to contemporary art.

Southern  

Mattawoman Creek Art Center - Mattawoman Creek Art Center is a place to celebrate the visual arts in a natural setting of serene beauty. Two galleries and artists' studios.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum - Visitors can investigate thousands of years of human history by touring archaeological sites and trails, acres of working farmland, restored farm buildings and museum exhibits, and by attending educational programs.

Flag Ponds Nature Park - A short, half-mile hike brings you to the sandy beach or you may take longer trail routes that allow you to experience the beauty of the park. Additionally there are observation platforms at two ponds, a fishing pier on the Chesapeake Bay and a visitor's center with wildlife displays.

Calvert County Parks - Discover the natural beauty of Calvert County's three nature parks by visiting Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary, Flag Pond Nature Park, or Kings Landing Natural Resources Management Area.

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Visitor Center - The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) is the oldest state-supported marine laboratory on the United States East Coast and a part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.  The Visitor's Center contains a varied mix of permanent and changing exhibits designed to impart the most up-to-date information about the research efforts undertaken by its scientists.

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House - The Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum was the home of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, the country doctor who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth. Booth fractured his leg as he leaped from the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre after shooting President Lincoln on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.   The house is open to the public and tours are provided by costumed docents.

Budds Creek Motocross Park - Nestled in the forest of Southern Maryland, Budds Creek is a world-caliber Motocross track. Its natural terrain and scenic beauty have seen races including the USGP, along with 125/250/500 National events.  The park also hosts numerous amateur Motocross, and hare scrambles races throughout the year.

Potomac Speedway - 5/8 mile high banked clay oval track, late model, semi-late, pure street stocks, 4 cylinder and enduro stock cars. April—October.

Calvert Marine Museum - The Calvert Marine Museum is a public, non-profit, educational, regionally oriented museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and interpretation of the culture and natural history of Southern Maryland. The Museum features various exhibits including paleontology, lighthouses, ships and boats.

Mt. Carmel Monastery - Site of the first Carmelite monastery in the United States. Beautiful prayer gardens, historic buildings, and gift shop.

American Chestnut Land Trust - Nature trails, organized bird, flower and tree hikes, picnic facilities, canoe trips, an arboretum and more.

Chesapeake Beach Water Park - Eight water slides, fountains, waterfalls, a lagoon, kids' activity pool, water volleyball area, and more treat everyone to a cool time.

Port Tobacco Players - Dedicated to continuing the tradition of providing quality theater to the citizens of Southern Maryland, the Port Tobacco Players perform five to six shows per year season on their main stage in La Plata and countless road productions with their Encore and Children's Encore touring companies.

Charles County Parks - Charles County's parks offer such amenities as top quality athletic fields, tennis courts, hiking trails, and highly-rated golf course, fishing and boating facilities, picnic areas and playgrounds. Something for everyone!

Patuxent River Naval Air Museum - This museum is the nation’s only museum dedicated to naval aviation research, development, testing, and evaluation. Exhibits include the 'Iron Maiden', the rubber airplane, the unmanned 'Pioneer', and 17 pieces of aircraft.

Maryland International Raceway - Maryland International Raceway, located in Budds Creek, MD, is the premier motorsports facility in the region.  You'll witness insane 6,000+ horsepower Top Fuel Dragsters, incredible 300 mph passes from the exotic Jet Cars, six second Mountain Motor Pro Stocks, nitrous breathing and supercharged Pro Mods, 1/4 mile Wheelstanders, Top Fuel Harleys, and lots more.

Eastern Shore

Frontier Town - Frontier Town is situated along the beautiful Sinepuxent Bay and features over 500 spacious campsites. Enjoy a family water park, beautifully landscaped miniature golf course, and a wild west show.

Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum - Delightful exhibits concerning the history of the Life-Saving Service, Aquariums, Dolls' house replicas of hotels which once lined the boardwalk, shipwreck artifacts, a mermaid collection, bathing suits from the past and our Sand From Around the World exhibit.

Pintail Point - Stroll or bike the nature trail along the Wye River, arrange for a tour of the working dairy farm, or observe trained retrievers and bird dogs in action. Perhaps you would prefer to arrange for a private or group fly casting or sporting clay lesson. Private charter cruises also available.

Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art - The most comprehensive collection of wildfowl carving in the world invites you to explore this unique, indigenous North American art form from antique working decoys to internationally acclaimed contemporary sculpture and painting.

Salisbury Pewter - Artisans who have practiced their trade for generations continue making pewter by hand. Observation room, tours available by appointment.

Ocean City Pier Rides - The Old Town section of the Ocean City Boardwalk brings back the magic of care-free fun-filled days of the past while being emerged in the excitement of the people, rides and finger foods of this traditional sea-side resort town. come, relax, get wild, and smell the salt air!

Planet Maze and Laser Storm - Planet Maze and Laser Storm offers a maze, laser tag, mini golf and an arcade.

Jolly Roger Amusement Park - Acres of fun in the sun for the entire family. Includes rides, shows and attractions for all ages. Features the Time Twister Roller Coaster, water park and miniature golf course.

Salisbury Zoo - Naturalistic habitats for 413 mammals, birds, reptiles native to North, Central, South America.  

National Parks

Thomas Stone National Historic Site - Thomas Stone National Historic Site encompasses Haberdeventure, the plantation home of Thomas Stone, one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stone provided leadership to our emerging nation as delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775-78 and from 1783-84. He served on the committee that drafted our country's first system of government, the Articles of Confederation. His crowning achievement came on August 2, 1776 when he helped to launch this nation by signed the Declaration of Independence.  click here for more information

Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm - The primary feature of Oxon Cove Park is Oxon Hill Farm which operates as an actual working farm, representative of the early 20th century.  You can see a farm house, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. It exhibits basic farming principles and techniques as well as historical agricultural programs for urban people to develop an understanding of cropping and animal husbandry. click here for more information

Antietam National Battlefield - Established by Act of Congress on August 30, 1890, this Civil War site marks the end of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North in September 1862. The battle claimed more than 23,000 men killed, wounded, and missing in one single day, September 17,1862, and led to Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Antietam National Cemetery - The Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, on September 17, 1862, was the tragic culmination of Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. That one fateful day more than 23,110 men were killed, wounded, or listed as missing. Approximately 4,000 were killed, and in the days that followed, many more died of wounds or disease. The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital and burial ground extending for miles in all directions.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail - The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,167-mile (3,488 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in north Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park - The C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD.  The canal operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era.

Baltimore-Washington Parkway - Opened in 1954, the parkway is a 29-mile scenic highway that connects Baltimore, Maryland with Washington, D.C. The part of the parkway from Washington, D.C. to Fort Meade,Maryland is managed by the National Park Service.

Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network - First thoughts of the Chesapeake Bay often bring up images of crabs and oysters. But, as the largest estuary in North America, the Chesapeake Bay has touched and influenced much of the American story – early settlement, commerce, the military, transportation, recreation and more. The Bay and its surrounding 64,000 square mile watershed hold a treasure trove of historic areas, natural wonders and recreational opportunities.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine - This late 18th century star-shaped fort is world famous as the birthplace of the United States' national anthem. The guardian of Baltimore's harbor, it was the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces during a British attack on September 13-14, 1814, that inspired 35 year old poet-lawyer, Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Hampton National Historic Site - Hampton preserves a vast estate from the 1700s. Its centerpiece is an elegantly furnished Georgian mansion set amid formal gardens and shade trees. When it was finished in 1790, Hampton was the largest house in the United States.

Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network - First thoughts of the Chesapeake Bay often bring up images of crabs and oysters. But, as the largest estuary in North America, the Chesapeake Bay has touched and influenced much of the American story – early settlement, commerce, the military, transportation, recreation and more. The Bay and its surrounding 64,000 square mile watershed hold a treasure trove of historic areas, natural wonders and recreational opportunities.

Thomas Stone National Historic Site - Thomas Stone National Historic Site encompasses Haberdeventure, the plantation home of Thomas Stone, one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stone provided leadership to our emerging nation as delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775-78 and from 1783-84. He served on the committee that drafted our country's first system of government, the Articles of Confederation. His crowning achievement came on August 2, 1776 when he helped to launch this nation by signed the Declaration of Independence.

Assateague Island National Seashore - Assateague is a windswept barrier island that offers many opportunities for seashore recreation and nature study along its thirty-seven miles. Ocean swimming, camping, bayside canoeing, crabbing, clamming, hunting, surf fishing, and off-road vehicle use are all popular.

Cotoctin Mountain Park - Originally planned to provide recreational camps for federal employees, one of the camps eventually became the home of the Presidential retreat, Camp David. The Presidential retreat is not open or accessible to the public, but the eastern hardwood forest of Catoctin Mountain Park has many other attractions for visitors: camping, picnicking, fishing, 25 miles of hiking trails, scenic mountain vistas, all await your exploration.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park - The C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD.  The canal operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era.

Clara Barton National Historic Site - Clara Barton National Historic Site commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The house in Glen Echo served as her home, headquarters for the American Red Cross and a warehouse for disaster relief supplies. From this house, she organized and directed American Red Cross relief efforts for victims of natural disasters and war.

Fort Foote Park - Eight miles downriver from the capital, Fort Foote was considered "a powerful enclosed work" by its chief engineer, "and the most elaborate...of all the defenses of Washington." Fort Foote was designed to protect the river entrance to the ports of Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington and replace the aging Fort Washington as the primary river defense. The fort was named for Rear Adm. Andrew H. Foote.

Fort Washington Park - September 8, 1814, Major Pierre L'Enfant was hired by the government to start construction on new defenses to be named Fort Washington.  Fort Washington was held by Union forces during the Civil War and was the only defense for the National Capital, until the Circle Forts were completed.  During World War II the Fort served as the home of the Officer's Candidate School of the Adjutant General's Corps. A Veteran's Administration hospital operated here from 1944 until 1946.

George Washington Memorial Parkway - The George Washington Memorial Parkway preserves the natural scenery along the Potomac River. It connects the historic sites from Mount Vernon, where Washington lived, past the nation's capital, which he founded, and to the Great Falls of the Potomac where the President demonstrated his skill as an engineer. Developed as a memorial to George Washington, the Parkway may be used on any day to travel to exciting historical, natural, and recreational areas.

Glen Echo Park - The park is run by the National Park Service and is located a couple of miles NW of Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac. It hosts a wide range of art, craft and cultural activities. Around 150 courses and workshops are run each semester (4 per year). Its Spanish Ballroom hosts an extensive social dance program. The Carousel is a delight for all ages. The Puppet Co theater and the Adventure Theater have several shows each week. Picnic areas and the old amusement park buildings complete the ingredients for a delightful family day out.

Greenbelt Park - Greenbelt Park is a retreat from the pressures of city life and a refuge for native plants and animals just twelve miles from Washington, D.C. Greenbelt Park has a 174 site campground.

Harmony Hall - Harmony Hall is in the Broad Creek Historic District, the first historic district formed under Prince George's County preservation law. The house is an 18th century Georgian country house that architecturally ranks as one of the great early plantation houses and an outstanding early colonial house of Maryland. The front of the house faces the Potomac River and remains much as it appeared in 1766, the estimated time of construction.

Monocacy National Battlefield - Known as the "Battle That Saved Washington", the battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864 between 18,000 Confederate forces under General Jubal Early, and 5,800 Union forces under General Lew Wallace, marked the last campaign of the Confederacy to carry the war into the north.

Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm - The primary feature of Oxon Cove Park is Oxon Hill Farm which operates as an actual working farm, representative of the early 20th century.  You can see a farm house, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. It exhibits basic farming principles and techniques as well as historical agricultural programs for urban people to develop an understanding of cropping and animal husbandry.

Piscataway Park - The tranquil view from Mount Vernon of the Maryland shore of the Potomac is preserved as a pilot project in the use of easements to protect parklands from obtrusive urban expansion. The project began in 1952 to preserve the river view as in was during George Washington's day. Piscataway Park stretches for 6 miles from Piscataway Creek to Marshall Hall on the Potomac River.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail - The designation of a Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor in 1983, an amendment to the National Trails System Act, is being used by communities in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania to develop and make connections among trails, historic sites and a range of recreational and educational opportunities.