Maryland (MD)

Maryland State Flag

 

"Old Line State"

"America in Miniature", "Chesapeake Bay State", "Free State" and "Little America"

Why visit Maryland?

For their bays, beaches, bird watching, blue crabs, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, history, horse racing, hunting, mountains, sailing, skiing, water sports, white-water rafting and wildlife. 

  

Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. Photo Credit: Bruce Emmerling/Pixabay

At a Glance

• Capital: Annapolis
• State Bird: Baltimore Oriole
• State Dessert: Smith Island Cake
• State Flower: Black-Eyed Susan
• State Gemstone: Patuxent River Stone 
• State Mammal: None
• State Rock: None

Ocean City, MD. Photo Credit: Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman/Pixabay

Fun Facts

• In 1695, the original capital, St Mary's City was renamed.
• Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), American Writer well-known for his mystery tales, poetry and short stories resided in Baltimore as an adult (1833-1835).
  
• In 1878, the American Kennel Club recognized the Chesapeake Bay Retriever bred for hunting, water sports, search and rescue.
• In 2007, rated the fifth "Greenest" state in the country by Forbes.
  
• Elkton (Cecil County) was the "Marriage Capital of the World" because of their no wait requirements. Nuptials of Cornel Wilde (Actor), Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland "Joan Fontaine" (Actress), Margy Reed "Martha Raye" "The Big Mouth", Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (Actress) and Willie Howard Mays Jr "The Say Hey Kid" (Athlete). Requirements imposed in 1938. 
  
• Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), is named after the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall (Baltimore born). 
  
• Jousting (two horsemen wielding lances towards each other) is the official state sport.
• Wilbur Wright, Aviation Pioneer trained military aviators at College Park Airport (CGS).
  
• Has the most millionaires per capita (2018).
  
• Produces 95% of our nation's soft shell crabs. 
• Has 281 named islands amongst its waters.
  
• Features 7 State Forests and 40 State Parks. 

Fells Point, MD. Photo Credit: Bruce Emmerling/Pixabay

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: Babe Ruth (Athlete), Chase Stokes (Actor), David Hasselhoff (Actor), Jada Pinkett Smith (Actress), Michael Phelps (Athlete) and Tamar Braxton (Musician), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Failure to Launch (2006), Hairspray (1988), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), Ladder 49 (2004), Runaway Bride (1998), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Social Network (2009) and Wedding Crashers (2004), just to name a few.
• Reads Set in Maryland: Chesapeake (written by 
  James A Michener), 
  Digital Fortress (written by 
  Dan Brown), 
  Homecoming (written by Cynthia Voigt), Six of One  (written by Rita Mae Brown) and Once Upon a Time: A Floating Opera (written by John Barth), just to mention a few.

Good to Know

• Annapolis is globally known for sailing,
• Assateague Island, is where the wild horses run.
  
• Crab Gender: Male Crabs (jimmies) have a backside narrow T-shape apron typically larger and meaty while the Female Crabs (sooks) have a wide backside apron.
  
• The "yellow stuff" (hepatopancreas) in crabs is their filtration system often considered a delicacy by some but not recommended to eat.

Subject to humidity, infrequent earthquakes, snowstorms, tornadoes and tropical cyclones.

• Best Time to Visit: May-September
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Month: July
• Peak Season: June-August

Catoctin Mountain, Thurmont, MD. Photo Credit: David Mark

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: Bollman Iron Truss Bridge, Bond Castle, Brick Hill, Charles Carroll House, Clara Barton National Historic Site, Cove Point Lighthouse, Cylburn Mansion, Doughoregan Manor, Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, Furnace Town Historic Site, Garrett Jacobs Mansion, Government House, Hammond-Harwood House, Hampton National Historic Site Farm, Hampton National Historic Site, Hilleary-Magruder House Historic Site, Historic Courthouse, Kingsley Schoolhouse, Marietta Manor Historic Site, Maryland Gold Mine National Historic Site, Mount Calvert Historical & Archaeological Park, Nike Missile Site BA-09, Nike Missile Site BA-43, Nike Missile Site BA-79, Nike Missile Site W-93, NorthAmpton Slave Quarters Archaeological Site, Peggy Stewart House, Planetary Radio Emissions Discovery Site, Polychrome Historic District, Price–Miller House, Site of Harriet Tubman Childhood Home, Spocott Windmill Foundation, St Anne's Episcopal Church, Stevensville Historic District, The Kennedy Farm, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Thomas Viaduct, Todds Inheritance Historic St, Washington Monument and Zeigler Log House. 
• Museums: African Art Museum of Maryland (AAMM), Allegany Museum, 
  American Visionary Art Museum, Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Banneker-Douglass Museum, B&O Ellicott City Station Museum,  Beall-Dawson Museum, Belair Stable Museum, Calvert Marine Museum, Captain Salem Avery Museum, Carroll County Farm Museum, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, College Park Aviation Museum, Darnall's Chance House Museum, Dr Samuel A Mudd House Museum, Dr Samuel D Harris National Museum of Dentistry, Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, Elisha Kirk House Historic Site, Ellicott Firehouse Museum, Eubie Blake National Jazz & Cultural Center, Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, Greenbelt Museum, Hartge Nautical Museum, Hays House Museum, His Lordship's Kindness Museum,  Historic Annapolis Museum, Historical Society-Kent County, Historic Sotterley,  Historic St Mary's City, Historic Tavern and Museum, Homewood Museum, International Spy Museum, James Brice House, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum,Marietta House Museum, Maryland Museum of Military History, Maryland Science Center, Mitchell House, Montpelier Mansion, Mount Clare Museum House, Museum of Howard County History, National Capital Radio & Television Museum,National Capital Trolley Museum, National Cryptologic Museum, National Electronics Museum, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, National Museum of Health & Medicine, Oakley Cabin African American Museum, Ocean City Life-Saving Museum, Old Town Bowie Welcome Center, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, Port Discovery Children's Museum, Prince Georges African American Museum & Cultural Center, Queen Anne's Museum-Eastern, Reginald F Lewis Museum, Riversdale House Museum, Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, Schwartz Peony Garden, Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, Spring Grove Alumni Museum, Star Spangled Banner Flag House, St Clement's Island Museum, Steamboat Building of CBMM, St John's Site Museum, Surratt House Museum, The Chesapeake Children's Museum, The Jewish Museum of Maryland, The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, The Walters Art Museum, The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Thrasher Carriage Museum, US Naval Academy Museum, Waterfowling Building, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts and Workshop Annex.
• Popular Attractions: 301 Devils Playground Haunted Attraction, Adventure Park USA, Adventure Sports Center International, Annapolis City Dock, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Annapolis Rock, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Antietam National Battlefield, Assateague State Park, Baltimore Aquarium, Baltimore Phoenix Shot Tower, Bancroft Hall, B&O Caboose, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Bennett's Curse Haunted House Maryland, Bladensburg Dueling Grounds, Belair Mansion, Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, Bowie Racetracks, Brookside Gardens, Burnside Bridge, Calvert Cliffs State Park, Canton Waterfront Park, Carter-Archer Mansion, Cascade Falls, Casselman River Bridge State Park, Centennial Park, Charles Carroll House, Chase-Lloyd House, Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chesapeake Beach Water Park, Civic Works' Clifton Mansion, Crypt of John Paul Jones, Cylburn Arboretum, Deep Creek Lake, Dent Memorial Chapel, Druid Hill Park, Earthoid: Earth Globe Water Storage Tank, Edgar Allan Poe's Grave, Ellicott City Colored School, Fawcett's, Federal Hill Park, Field of Screams Maryland, Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, Fell's Point, Fort Frederick State Park, Fort Howard Park, Fort McHenry, Fort Washington Park, Frank Zappa Statue, French Soldiers Monument, Giant RCA Dog, Glen Echo Park, Glenndale Hospital, Go Ape Zipline & Adventure Park, Graves of F Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, Grave of John Wilkes Booth, Gunpowder Falls State Park Hammerman Area, Handsell House, Harborplace, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Historic Little Wedding Chapel, Historic London Town & Gardens, Historic Ships in Baltimore, International Latitude Observatory, Jolly Roger at the Pier, Kent Island, Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial, Ladew Topiary Gardens, La Plata Tornado Memorial Garden, Legends of the Fog, Lexington Market, Main Street Ellicott City, Marine Mammal Pavilion, Markoffs Haunted Forest, Marquis de Lafayette Statue, Maryland International Raceway, Maryland Penn Railroad, Maryland State House, Maryland World War II Memorial, MassoniArt Gallery, Matapeake Clubhouse & Beach, McCrillis Gardens, Meadowside Nature Center, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Metro Gallery, Monocacy National Battlefield, Monument Park, Mother Seton House, Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, Mr Trash Wheel, NASA Goddard Visitor Center, National Aquarium, Ocean City Boardwalk, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Oxon Hill Manor, Patapsco Female Institute, Patapsco Valley State Park, Patterson Park, Paw Paw Tunnel, Pimlico, Plumpton Park Zoo, Point Lookout State Park, Potomac River, Quiet Waters Park, Rackliffe Plantation House, Rawlings Conservatory, Reconstructed State House of Historic St Mary's City, 
  Ridgeley Rosenwald School, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Rochambeau Plaza, Rocky Gap State Park, Roscoe the Rooster Statue, Sagamore Spirit Distillery,
  Saint Clements Island State Park, Salisbury Zoological Park, Sandy Point State Park, Seneca Schoolhouse, Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station, Six Flags America, Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, Spocott Windmill, Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, Stevensville Train Depot, Sugarloaf Mountain, Testudo,The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring, The Awakening, The Baltimore Basilica, The Capital Wheel, The Knot Hole Craft Shops, The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, The Meadows, The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, The Pagoda at Patterson Park, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, The Underground Railroad Experience Trail, Thomas A Dixon, Jr. Aircraft Observation Area, Top of the World Observation Level, Trimper's Rides, Turkey Point Lighthouse,  United States Botanic Garden, USCGC Taney, USCG Lightship Chesapeake, USS Torsk, Walkersville Southern Railroad, Washington D.C. Temple, Washington Monument & Mount Vernon Place, Washington Monument State Park, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, Westernport Heritage Society, Wetlands Overlook Park, Wheaton Miniature Train & Carousel, White's Ferry, William Paca House & Garden, Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park and ZavaZone Rockville.
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Annapolis, Baltimore, Berlin, Boonsboro, Bowie, Columbia, Cumberland, Derwood, Dundalk, Ellicott City, Flintstone, Frederick, Germantown, Glen Burnie, Greenbelt, Hanover, Monrovia, Oakland, Ocean City, Oxford, Rockville, Salisbury, Silver Spring, Solomons, St Michaels, Waldorf and Wheaton.
• Special Events: (Feburary) ClipperCon, FeBREWary, (March) PEEPShow,(April) Annapolis Arts Week, Privateer Festival, (May)Balticon, Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore Flower Mart, DelFest, Kinetic Sculpture Race, Maryland Deathfest, Maryland Film Festival, Preakness Stakes, Secret Garden Tour of Havre de Grace, Sowebohemian Arts Festival, (June) Antique & Classic Boat Festival, BronyCon, Capital Jazz Fest, HonFest, Insubordination Fest, Moonrise, National Music Festival, Otakon, (July) Artscape, J Millard Tawes Crab & Clam Bake, Little Yough Summer Music Festival, (August) Baltimore Pride, Country Fest & Auction, Historic National Road Yard Sale Days, Maryland State Fair, OC Air Show, Vegan SoulFest, White Marlin Open, Watermen’s Appreciation Day, Woodstock 50, (September) Berlin's Fiddlers Convention, Fells Point Fun Festival, Grand Prix of Baltimore, High Zero, Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival, Maryland Fleet Week Baltimore, Maryland Seafood Festival, Maryland Wine Festival, National Folk Festival, (October) Autumn Glory Festival, Fells Point Halloween Festival, Maryland Doom Fest, Ocean City Sunfest, Preakness Stakes, Six Pillars Century Blackwater Tour, The Maryland Doom Fest, (November) Baltimore Book Festival, Greek Festival, ICE!, (December) Christmas Village in Baltimore, Kwanzaa Celebration, Miracle on 34th Street and Old Tyme Christmas Festival in Fells Point.

Potomac River, MD. Photo Credit: Skeeze, Pixabay

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