Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States
Whether you want to drive Route 66, head out on the Pacific Coast Highway, or explore the...
Maryland's mythic hero—its cowboy, if you will—is the waterman, who prowls the Chesapeake in his skipjack, dredging oysters. Today the waterman is a symbol of contemporary Maryland: not in the manner in which he works, but in the variety of his catch. Maryland has always been a land of diversity, and from its rich Civil War history to the contemporary appeal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Maryland casts a wide net.
Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States
Whether you want to drive Route 66, head out on the Pacific Coast Highway, or explore the...
Top Destinations
Top Destinations
Baltimore
Baltimore is a city of distinct neighborhoods. While stellar downtown attractions such as the National Aquarium and the Inner Harbor draw torrents...
The Eastern Shore
Sailing the Chesapeake Bay nearly four centuries ago in search of new territory for his English king, Captain John Smith wrote that "heaven...
Annapolis and Southern Maryland
The past is never far away from the present among the coves, rivers, and creeks of the Chesapeake Bay's lesser-known western shore. In the...
Frederick and Western Maryland
Although just a short drive from Washington, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, western Maryland and Frederick County feel a world apart, with their...
Annapolis
In 1649 a group of Puritan settlers moved from Virginia to a spot at the mouth of the Severn River, where they established a community called...
Montgomery County
In 1776 Montgomery County, named after Revolutionary War hero General Richard Montgomery, became the first Maryland county to drop the custom...
Prince George's County
Named in 1696 for Denmark and Norway's prince (the husband of the heir to the throne of England, Princess Anne), the county was once famous...
Frederick
With roots dating back to the 1700s, Frederick was once known mostly for its American history, museums, and federal-style architecture. But...
Bethesda
Bethesda was named in 1871 after the Bethesda Meeting House, which was built by the Presbyterians. The name alludes to a biblical pool that...
Ocean City
Stretching some 10 mi along a narrow barrier island off Maryland's Atlantic coast, Worcester County's Ocean City draws millions from neighboring...
Cumberland
Surrounded by the deep blue Allegheny Mountains, Cumberland appears plucked from a Currier-and-Ives print. Tall steeples grace the skyline and...
Easton
Well-preserved buildings dating from Colonial through Victorian times still grace this affluent, genteel town. Fine art galleries, high-quality...
National Harbor
The National Harbor sprawls across 300 acres of previously abandoned banks of the Potomac River, across from Old Town Alexandria. Although it...
Chestertown
Second only to Annapolis in its concentration of 18th-century houses, Chestertown was a major international port in Colonial days: a tall, brick...
Deep Creek Lake
Garrett County's greatest asset, the 3,900-acre Deep Creek Lake, was created in the 1920s as a water source for a hydroelectric plant on the...
St. Michaels
St. Michaels, once a shipbuilding center, is today one of the region's premier leisure-time destinations. Its ever-growing popularity has resulted...
Hagerstown
Hagerstown has always had a bit of an identity crisis. In Colonial times it was considered the last bastion of civilization before the frontier...
Silver Spring
With a population of more than 220,000, the greater Silver Spring area is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest suburbs and is currently undergoing...
Cambridge
Once upon a time renowned resident Annie Oakley would shoot waterfowl from the ledge of her waterfront home here. Today graceful Georgian, Queen...
Stevensville
Stevensville, just north of the Bay Bridge's eastern landfall, is a growing village of artists and craftspeople. Its galleries and studios sell...
Smith Island
Chesapeake Bay's Smith Island has an intriguing heritage dating back more than three centuries. The residents are descendents of late-17th-century...
Oakland
Tiny Oakland, perched on a mountain plateau at the far western end of the state, is a true escape from the big-city bustle. Its heyday was in...
Grasonville
Follow the scenic byway, old two-lane Route 18, across Kent Island and over an aging drawbridge across Kent Narrows to reach quiet Grasonville...
North East
Uncommon neighborliness along a main street of antiques and collectibles shops and homey eateries gives Cecil's riverside county seat its welcoming...
Solomons
On the tip of the peninsula, Solomons is where the Patuxent empties into the Chesapeake. The town has become a popular getaway for sailors,...
Sharpsburg
East of the Potomac River, Sharpsburg is a small town (the last census counted nearly 700 people) that was settled in the 1740s. Known at one...
College Park
As its name implies, College Park is primarily a university town on gently rolling terrain. ...
Rock Hall
No longer just a side trip, Rock Hall, its hardy maritime character intact, has emerged as a viable destination in its own right, to be reached...
Catoctin Mountain Park
...
Kensington
Established in 1890 as Knowles Station, Kensington was one of Montgomery County's first villages. Borrowing both its name and architecture from...
Oxford
Tracing its roots to 1683, tiny Oxford remains secluded and untrammeled. Robert Morris, a merchant from Liverpool, lived here with his son,...
Laurel
Three other Maryland counties claim a section of this town (Anne Arundel, Howard, and Montgomery) but most of the suburb is in Prince George's. ...
Chesapeake Beach
This charming little town beside the Bay was founded at the close of the 19th century as a resort to rival those along the French Riviera. It...
Crisfield
In William W. Warner's study of the Chesapeake Bay , Beautiful Swimmers, Crisfield was described as a "town built upon oyster shells, millions...
Potomac
The popular translation of the Native American name "Patawomeck" is "they are coming by water." Although today's visitors are likely to drive...
Snow Hill
The streets of Snow Hill, the Worcester County seat, are lined with huge sycamores and stately homes that reflect its days as a shipping center...
Point Lookout State Park
...
Largo
Largo is an entertainment hub of suburban Maryland, boasting both Six Flags America and FedEx Field, where D.C.'s popular Redskins play. ...
Chesapeake City
As it's a town split dramatically in two by the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal, Chesapeake City homes and businesses face each other...
Bowie
Bowie started as a few buildings around a railroad junction in 1870, but has grown into the largest municipality in Prince George's County and...
Port Republic
Two sites in Port Republic, Christ Church and Port Republic School No. 7, are easy to miss simply because the sign for Port Republic from Route...
Salisbury
Barges still ply the slow-moving Wicomico River between the Bay and Salisbury, the Eastern Shore's second-largest port after Baltimore. This...
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
...
Grantsville
Two miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Grantsville is a tiny village (population about 600) that was incorporated in 1864. It's nestled amid...
Tilghman Island
A visit to Tilghman Island provides intriguing insight into the Eastern Shore's remarkable character. Leave your car and explore by bike or...
St. Mary's City
An intrepid group of 140 English settlers sailed the Ark and the Dove up the Potomac and into one of its tributaries, the St. Mary's River...
Glen Echo
Glen Echo, now a charming village of Victorian houses, was founded in 1891 by Edwin and Edward Baltzley, inventors of a type of mechanical eggbeater...
Lexington Park
This military town is dominated by the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, which covers 25 mi of the shoreline at the mouth of the eponymous river...
North Beach
In some ways a quieter, more-residential extension of Chesapeake Beach, North Beach has a fishing pier and a quiet boardwalk. When it was founded...
Accokeek
By fighting off developers in the 1950s, the Accokeek Foundation helped keep the view from Mount Vernon as George Washington would have seen...
Clinton
The origin of the name Clinton is unclear—the town used to be called Surrattsville for Mary Surratt's husband, the postmaster John Surratt. ...
Queenstown
The cove of Queenstown's harbor is protected by a bend of the mouth of the Chester River. Established in 1707 as "Queen Anne's Town," it became...
Berlin
Berlin—named not for the German city, but evolving from Burleigh Inn, a Colonial-era way station—is a short drive from Ocean City, yet it could...
Furnace Town
...
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
...
Lusby
Lusby is larger than either Port Republic or Broomes Island and has a town center as well as some of the big, convenience stores on its perimeter...
Emmitsburg
Founded in the 1700s and tucked among the blooming foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Emmitsburg is a quaint small town known for its Catholic...
Broomes Island
An area without specific boundaries, Broomes is not even an island per se, except during a very high tide or in a strong storm. It's made up...
Waldorf
The lovely rural fields of other parts of eastern Maryland give way to developments and higher-density traffic when you reach Waldorf. ...
Port Tobacco
One of the oldest communities in the East, Port Tobacco first existed as the Native American settlement of "Potopaco." (The similarity between...
Upper Marlboro
...
Tangier Island, Virginia
Crab traps stacked 10 feet high, watermen's shanties on the water, and a landscape virtually devoid of modern commercialization characterize...
New Market
...
Sandy Spring
...
Queen Anne's County
...
Baltimore
Baltimore is a city of distinct neighborhoods. While stellar downtown attractions such as the National Aquarium and the Inner Harbor draw torrents...
Annapolis
In 1649 a group of Puritan settlers moved from Virginia to a spot at the mouth of the Severn River, where they established a community called...
Frederick
With roots dating back to the 1700s, Frederick was once known mostly for its American history, museums, and federal-style architecture. But...
Bethesda
Bethesda was named in 1871 after the Bethesda Meeting House, which was built by the Presbyterians. The name alludes to a biblical pool that...
Ocean City
Stretching some 10 mi along a narrow barrier island off Maryland's Atlantic coast, Worcester County's Ocean City draws millions from neighboring...
Cumberland
Surrounded by the deep blue Allegheny Mountains, Cumberland appears plucked from a Currier-and-Ives print. Tall steeples grace the skyline and...
National Harbor
The National Harbor sprawls across 300 acres of previously abandoned banks of the Potomac River, across from Old Town Alexandria. Although it...
Easton
Well-preserved buildings dating from Colonial through Victorian times still grace this affluent, genteel town. Fine art galleries, high-quality...
Deep Creek Lake
Garrett County's greatest asset, the 3,900-acre Deep Creek Lake, was created in the 1920s as a water source for a hydroelectric plant on the...
Chestertown
Second only to Annapolis in its concentration of 18th-century houses, Chestertown was a major international port in Colonial days: a tall, brick...
St. Michaels
St. Michaels, once a shipbuilding center, is today one of the region's premier leisure-time destinations. Its ever-growing popularity has resulted...
Hagerstown
Hagerstown has always had a bit of an identity crisis. In Colonial times it was considered the last bastion of civilization before the frontier...
Silver Spring
With a population of more than 220,000, the greater Silver Spring area is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest suburbs and is currently undergoing...
Cambridge
Once upon a time renowned resident Annie Oakley would shoot waterfowl from the ledge of her waterfront home here. Today graceful Georgian, Queen...
Stevensville
Stevensville, just north of the Bay Bridge's eastern landfall, is a growing village of artists and craftspeople. Its galleries and studios sell...
Oakland
Tiny Oakland, perched on a mountain plateau at the far western end of the state, is a true escape from the big-city bustle. Its heyday was in...
Grasonville
Follow the scenic byway, old two-lane Route 18, across Kent Island and over an aging drawbridge across Kent Narrows to reach quiet Grasonville...
Solomons
On the tip of the peninsula, Solomons is where the Patuxent empties into the Chesapeake. The town has become a popular getaway for sailors,...
North East
Uncommon neighborliness along a main street of antiques and collectibles shops and homey eateries gives Cecil's riverside county seat its welcoming...
Sharpsburg
East of the Potomac River, Sharpsburg is a small town (the last census counted nearly 700 people) that was settled in the 1740s. Known at one...
Rock Hall
No longer just a side trip, Rock Hall, its hardy maritime character intact, has emerged as a viable destination in its own right, to be reached...
Oxford
Tracing its roots to 1683, tiny Oxford remains secluded and untrammeled. Robert Morris, a merchant from Liverpool, lived here with his son,...
Catoctin Mountain Park
...
Kensington
Established in 1890 as Knowles Station, Kensington was one of Montgomery County's first villages. Borrowing both its name and architecture from...
College Park
As its name implies, College Park is primarily a university town on gently rolling terrain. ...
Laurel
Three other Maryland counties claim a section of this town (Anne Arundel, Howard, and Montgomery) but most of the suburb is in Prince George's. ...
Snow Hill
The streets of Snow Hill, the Worcester County seat, are lined with huge sycamores and stately homes that reflect its days as a shipping center...
Crisfield
In William W. Warner's study of the Chesapeake Bay , Beautiful Swimmers, Crisfield was described as a "town built upon oyster shells, millions...
Chesapeake Beach
This charming little town beside the Bay was founded at the close of the 19th century as a resort to rival those along the French Riviera. It...
Potomac
The popular translation of the Native American name "Patawomeck" is "they are coming by water." Although today's visitors are likely to drive...
Bowie
Bowie started as a few buildings around a railroad junction in 1870, but has grown into the largest municipality in Prince George's County and...
Grantsville
Two miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Grantsville is a tiny village (population about 600) that was incorporated in 1864. It's nestled amid...
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
...
Port Republic
Two sites in Port Republic, Christ Church and Port Republic School No. 7, are easy to miss simply because the sign for Port Republic from Route...
Largo
Largo is an entertainment hub of suburban Maryland, boasting both Six Flags America and FedEx Field, where D.C.'s popular Redskins play. ...
Chesapeake City
As it's a town split dramatically in two by the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal, Chesapeake City homes and businesses face each other...
Salisbury
Barges still ply the slow-moving Wicomico River between the Bay and Salisbury, the Eastern Shore's second-largest port after Baltimore. This...
Lexington Park
This military town is dominated by the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, which covers 25 mi of the shoreline at the mouth of the eponymous river...
St. Mary's City
An intrepid group of 140 English settlers sailed the Ark and the Dove up the Potomac and into one of its tributaries, the St. Mary's River...
Glen Echo
Glen Echo, now a charming village of Victorian houses, was founded in 1891 by Edwin and Edward Baltzley, inventors of a type of mechanical eggbeater...
Emmitsburg
Founded in the 1700s and tucked among the blooming foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Emmitsburg is a quaint small town known for its Catholic...
Queenstown
The cove of Queenstown's harbor is protected by a bend of the mouth of the Chester River. Established in 1707 as "Queen Anne's Town," it became...
Berlin
Berlin—named not for the German city, but evolving from Burleigh Inn, a Colonial-era way station—is a short drive from Ocean City, yet it could...
Accokeek
By fighting off developers in the 1950s, the Accokeek Foundation helped keep the view from Mount Vernon as George Washington would have seen...
Furnace Town
...
Lusby
Lusby is larger than either Port Republic or Broomes Island and has a town center as well as some of the big, convenience stores on its perimeter...
Clinton
The origin of the name Clinton is unclear—the town used to be called Surrattsville for Mary Surratt's husband, the postmaster John Surratt. ...
North Beach
In some ways a quieter, more-residential extension of Chesapeake Beach, North Beach has a fishing pier and a quiet boardwalk. When it was founded...
Port Tobacco
One of the oldest communities in the East, Port Tobacco first existed as the Native American settlement of "Potopaco." (The similarity between...
Waldorf
The lovely rural fields of other parts of eastern Maryland give way to developments and higher-density traffic when you reach Waldorf. ...
New Market
...
Sandy Spring
...
Upper Marlboro
...
The Eastern Shore
Sailing the Chesapeake Bay nearly four centuries ago in search of new territory for his English king, Captain John Smith wrote that "heaven...
Annapolis and Southern Maryland
The past is never far away from the present among the coves, rivers, and creeks of the Chesapeake Bay's lesser-known western shore. In the...
Frederick and Western Maryland
Although just a short drive from Washington, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, western Maryland and Frederick County feel a world apart, with their...
Montgomery County
In 1776 Montgomery County, named after Revolutionary War hero General Richard Montgomery, became the first Maryland county to drop the custom...
Prince George's County
Named in 1696 for Denmark and Norway's prince (the husband of the heir to the throne of England, Princess Anne), the county was once famous...
Queen Anne's County
...
Smith Island
Chesapeake Bay's Smith Island has an intriguing heritage dating back more than three centuries. The residents are descendents of late-17th-century...
Tilghman Island
A visit to Tilghman Island provides intriguing insight into the Eastern Shore's remarkable character. Leave your car and explore by bike or...
Broomes Island
An area without specific boundaries, Broomes is not even an island per se, except during a very high tide or in a strong storm. It's made up...
Tangier Island, Virginia
Crab traps stacked 10 feet high, watermen's shanties on the water, and a landscape virtually devoid of modern commercialization characterize...
All Destinations
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Maryland driving alert
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DC Metro: 🚊 Rocking Over to Rockville Maryland
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Fun stopover in Maryland?
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Nice beach in Virginia or Maryland
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Shop NowFodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States
Whether you want to drive Route 66, head out on the Pacific Coast Highway, or explore the...
Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences
Whether you want to camp in the Grand Canyon, eat an authentic cheesesteak in Philly, walk...
