Sights in Maryland
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Walters Art Museum
Don't pass up this gallery, which spans over 55 centuries, from ancient to contemporary, with excellent displays of Asian treasures, rare and ornate manuscripts and books, and a comprehensive French paintings collection.
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Baltimore Museum of Art
With a massive collection (the early American, Asian and African galleries are particularly impressive) and a lovely sculpture garden, this museum easily competes with its Smithsonian cousins to the south.
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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Assateague Island, a beautiful 37-mile-long island off the eastern shore of Maryland, preserves a rare stretch of undeveloped seashore, one of the most pristine and picture-perfect spots on the mid-Atlantic coast. As an undeveloped barrier island, it provides a sharp contrast to the overdeveloped beach resorts that dominate the coast. Besides its natural appeal, the island is home to a legendary herd of wild ponies, whose dramatic silhouettes race across the dunes. The National Park Service manages most of the protected national seashore; the southern end of the island is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. A bridge accesses the northern portion of the island, but…
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Camden Yards
The Orioles’ baseball park, Camden Yards, occupies an entire city block west of the Inner Harbor. It was the first ‘retro’ ball park, which reconciled Major League Baseball’s need for more space with fans’ nostalgia. Painted baseballs on the sidewalk lead two blocks northwest to the birthplace of a baseball legend; it’s now the Babe Ruth Museum (410-727-1539; www.baberuthmuseum.com; 216 Emory St; adult/child $6/3; 10am-5pm), which pays homage to one of the sport’s all-time greats. It’s open to 7pm on Orioles’ game days.
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Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine
On September 13 and 14, 1814, the star-shaped fort successfully repelled a British navy attack during the Battle of Baltimore. After a long night of bombs bursting in the air, prisoner Francis Scott Key saw, 'by dawn's early light,' the tattered flag still waving, inspiring him to pen 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (set to the tune of a popular drinking song).
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Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum
Home to Baltimore's most famous adopted son from 1832 to 1835, it was here that the macabre poet and writer first found fame after winning a $50 short-story contest. After moving around, Poe later returned to Baltimore in 1849, where he died in mysterious circumstances. His grave can be found in nearby Westminster CemeteryThe Poe House is located in a crime-ridden neighborhood, so it's best to drive or take a taxi; call to verify opening times before visiting.
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USS Constellation
Ship-lovers should consider a visit to the Baltimore Maritime Museum, which offers ship tours aboard a Coast Guard Cutter, lightship and submarine. The highlight of the Inner Harbor is the separately operated USS Constellation, one of the last sail-powered warships built by the US Navy. A joint ticket gets you on board all four ships and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse on Pier 5.
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Baltimore Maritime Museum
Ship-lovers can take a tour through four historic ships: a Coast Guard cutter, lightship, submarine and the USS Constellation, one of the last sail-powered warships built (in 1797) by the US Navy. Admission to the 1856 Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse on Pier 5 is free.
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Delaware Seashore State Park
South of Dewey, DE, on Rte 1 is this 10-mile-long, half-mile-wide peninsula with a long, straight clean beach. Stop at the park office (302-227-2800; 8am-4:30pm) to pick up information about pontoon boat tours, hiking trails and guarded swimming areas. The Indian River Inlet Marina (302-227-3071; Rte 1), west of the park office, charters fishing boats.
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US Naval Academy
The undergraduate college of the US Navy is one of the most selective universities in America. The Armel-Leftwich visitor center is the place to book tours and immerse yourself in all things Academy. Come for the formation weekdays at 12:05pm sharp, when the 4000 midshipmen and midshipwomen conduct a 20-minute military marching display in the yard. Photo ID is required for entry. If you've got a thing for American naval history, go on and revel in the Naval Academy Museum.
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American Visionary Art Museum
AVAM is a showcase for self-taught (or 'outsider' art), a celebration of unbridled creativity utterly free of arts-scene pretension. Some of the work comes from asylums, others are created by self-inspired visionaries, but it's all rather captivating and well worth a long afternoon.
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Edgar Allan Poe's Grave
Acclaimed author Edgar Allan Poe lies under a 1.8m (6ft) white obelisk in this churchyard. A literary giant whose horror novels continue to inspire authors and film-makers, Poe settled in Baltimore in 1831 and died in 1849. An admirer decorates Poe's grave with roses and a bottle of cognac every year on the anniversary of his birthday (19 January).
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B&O Railroad Museum
The Baltimore & Ohio railway was (arguably) the first passenger train in America, and the museum is a loving testament to both that line and American railroading in general. Train spotters will be in heaven among more than 150 different locomotives. Train rides cost an extra $3; call for the schedule.
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C&O Canal National Historic Park Visitor Center
The C&O Canal National Historic Park visitor center chronicles the importance of river trade in eastern seaboard history. The park's protected 185-mile corridor includes a 12ft-wide towpath/hiking and bicycling trail and maintains six visitor centers, the first in Georgetown and the last one here.
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Washington Monument
For the best views of Baltimore, climb the 228 steps of the 178ft-tall Doric column dedicated to America's Founding Father, George Washington. It was designed by Robert Mills, who also created DC's Washington Monument. The ground floor contains a museum about Washington's life.
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State House
The country's oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, the stately 1772 State House also served as national capital from 1733 to 1734. The Maryland Senate is in action here from January to April. The upside-down giant acorn atop the dome stands for wisdom. Photo ID is required upon entry.
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Star-Spangled Banner Flag House & 1812 Museum
This historic home, built in 1793, is where Mary Pickersgill sewed the gigantic flag that inspired America's national anthem. Costumed interpreters and 19th-century artifacts transport visitors back in time to dark days during the War of 1812; there's also a hands-on discovery gallery for kids.
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National Aquarium
Standing seven-stories high and capped by a glass pyramid, this is widely considered to be the best aquarium in America. It houses 16,500 specimens of 660 species, a rooftop rainforest, a central ray pool and multistory shark tank. There's also a reconstruction of the Umbrawarra Gorge in Australia's Northern Territory, complete with 35ft waterfall, rocky cliffs and free-roaming birds and lizards. Kids will love the dolphin show and new 4D Immersion Theater (together an additional $5). Go on weekdays to beat the crowds.
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Kunta Kinte–Alex Haley Memorial
At the City Dock, the Kunta Kinte–Alex Haley Memorial marks the spot where Kunta Kinte – ancestor of Roots author Alex Haley – was brought in chains from Africa. Haley received a 1977 special Pulitzer Prize Letters award for his epic.
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Maryland Historical Society
With more than 5.4 million artifacts, this is one of the largest collections of Americana in the world, including Francis Scott Key's original manuscript of the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' There are often excellent temporary exhibits, as well as a fascinating permanent ones tracing Maryland's maritime history.
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Exhibit Center
Ten miles after the I-68 turns into I-70, the highway literally passes through Sideling Hill, an impressive rock exposure nearly 850ft high. Pull over to check out the exhibit center and the striated evidence of some 340 million years of geological history.
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Reginald F Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Few states have been as defined by their African American population as Maryland, and the museum, across the street from a pre–Civil War slave market, effectively tells their complex tale.
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National Museum of Dentistry
One of America's most unusual museums, this interactive museum traces the history of dental care from ancient Egypt to today. See George Washington's dentures (ivory, not wood) and old toothpaste, and check out Queen Victoria's 'toothbrush.'
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Maryland Science Center
This awesome center features a three-story atrium, tons of interactive exhibits on dinosaurs, outer space and the human body, and the requisite IMAX theater ($4 extra). Hours change seasonally so it's best to check online or call ahead first.
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Jewish Museum of Maryland
Maryland has traditionally been home to one of the largest, most active Jewish communities in the country, and this is a fine place to explore the Jewish experience in America. It also houses two of the best-preserved historical synagogues in America.
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