Must-see attractions in Maryland

Housing a jaw-dropping collection of self-taught (or 'outsider' art), American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is a celebration of unbridled creativity…

Well worth the 7-mile drive north from the Inner Harbor, this grand 19th-century mansion provides a fascinating glimpse into upper-class Baltimore life of…

Standing seven stories high and capped by a glass pyramid, this is widely considered to be America's best aquarium, with almost 20,000 creatures from more…

Horror writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe was buried (twice) on the grounds of Westminster Hall. His body was first deposited in an unmarked grave behind…

On September 13 and 14, 1814, this star-shaped fort successfully repelled a British navy attack during the Battle of Baltimore. After a long night of…

The magnificent Chamber of Art & Wonders re-creates the library of an imagined 17th-century scholar, one with a taste for the exotic. The abutting Hall of…

In Southern Maryland, skinny Calvert County scratches at the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River. This is a gentle landscape ('user-friendly' as a local…

The country's oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, the grand 1772 State House also served as national capital from 1783 to 1784. Notably,…

This simple but thought-provoking African American history museum has exhibits spotlighting Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, Dr Martin Luther King Jr…

This small but engaging museum sits inside an 1891 life-saving station at the southern end of the boardwalk. Here, the station keeper and six to eight …

A low-key barrier island, Assateague is a place to relax. In the Maryland section of the national seashore, you can cycle along a 4-mile road, hike nature…

In the 1600s, St Mary's City was a busy port and served as the state's first capital. Today, the spot is a living history museum romantically positioned…

One of the most rugged, spectacular parks in the state. Hickory and hemlock trees hug the Youghiogheny River, which cuts a white line through wet slate…

The Atlantic Flyway is the main route birds take between northern and southern migratory trips, and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge was…

The site of the bloodiest day in American history is now, ironically, supremely peaceful, quiet and haunting – and uncluttered, save for plaques and…

This new visitor center and historic site honors Harriet Tubman, 'the Moses of her people' who led black slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad,…

A marvel of engineering, the C&O Canal was designed to stretch alongside the Potomac River from the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River. Construction on the…

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 75…

With more than 350,000 objects and seven million books and documents, this is among the world's largest collections of Americana. Highlights include one…

The Maryland-run section of Assateague Island stretches for 2 miles along the coast and is tucked within the boundaries of the national seashore. Come…