Super Post on Destinations in Maryland

Maryland is a great place to eat crabs and enjoy the coast, but there are many other opportunities for recreation and interesting adventures in all of Maryland’s regions. Here are some of our favorite stops, categorized by region.

The Eastern Shore

Ocean City

Arguably the most well-known region of Maryland, the Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay both offer natural beauty and enjoyment. Ocean City, MD is one of the most popular beach towns you’ll find, and for good reason. The beach is wide and clean and the town is full of fun things to do. The board walk is long and there is something for everyone.

There is so much to do! You can see some record-setting fish on the end of the boardwalk, take a photo with the giant anchor, visit the Lifesaving Museum, or go all the way out onto the fishing pier just past the museum to put a lock on the railing or look for dolphins. You can bike on the boardwalk or rent a 4 peddler for the whole family. You can enjoy the rides at the Jolly Roger or Trimpers on the boardwalk.

Assateague

Not far from Ocean City you can find both the State Park and the National Seashore of Assateague. Although wildlife is unpredictable, the chances are pretty good that you will see some wild ponies if you visit either one. If you go to the beach there in the summer, you may even see them enter the water for a little cool-down. You’re likely to find them strolling along the side of the roadway into the park in little groups with their foals, or even chilling in the parking lot. Watch out for plops.

The trails are short and pretty as well, and sometimes you can see the tiny deer that live in the park. You will certainly see plenty of birds. One of my favorite memories from the park is noticing a spattering of pinkish-white wild hibiscus, and looking up beyond it at a tree just covered with big brilliant white birds – I think they were egrets or herons.

Frontier Town

We’ve never stayed here, or visited the waterpark. The ropes course looks cool but seems to be closed. BUT, after passing it many times on trips to Assateague and Ocean City, we finally decided to check it out, and we really enjoyed it. There are free shows throughout the day (in-season), and they are really fun. You can watch authentic Native American dances in the “Indian Village” area and the Texas Trick Riders close out the day at 7PM. It’s also fun to wander around the “Old West” and maybe get an ice cream at the Saloon or visit the farm animals.

The Salisbury Zoo

This is a cute little zoo with plenty of shade. It is not a huge zoo, but it is a really nice one, and it also has a super nice playground with a sandy toddler area. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated.

Elk Neck State Park

Elk Neck State Park is a gorgeous park along the Chesapeake with lots of birdwatching opportunities. You can also swim here if you are brave, though it’s not unheard of to come across a few dead fish, and the bottom is also quite rocky so you’ll need water shoes. There are restrooms with showers to rinse off afterwards. In a separate area of the park you can hike up to Turkey Point to see a historic lighthouse.

Adkins Arboretum and Tuckahoe State Park

This was a really fun day trip for us to 2 separate destinations in the same location near Queen Anne, MD. Adkins Arboretum is a nonprofit that charges an entrance fee and includes a small gift shop, some unusual structures, a children’s garden, a plant nursery, lovely trails, and some very noisy frogs. Tuckahoe State Park has camp grounds, a lake and kayaks for rent, nice trails, and a couple of playgrounds, including a fun recycled tire playground.

Terrapin Nature Park

Located on scenic Kent Island, which helps connect the Eastern Shore to Annapolis, Terrapin Nature Park features short trails out to the bay and back, where you can admire wildlife at a bird blind, take in lovely wildflowers, and stop at picnic tables and a gazebo along the way. Though not a state park, it is well maintained, and worth visiting for its range of ecosystems including meadows, wetlands, tidal ponds, woodlands, and beaches.

Easton

Easton is a cute little town not far from the Chesapeake Bay. It has a really fabulous series of playgrounds at Idlewild Park, and from there you can walk into the town and get some ice cream at Storm and Daughter’s or visit some of the other one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants located there. You might also head over to one of the local marinas or visit Easton Point Park to get some views of the water.

The Capital Region

The National Harbor

Located in Prince George’s County, the National Harbor is a neat place with several interesting attractions. The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center is a really beautiful building, with a huge glass paneled vestibule often used for conferences. You can walk out the back to the Potomac, and take a ride on the Capital Wheel, which affords a great view across the water to the capital and Washington Monument. There are also water taxis available that will take you across the Potomac to the Georgetown area of DC.

You’ll find many options for food and shopping in this area, and you can also see the Awakening statue – sculptures made to look like a man climbing out of the earth. Walk up to Spirit Park and take a look at the interesting textured sculptures of an American Bison family and flags. It is worth the short walk to enjoy this small, patriotic park.

Frederick, MD

Frederick is a charming little town with lots of hiking, including part of the Appalachian Trail. There are historical buildings and small specialty museums. Our favorite is the Roads and Rail museum, which is a fun roadside type of stop, especially if you have a train fan. And what family with small children doesn’t have at least one train fan?? It is a model train museum with bazillions of details including a tiny amusement park, tiny drive in theater, tiny factories, and much more.

Bookside Garden

Brookside Garden is a free and quite beautiful botanic garden in Montgomery County, MD, just north of Washington DC. There are many gorgeous themed gardens, such as an azalea garden, a butterfly garden, a pond and a conservatory.  It is a really lovely place, especially considering that it is free. It is in a highly populated area with many choices of nearby restaurants.

Annapolis

Downtown Annapolis is just a fun, bustling place to be. Visit the Naval Academy and take a boat tour that will point out the various buildings in the Academy and surrounding area from the very pleasant vantage point of the water.

Sandy Point State Park

If you’re wanting to swim, you can visit Sandy Point Park, which is a sandy beach area on the bay, almost under the Chesapeake Bay bridge. It has everything you need – there are restrooms, a playground, picnic tables and concessions. It does get crowded in the summer, especially on weekends!

The Western Region

State Parks

There are many lovely state parks in the Western region of Maryland. Washington Monument State Park includes a short but sweet climb from the parking lot to the tower which intersects with the Appalachian trail. The tower is a monument to Washington. It is enclosed with windows to enjoy the fabulous view. There is also a playground and restrooms, so this park was a hit for us.

Deep Creek State Park includes the largest inland body of water in MD, and its water is crystal clear. You can spend a pleasant evening walking along the edge of the lake in any season, and stopping at the several playgrounds along the way. There is a Discovery Center with a nice gift shop, displays of the local flora and fauna, and some interactive things to do, like puzzles and stories. In summer, you’ll find people swimming and boating on the lake.

Swallow Falls State Park includes a trail from the parking lot Right at the parking lot that connects several waterfalls. The main event is Muddy Creek Falls, which are the highest falls in Maryland. They are quite impressive, especially in spring when all the snowmelt and rain make them really thunder. At the base, you can get quite wet from the spray.

There is also Tolliver Falls, (which looked like a little trickle in comparison!) and Swallow Falls, which is notable for the weird geological formation just below it, which looked like a giant Minecraft mushroom of rock with vegetation hair in the middle of the river. You will find a plethora of brilliant green moss and ferns throughout the park, and many of the tree roots are interestingly worn by the weather until they are as smooth and glossy as furniture.

Herrington Manor State Park has a large lake surrounded by evergreens, a couple of small playgrounds, a lake house, and a boat launch. 

Casselman River Bridge State Park contains one of the oldest bridges in the country, and just across it you will find Spruce Forest Artisan Village, which is a really neat place. You can meet artisans at work and buy their wears, including potters, blacksmiths, weavers and other artists, and unique businesses located in historic buildings. The Yoder History House is also located here, where you can learn about life in the 18th century. There are also a couple of lovely overlooks in the surrounding areas.

Weverton Cliffs

The hike up to Weverton Cliffs is what hiking people call “moderate” and what my family calls “challenging.” Still, it was a lot of fun to scramble over rocks and roots and come out sweaty and tired to a lovely view of the Potomac, and cliffs are always interesting to look at. I love how the trees seem to grow at odd angles directly out of rock, their roots intertwined with the cliffs. You can get way out to the cliff’s edge (and fall to your death if you’re being too risky with the selfies), so please exercise caution.

Crystal Grottos Caverns

Take a 30 minute tour of the caves to see a plethora of stalactites and stalagmites that are really quite beautiful. They glisten and form all kinds of crazy shapes, including but not limited to (as named by my children): bacon, potato chips, and popcorn (because kids are always thinking about snacks.)

Small Towns

In the little town of Oakland in Garett County, you can find three different museums all within close walking distance. One is the Oakland B&O Museum, which has a steam engine in the front yard so you can’t miss it.  Another is the Garrett County Museum of Transportation which includes antique cars and a variety of other vehicles. Finally, the Garrett County Historical Museum includes 9 rooms full of artifacts pertaining, of course, to Garrett County.  The favorites in our family were the model train, the dolls and doll furniture, and the war memorabilia from local veterans. 

Historic Cumberland is part of a larger town, known for the Western Maryland Railway. You can take a three hour excursion and see the stunning scenery of Western Maryland’s mountains from the comfort of your train car, and stop for a picnic meal or use the dining car. Another place to get a delicious bite to eat is the Baltimore Street Grill, in the heart of the downtown historic district.

Sykesville in Carroll county is a small town where you can find a historic “colored” school house that you can visit, a historic train station, and a visitor’s center inside a train car along with the post office. It’s worth stopping by the French Twist Café, where I got the best crepe of my life (I got the Italian) and some good coffee. The town includes some beautiful homes, a gorgeous old church, and some unique boutiques.

The Central Region

Havre De Grace

Havre De Grace is a sweet little town along the Chesapeake Bay, and it’s fun to walk along the “Promenade,” which is a little winding boardwalk along the Bay that ends up in front of the lighthouse for which the town is known. On a hill above the parking lot for the Promenade and Marina, there is a playground which is well loved by local children and visitors alike for it’s array of playground equipment (including a miniature lighthouse) and by parents for it’s lovely hilltop view of the water. There are a number of charming little seafood restaurants nearby.

Gunpowder Falls State Park

Gunpowder Falls State Park is another beautiful one, but it is enormous so you’ll probably want to do some planning before you visit. There are miles upon miles of trails, but wading in one of the rivers and tossing some rocks in is always a favorite activity for little ones. If you want to swim in the bay, navigate to the Hammerman area. It is a large, clean area, with space to picnic on the grass, set up on the sand (water shoes not required), and take a swim in the bay. The water in the bay is often quite warm in the summertime, with little to no surf.

Baltimore

There are lots of things to do in Baltimore, but our favorite places to visit are the Baltimore Aquarium for a day out of the sun, the Inner Harbor for dining and strolling, and the Glen Martin Aviation Museum for our Air and Space Enthusiast. Even our less aeronautically-inclined children liked it because there was a cardboard rocket ship they could play in. (It’s the simple things, right?) The museum itself is tiny but includes an impressive tour outdoors of quite a few planes.

Patapsco Valley State Park

Patapsco is very easy to get to from I-95, and very close to Baltimore, so if you’re looking for a pretty stop on a road trip, this is a great one. It is fun to cross the swinging bridge and check out the ruins on the other side, and just across the parking lot on the other side you can follow a short, kid-friendly trail up to Cascade Waterfalls. There is plenty of parking, and you will pass restrooms, picnic tables and a playground on your way to the Avalon area where the bridge and waterfall are located.

Susquehanna State Park

Located along the Susquehanna River valley, you can find forest and rocky hikes as well as the beautiful, wide river itself. Susquehanna State Park includes a family-friendly campground and opportunities for fishing and boating. If you enjoy history, you will be interested in exploring the restored Rock Run area that includes some beautiful old stone structures such as a working gristmill and former mansion. After checking them out, take a walk along the mighty Susquehanna as the sun goes down. The riverside trail is flat and paved, with overlooks every so often that can become covered in the summer but allow an excellent view in winter.

Rocks State Park

Rocks State Park in Harford County, MD, is aptly named. There are several different areas to visit. The Wilson picnic area includes a small playground, a riverbank, and picnic tables. A short drive away is the Rock Ridge Picnic Area parking lot. From here you can walk a very short trail out to the “King and Queen Seat,” which provides a beautiful (if somewhat terrifying) overlook on a jutting rock ledge. It is imperative to keep a tight hold of small children, as the massive rock piles are great fun to climb but are actually an outcropping of a very high cliff whose precipice has led to death and injury, as proclaimed by a sign in front.

From here, you can drive to a different, unattached part of the park (a few miles north) in order to see Kilgore Falls. The path is just a little longer – still only about a half mile. You can see the falls in the distance as soon as you reach the river, but in order to get close to the base of them, you have to scramble just a little over some slippery and muddy places, including crossing the river on wet rocks. Once there, there were lots more rocks to climb to get different views of the small but lovely falls.

The Southern Region

Gilbert Run Park in Charles County

Gilbert Run Park is a fun place to go paddle boating around the lovely lake, and then play on the mini-zipline playground equipment, or cross the bridge to another playground on the other side.  You can also cool off with ice cream from the little concession stand near the parking lot before heading out.

Calvert Cliffs State Park in Calvert County

Calvert Cliffs State Park is a great place to see some wildlife and potentially find a fossil or shark’s tooth.  You’ll see enormous fields of water lilies and plenty of wildlife, from beautifully colored dragon flies to a variety of amphibians to deer and beaver.

Take the 2 mile path to the Bay where you can swim and collect rocks and seashells, which are plentiful.  You cannot get near the cliffs, but can have a lovely view of them.  The park has a bin of colanders, shovels and mesh screens with which to excavate – our kids mostly used them to catch jelly fish and make sandy “crab soup.” 

Calvert Marine Museum

Calvert Marine Museum includes a touch tank and many live creatures including a couple of adorable otters and native seahorses.  There are very local displays detailing some of the cultural history of the area and various boats and other marine equipment that were used at different times in this part of the country. 

Point Overlook State Park in St. Mary’s county

Point Overlook State Park is a lovely place to take in the sunset.

There is a historic lighthouse as well as a Civil War Prison Camp where you can find historical information about the fort, explore the structures and an old military barracks. You can also swim in the bay, and we were lucky enough to (accidentally) find ourselves swimming with a group of cownose sting rays when we went.