At Maryland’s narrowest point, it’s less than a two-mile walk from the West Virginia border through the small town of Hancock to the Pennsylvania border. Wedged between the Mason-Dixon line to the North and the Potomac River to the South, it is said to be the smallest straight-shot state border-to-border distance in the country. With 1,500 residents tucked in just 2.75 square miles, Hancock has always offered plenty of reasons to visit. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath—the well trafficked 184.5-mile national park—cuts through the town. The verdant 28-mile Western Maryland Rail Trail also runs between Hancock and nearby Fort Frederick, which held British and German prisoners during the American Revolutionary War and held off Confederate raiders on Christmas Day 1861. And Hancock’s Woodmont Lodge—situated now on a natural resource area open to hikers, mountain bikers, birders, and equestrians—once served as a favorite hunting destination for presidents.

A vintage Maryland travel postcard

As far as notable residents, General Douglas MacArthur’s chief of staff during World War II, Richard Sutherland, hailed from Hancock. So did former Congressman Charles Rowland and former big-leaguer Ike Powers.

More local history: William Dorsey Swann, who endured childhood slavery and became a gay liberation activist and America’s first self-described drag queen was born here. (A surely not-to-be-missed biography, House of Swann: Where Slaves Became Queens, is in the works.) Today, Hancock is home to a popular bicycle shop/bunk house for C&O Canal bike campers and the Blue Goose Fruit Market & Bakery, one of the most remarkable gourmet pie makers in the state.

Hancock is to Maryland as Maryland is to America—chock full of history, outdoor adventure, and a little bit of everything in between—in other words, the kind of stuff day trips and weekend getaways are made of.

W e all know Maryland is not a large state. With roughly 12,400 square miles, nearly a quarter of which is water, we check in at number 42 out of the 50 states in terms of size. Fittingly, it was the first fulltime editor of National Geographic, Gilbert Grosvenor, who dubbed Maryland “America in Miniature.” Grosvenor, naturally, was touting our varied topography. From the sandy shores of Ocean City and Assateague Island and the marshes of the country’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, to the farms of Frederick County and the Allegheny Mountains, nearly every kind of terrain can be found in Maryland.

A throwback state pennant. A motel postcard from U.S. Route 40. Courtesy of Maryland Pennant. Photography by Kristoffer Tripplaar Photography

In between, you’ll find the sunflower fields, rolling hills, and horse country of northern Baltimore County; the incredibly diverse neighborhoods, museums, and history of our great port City—and more quirky fun stuff in the Greater Washington suburbs than you might expect.

The legendary Grosvenor, a key supporter of the effort to create a National Park Service, may have been the first to coin Maryland “America in Miniature,” but it was former reporter, public relations professional, and civic activist Paul Welsh who gets credit for turning the phrase into a state slogan in 1939.

By the summer of the 1940, the Maryland Publicity Commission was authorizing the production of 20,000 tourism booklets—complete with illustrations and road maps—with the new nickname in hopes of drumming up interest in the state’s vacation attractions. Later that year, the same commission issued a series of 25 stamps with the slogan, along with more illustrations of Maryland’s natural beauty, history, and sporting opportunities.

Main Street, Belair vintage postcard.

The following February, state officials took thousands of America in Miniature-themed pamphlets and built an exhibition around the theme at the annual National Sportsman’s Show in New York City, further cementing Maryland’s new nickname. Naysayers might have noted the state doesn’t have freshwater lakes (they’re all man-made), snow-capped peaks, or Spanish moss. But the professional New York model hired by the Maryland Publicity Commission to host their booth told a reporter she was so impressed by the glories of the state that she intended to spend her summer vacation in Maryland.

At one point in 1965, two Washington businessmen pitched the idea of building a $20,000,000 America in Miniature theme park—literally 2,500 replicas of U.S. and Maryland landmarks—on a 100-acre site off I-70 in Gaithersburg.

That it was the peripatetic Welsh who proved the key player in the making of the Maryland slogan remains fitting. His life’s story spans the entire state. Born in Cumberland, he grew up in Baltimore, attended the University of Maryland, and then the University of Maryland School of Law. He worked at various times for institutions such as The Baltimore Sun, the Orioles, and McCormick & Co. Active in a wide range of community affairs, he served as president of the Wine and Food Society of Baltimore and chaired a committee for the preservation of Babe Ruth’s birthplace. He enjoyed debating about where one could get the best oysters in the city, and his Maryland clam chowder recipe won a 1967 contest and was subsequently included in the New York Times Heritage Cookbook.

A 1949 copy of the state's “America in Miniature” booklet; retro Ocean City boardwalk postcard.

In 2017, the Maryland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America named its annual award after Welsh, who passed away in 1991. A coincidence perhaps, the America in Miniature catchphrase receded from public usage shortly thereafter. When Robert Ehrlich and Martin O’Malley served in Annapolis, Maryland road signs read, “Enjoy Your Visit.” In 2015, Gov. Larry Hogan replaced those with the even less poetic, “We’re Open for Business.”

That said, the lost slogan remains as true as ever, and Marylanders’ pride in their state’s rich beauty remains intact, as our ongoing obsession with the state flag demonstrates.

There’s another cultural phenomenon that outsiders don’t understand but binds Marylanders together, and that’s the Maryland accent, of course. Paradoxically, it’s an expression of both our diversity and proximity to one another. It is different on the Eastern Shore than in Baltimore, and different still in Carroll County. Yet, no matter where a Marylander may travel in the state, they always know a newcomer or tourist from a native—even in Hancock, where different states knock at their front and back doors.

“We can tell right off what state people live in around here,” a Hancock woman named Virginia Stanley told an out-of-state, big-city newspaper years ago. “By their accents. People living in Hancock have a Maryland accent.” Pennsylvanians have a Pennsylvania accent, she noted. “The West Virginians have their own peculiar way of speaking.”

Below, we highlight more than 75 places to visit in Maryland. Some are destinations worth a weekend, while some may merit a week, and others are the kind of unique roadside attractions that are the stuff of spontaneous daytrips. Enjoy the return of travel this summer.

BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Established as a sanctuary in 1933 for waterfowl along the critical Atlantic Flyway migration route, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has been called one of the “Last Great Places” by The Nature Conservancy. The Dorchester County treasure consists of more than 30,000 acres of brackish tidal marshes, open fields, and mixed evergreen and deciduous forest. The visitor-friendly refuge is also home to one of the largest breeding populations of American bald eagles on the East Coast, this side of Florida. In June, ospreys hatch—by September, they will begin migrating to Central and South America— and eaglets learn how to fly and forage. In July, local goslings take to the air, and by August, the numbers of wading birds increase.

Notable: The refuge is fed by the 25.8-mile saltwater Blackwater River and Little Blackwater River tributary. The name “blackwater” derives from the slow-moving, tea-colored channels, which become darkened as the water drains through marshy peat soil.

Go for: the birding and bicycling.

Don’t miss: the 25-mile, multipurpose path around the refuge, where there’s a good chance of spotting great blue herons.

LOCAL TREASURES

Chesapeake Bay Balloon Festival

Bridge Branch Rd., Cordova

The biggest hot air balloon festival in Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Balloon Festival is held every summer at Triple Creek Winery in Talbot County. The three-day event, held over the last weekend in July, features more than a dozen hot air balloons, live music, and crafts, art, and food vendors—and shade tents. HOT AIR BALLOON: CSA IMAGES

OCEAN CITY

Each summer, Maryland’s quintessential Atlantic resort—population 7,000—expands into the second largest city in the state, teeming with some 325,000 vacationers on the weekends. Roughly two-thirds of the annual eight-million visitors are from out of state, arriving from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., for the beach, boardwalk, amusement parks, deep-sea fishing, 17 area golf courses, and, now, a casino. For the adventurous, Ocean City offers everything from surfing lessons to skateboarding— the Ocean Bowl Skate Park has attracted the national Dew Tour several times—to the world’s largest billfish tournament, the White Marlin Open.

Back story: With the construction of the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad in the late 1860s, investors began laying out the streets, with the town officially named Ocean City in 1875 when the first major hotel opened.

Go for: water sports, seafood, and boardwalk fries.

Don’t miss: the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. Housed in an 1891-built former U.S. Coast Guard building, it captures Maryland’s seaside history like none other.

SMITH ISLAND

For centuries, Marylanders on the Eastern Shore have battled erosion and rising sea levels caused by the slow subsidence of the land along the Chesapeake Bay. But with climate change driving more powerful storms and melting glaciers, the issue has taken on an existential threat for Smith Islanders. The population, which once peaked at 800, is below 200 today, and the island is projected to erode completely by 2100. Which is to say, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this genuine throwback to a slower time and place. The last of Maryland’s inhabited bay islands is not accessible by car, and it’s a 45-minute passenger ferry from Crisfield. The main modes of transportation on the island are golf carts, bicycles, boats, and walking.

What’s in a name? British explorer John Smith mapped this island, but it takes its name from Henry Smith, of Jamestown, Virginia, who was granted 1,000 acres of the island in 1679.

Go for: Smith Island Cake and soft crab sandwiches from Drum Point Market.

Don’t miss: The Martin National Wildlife Refuge on the northern half of Smith Island.

CUNNINGHAM FALLS STATE PARK

Nestled on picturesque Catoctin Mountain in Frederick County, Cunningham Falls State Park is home to a 78-foot cascading waterfall, the largest in the state, and a manmade lake spanning more than 40 acres. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans used the Catoctin Mountain area for hunting and fishing, as well as mining it for rhyolite, a volcanic rock, to make sharp projectile points. The state park is divided into two separate and unique areas. The William Houck Area includes the falls, the lake area, the most popular hiking trails, and a camping area. You can also swim at the lake’s beach and rent boats at the dock during the summer months. The highlight of the Manor Area is the historic Catoctin Iron Furnace, constructed in 1774 by four local brothers.

Wide ranging: Catoctin Mountain forms the easternmost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which themselves are part of the Appalachian range.

Go for: hiking, swimming, and camping.

Don’t miss: Chubby’s Barbeque in nearby Emmitsburg, one of the great roadside BBQ restaurants anywhere.

LOCAL TREASURES

Glen Echo Park

MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo

For decades, Glen Echo, a half-dozen miles northwest of Georgetown, was a popular amusement park. Part of the National Park Service since 1971, today it’s known for its Art Deco architecture, historic Spanish ballroom, and antique carousel and serves as a visual and performing arts center that oversees art, music, dance, and theater programs.

GREENBELT HISTORIC DISTRICT

Once hailed as a utopian alternative to the increasingly overcrowded American cities of the 1930s, the Prince George’s suburb was one of three planned communities designed by FDR’s federal government during the Great Depression. Today, 86 years after its construction began, the historic Greenbelt district maintains its small town vibe with its cozy parks, family playgrounds, schools, old-timey movie theater, cooperative grocery store, and the cooperatively owned New Deal Café, one of the best local live music venues for the past two decades.

Test of time: The Greenbelt Historic District is the best preserved of the three Depression-era built “greenbelt” towns—Greenhills, Ohio, and Greendale, Wisconsin, are the other two—holding onto much of its green space despite the subsequent real estate and highway developments. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

Go for: walking, historical architecture and cultural artifacts.

Don’t miss: the original Art Deco-style Roosevelt Center, which remains the hub of the historic area.

SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN

The peak of this low mountain in northern Montgomery County is just 800 feet, but it’s considerably higher than the surrounding farmland, and Union and Confederate troops took turns posting lookouts here. This is what Christoph von Graffenried, the Swiss 1st Baron of Bernberg, wrote after visiting the mountain in 1712: “From there we went further back upon a mountain of the highest in those parts, called Sugar Loaf, for it has the form of a loaf of sugar. We took with us Martin Chartier, a surveyor we also had with us, and there came with us several Indians. From the mountain we viewed an exceedingly broad extent of country, a part of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Carolina, used the compass, [and] made us a map.”

Food and supplies: The Dickerson Market in nearby Dickerson is the closest general store for breakfast and lunch.

Go for: hiking, birding, and wildlife.

Don’t miss: historic Strong Mansion and formal gardens.

POINT LOOKOUT STATE PARK

The southern tip of St. Mary’s County is home to gorgeous Chesapeake Bay views and an incredible amount of Maryland and American history. The peninsula here was formed by the confluence of the Bay and the Potomac River and first witnessed by Europeans when Captain John Smith explored it in 1612. Later, British ships raided the Southern Maryland peninsula during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Point Lookout State Park itself was once an early resort for the well-to-do and then a Union prisoner- of-war camp for captured Confederate soldiers.

Peaceful paddle: In terms of outdoor recreation, there are three paddling trails at the state park—Point Lookout Creek, Lake Conoy, and a route along the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. Canoe rentals are available from the park store on a first-come basis. The park boasts a nature center, fishing pier, beach, and the Point Lookout Lighthouse as well.

Go for: paddling, fishing, camping, and history.

Don’t miss: The Civil War Museum and still-remaining earth works of a Civil War fortification on the Potomac River shore near Cornfield Harbor.

LOCAL TREASURES

Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay

Wilson Landing Rd., Nanjemoy

Declared a National Marine Sanctuary nearly two years ago, Mallows Bay is home to what has been described as the “largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere.” Mallows Bay Park is the primary access point to the somewhat spooky ship sanctuary and surrounding marine habitat. Local amenities include a boat ramp, soft launch for kayaks—guided tours are available—a walking trail, and interpretive signs.

ST. MARY’S CITY

The first expedition from England to the planned Maryland colony, undertaken by Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore, consisted of two ships—the Ark and Dove—with roughly 150 settlers, Jesuit missionaries, and indentured servants aboard. They arrived in what is now St. Mary’s County in 1634 and made permanent settlement upon a bluff overlooking the St. Mary’s River. The land had been home to the Piscataway people, who allowed the British settlement, and initially the settlers and Native Americans coincided peacefully. For the next six decades, St. Mary’s City served as the capital of the new colony.

Living history: Since 1969, St. Mary’s has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The city’s landmarks and living history museum commemorate North America’s fourth permanent English settlement.

Go for: the history, farmers’ market, and Chesapeake Bay.

Don’t miss: The Maryland Dove, the full-size replica of the early 17th-century expedition ship to the then-colony, which was constructed for the state’s 350th anniversary in the mid-1970s.

SOLOMONS ISLAND

Inhabited since colonial time, Solomons Island gets its name from Isaac Solomon, a 19th-century Baltimore businessman who established a cannery here after the Civil War. His house still stands on the entrance to the island. Shipyards eventually developed to support the island’s watermen and fishing fleet. Schooners and sloops were constructed here, as well as the more famous bugeyes, forerunners of Maryland’s iconic skipjacks. The deep harbor has remained a hub for watermen and boaters ever since.

Art for art’s sake: The Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons is an award-winning arts nonprofit and features a Smithsonian-affiliated, forested sculpture garden. The sculpture garden and one-quarter-mile walking path hosts permanent works and pieces on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art.

Go for: hiking, birding, and kayaking.

Don’t miss: “On Watch,” Antonio Tobias Mendez’s sculpture commemorating the World War II U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Base.

ANNAPOLIS

Sometimes we forget that one of the best small towns in America is just a 35-minute drive from Baltimore. Or, if you are up for a more vigorous trek, a 13-mile bicycle ride from Glen Burnie via the popular Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. The historic City Dock area lies at the foot of Annapolis’ Main Street, which slopes down from St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. It was founded in 1692 and is one of the original 30 Anglican parishes established in the Maryland province. At the head of City Dock sits a small park with the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial, which commemorates the arrival point of the Roots author’s African ancestor.

Step back in time: The array of seemingly endless historical sites within walking distance of downtown Annapolis includes the entire Colonial Annapolis Historic District, Maryland State House, U.S. Naval Academy, and St. John’s College, which opened in 1789.

Go for: sailing, shops, seafood, and art galleries.

Don’t miss: the Banneker-Douglass Museum, located in the Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church and dedicated to preserving the state’s African- American heritage.

LOCAL TREASURES

“America’s Sailing Capital”

Annapolis

Annapolis bills itself as “America’s Sailing Capital” and why not? The city has hosted the U.S. Sailboat Show, scheduled again for October, for the past five decades. Even more fun are Annapolis’ Wednesday Night Sailboat races, a long-time summer tradition, which can be watched from many places, including over cocktails.

GUNPOWDER FALLS STATE PARK

A diverse topographical corridor, Gunpowder Falls State Park stretches from Harford County to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Eastern Baltimore County. Established in 1959 to protect the Gunpowder River, as well as the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls, the park’s 18,000 acres range from rugged, hilly slopes to tidal marshes. It features more than 120 miles of trails, including the nearly 20-mile Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail (official name for the Northern Central Railroad walking and bicycle trail)—a local gem. The park also includes Prettyboy Reservoir, the Jerusalem Mill Village, Hammerman Area swimming beach, and Dundee Creek Marina.

What’s in a name? No one is sure, but the best guess is that it’s related to the saltpeter—a gunpowder ingredient—found along the rivers’ banks.

Go for: hiking, fishing, and horseback riding.

Don’t miss: cozy Loch Raven Fishing Center, which rents boats for fishing or paddling.

SUSQUEHANNA STATE PARK

Captain John Smith, who explored the Susquehanna River in 1608, wrote [of it]: “Heaven and earth seemed never to have agreed better to frame a place for man’s commodious and delightful habitation.” The river is named for the Susquehannock tribe, whom Smith met on his travels. For thousands of years, Native Americans thrived around the river, building farms and communities, and to this day, their petroglyph carvings survive in the river’s rocks. Situated along the Susquehanna Valley, amid its thick forest and often rocky terrain, the park offers hiking trails with river views and some excellent mountain biking opportunities.

Bring a camera: the picnic area around the Conowingo Dam offers one of the most popular places anywhere to photograph bald eagles and their high-speed fishing dives. October through February is the best time to go, but bald eagles do nest here year-round.

Go for: hiking, birding, and fishing.

Don’t miss: the restored Rock Run Historic Area.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL

The Appalachian Mountains stretch from Georgia to Canada and through Maryland, offering some of the most scenic vistas in the state. Encompassing 41 manageable miles from the West Virginia line to the Pennsylvania border, the Maryland section of the Appalachian Trail includes the gentlest terrain on America’s iconic hiking trail. It also cuts through Boonsboro’s Washington Monument State Park—home to the first U.S. monument to our first president— and Gathland State Park, which includes the National War Correspondents Memorial Arch, the first war correspondents monument in the United States. There are lots of places to access the trail, at Pen Mar Park, for example, on the PA line, and along the C&O Canal Towpath near the Potomac River.

Formative years: The Appalachian peaks were created some 270 million years ago when the ancestral continents of North America and Africa collided, thrusting masses of rocks that had been on the ocean floor upward and west—to what is today the eastern United States.

Go for: hiking and camping.

Don’t miss: the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in nearby Harpers Ferry.

LOCAL TREASURES

Delfest

Allegany County Fairgrounds, Cumberland

Fourteen years ago, York, Pennsylvania-born bluegrass pioneer Del McCoury brought his band and some friends together to do some playing in the heart of the Maryland mountains. Today, the annual multiday DelFest—music and camping set against a stunning Appalachian backdrop in Cumberland— is a must for bluegrass fans.

GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE

From its start in Cumberland, the Great Allegheny Passage heads through Frostburg to the Mason- Dixon line and the Eastern Continental Divide. There is historical drama along the way, too, including the Cumberland Bone Cave—an archeological site containing bones of saber-toothed cats and other extinct species—and the 914-foot Brush Tunnel. You might also catch a glimpse of the working steam railroad that still operates between Cumberland and Frostburg. Ultimately, the Great Allegheny Passage, completed in 2013, runs 150 miles to Pittsburgh. The route follows former rail beds and traverses alongside rivers and streams amid landmarks from the French and Indian Wars and the Midwestern expansion.

Hall of Famer: The GAP was the first rail-trail in the country to be inducted into Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame.

Go for: bicycling, camping, and scenic views.

Don’t miss: the Allegany Museum, whose exhibits center on the region’s prehistoric life, local folk art, and Cumberland’s industrial history. A Crossroads of America exhibition, which will trace the history of human movement through the area, is in the works.

ROCKY GAP STATE PARK

This Allegany County state park originated in large part from a donation of land by Edward Habeeb, a local florist and turn-of-the-century Lebanese immigrant. His donation, along with those of some 40 other local landowners, led to the construction of a dam built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1970 and the formation of the 243-acre Lake Habeeb. Officially opened in 1974, the day-use area of the 3,000-plus acre state park is situated on the former Clover Hill dairy farm. The Rocky Gap Casino Resort here is privately owned and operated.

Blue is the warmest color: Rocky Gap Run, which winds its way through a mile-long gorge of cliffs and dense hemlock forest, feeds Lake Habeeb, which is known for having the bluest water in the state. Evitts Mountain, named for one of the first European settlers in the area, overlooks the lake.

Go for: Mountain biking, hiking, and boating.

Can’t miss: The Rocky Gap State Park Aviary.