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Maryland Travel Guide

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Maryland [1] is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America. It is characterized by diversity, including both sea and mountain, urban and rural, historic and modern opportunities for the visitor.

Contents

Regions

Cities

Other destinations

Understand

The largest and most well known geographic feature of Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay, the world's largest estuary. At one time it was called the world's protein basket because it produced so much seafood in the form of fish and shellfish, in particular its most famous product, Blue Crabs. Today the bay is a poster child for what happens from overfishing and pollution, but Maryland leads the country in many progressive "Save the Bay" programs to save wetlands, and halt the flow of pollutants from the more than 12 million people who live in its watershed from Pennsylvania to Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is a magnet for sailing and fishing sports activities.

The state is bounded to the south by the Potomac River, which offers opportunities for boating, and bicycling along the disused Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail, leading from Washington (D.C.) to Cumberland.

The western part of the state is much more mountainous than the eastern lowlands, and offers hiking along the Appalachian Trail, whitewater recreation in the Youghiogheny River, and historical sites such as Antietam Battlefield, where the events of the bloodiest single day in American history unfolded.

Ocean City offers an economy that caters to the huge seasonal influx of beach-goers. It has an odd charm in the winter, with discounted hotels, deserted beaches and empty restaurants.

Geography and Climate

The state crosses many different geographical zones, from the low, sandy barrier islands of the Atlantic Coast to the fertile, lowlands of the Chesapeake Basin, which rise into the foothills of the Piedmont, and eventually the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains. Maryland has been called "America in Minature" because of the great difference of landscape one can experience in such a small area.

The climate of Maryland varies as much as its topography. The lower elevation Atlantic Coastal Plain, which surrounds the Chesapeake Bay and includes the major cities of Baltimore, Annapolis, and Salisbury has a mild subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and cool winters with very little snow. As one moves away from the Bay and higher in elevation, the climate becomes more continental, with milder summers and colder winters. In the mountains of the west summers are cool, and winters can be very cold with heavy snows. The mountains protect the eastern half of Maryland from much of the harsh winter weather experienced in the Great Lakes region.

Talk

Get in

Get around

  • Maryland Transit Authority [2] for bus, light rail, subway, and MARC commuter train information.
  • Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Central Maryland are served by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (METRO) [3]

See

Do

  • Maryland Rennaissance Festival Crownsville, MD. Phone: (800) 296-7304. http://www.rennfest.com/ Celebrating its 30th year as of 2006, the Rennaissance Festival is held every fall on the weekends (and Labor Day) between the last weekend of August and the third weekend of October.

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Get out

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