Central Maryland Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Central Maryland

• 39.510278-76.1691671 Aberdeen
• 38.972944-76.5011582 Annapolis
• 39.283333-76.6166673 Baltimore
  • 39.4-76.64 Baltimore County (excluding Baltimore itself) — Mostly the densely populated suburbs of Baltimore.
• 39.536667-76.3483335 Bel Air
• 39.203611-76.8569446 Columbia
• 39.418611-76.2941677 Edgewood
• 39.268056-76.7988898 Ellicott City
• 39.16-76.6105569 Glen Burnie
• 39.192778-76.72416710 Hanover
• 39.548333-76.097511 Havre de Grace
• 39.1375-76.82388912 Savage
• 39.082222-76.56555613 Severna Park
• 39.371111-76.972514 Sykesville - Downtown Sykesville has a restored African-American schoolhouse. The scenery is pristine. The B&O railroad museum has information on the history of the town and the railroad. The Patapsco river has beautiful scenery.
• 39.576667-7715 Westminster - features old homes, and McDaniel college and the Carroll County farm museum, which is dedicated to rural life in the 1800s.

• 39.293056-76.7866671 Patapsco Valley State Park

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI ^IATA) is a major point of entry to the region, with the Southwest Airlines hub providing a lot of cheap flights from all over the country.

The big highway running north-south is I-95, which runs up from D.C., past BWI, through Baltimore, and then up the coast through all the major East Coast cities.

Other important routes include I-70, which goes into Baltimore from Western Maryland; I-83, which runs north from Baltimore to York, Pennsylvania; I-97 between Baltimore and Annapolis; and US-50, connecting Annapolis to D.C.

Amtrak is the major operator on the East Coast, and the Northeast Corridor, which runs between D.C. and New York, crosses the region, with notable stops (from south to north) at New Carrollton, BWI Airport, Baltimore, and Aberdeen.

The MARC trains provide a commuter rail service between D.C. and the Delaware border, passing through the same stations as Amtrak, but with a few more stops, and lower passenger fares.

Sights in Central Maryland are concentrated in Baltimore and Annapolis. The biggest attractions are likely the Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium, the Annapolis State Capitol building, the Naval Academy (also in Annapolis), and more generally the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of other interesting attractions off the beaten path, though, like the National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade.

• Medieval Times — located in the Arundel Mills Mall complex
• Merriweather Post Pavilion — large outdoor concert venue located in Columbia
• Historic Ellicott City — shopping, antiques and restaurants in downtown Ellicot City

• Maryland Renaissance Festival
• Wine in the Woods — Located in Columbia at Symphony Woods, this annual event features wineries from across the state, live entertainment, food vendors, arts & crafts and live demonstrations on wines and food.

• Gunpowder Falls State Park, 2813 Jerusalem Road, Kingsville, ☏ +1 410-592-2897. (updated Feb 2024)

• Susquehanna State Park, 4122 Wilkinson Road, Havre de Grace. (updated Feb 2024)

• Rocks State Park, 3318 Rocks Chrome Hill Road, Jarrettsville, ☏ +1 410-557-7994. (updated Feb 2024)

• Palmer State Park, 3209 Forge Hill Road, Street, ☏ +1 410-557-7994. (updated Feb 2024)

• Patapsco Valley State Park, 8020 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, ☏ +1 410-461-5005. (updated Feb 2024)

• Arundel Mills Mall — outlet mall
• Historic Savage Mill — antique shopping

The most problematic city in this area is definitely Baltimore, but there are small steps one can take to reduce the chance of trouble.