Things to Do in Maryland
Ten stops running from wild horses that swim between barrier islands to a battlefield that saw the single bloodiest day in American military history.
Maryland packs a proper range into a small state, wild ponies, Civil War history, and a crab house culture that treats picking your own meal as half the point of the meal itself. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Assateague Island's Wild Horses
A barrier island split between Maryland and Virginia, home to two separate herds of wild horses that have lived here for centuries, likely descended from domestic stock that either escaped or was deliberately released generations ago. The Maryland herd roams freely and is properly wild, keep a proper, respectful distance, these aren't tame animals despite how approachable they can look.
Kayaking and camping both run well on the island beyond just horse spotting, a good, quieter alternative to the more developed beaches further along the coast.
Best time Spring and autumn for milder weather; check current horse locations at the visitor centre
Address Assateague Island National Seashore, MD
The National Aquarium, Baltimore
One of the larger, more established aquariums on the East Coast, right on Baltimore's Inner Harbor, a multi-level rainforest exhibit and a shark tank viewable from several angles round out a collection that consistently ranks among the country's better aquariums. Dolphin presentations, now framed around natural behaviour demonstrations rather than traditional performance shows, still draw a proper crowd.
Book timed entry ahead during peak season, this reliably sells out on busy summer weekends, check availability before finalising other plans around it.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 501 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD
Antietam National Battlefield
The site of the single bloodiest day in American military history, over 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in one day of fighting during the 1862 Civil War battle. The battlefield remains remarkably well-preserved, a self-guided driving tour with numbered stops covers the full sequence of the fighting, from the Cornfield to Bloody Lane to Burnside Bridge.
This runs as a properly sobering visit, allow real time to walk sections of the battlefield rather than only driving the tour route, the scale of what happened here is difficult to grasp from a car alone.
Hours Daily, roughly 8.30am-5pm
Address 5831 Dunker Church Rd, Sharpsburg, MD
A Proper Maryland Crab House
Maryland's crab house tradition runs on a specific, hands-on ritual, steamed blue crabs dumped directly onto brown paper covering the table, seasoned heavily with Old Bay, and cracked open with a wooden mallet rather than served pre-picked. Cantler's Riverside Inn near Annapolis, right on the water with its own crabbing boats, remains one of the most established, well-regarded spots for the full experience.
This is a proper messy meal, expect a bib and considerable effort for relatively little meat per crab, part of the appeal is the process itself rather than efficiency.
Best time Summer through early autumn for peak crab season
Address Cantler's Riverside Inn, 458 Forest Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD
Great Falls & the C&O Canal
The Potomac River drops roughly 76 feet over a series of rapids and cascades at Great Falls, a properly dramatic stretch of whitewater considerably closer to Washington DC than most visitors expect. The adjacent C&O Canal, a 184-mile historic towpath built in the 19th century, runs alongside the river, popular with cyclists and walkers covering shorter sections near the falls.
Several overlooks give sweeping views of the falls without much walking involved, a good option if you're short on time or travelling with anyone who'd rather not commit to a longer hike.
Hours Daily, roughly 7am-dusk
Address 9200 Old Dominion Dr, Great Falls, MD
Deep Creek Lake
Maryland's largest freshwater lake, tucked into the mountains of the state's western panhandle, a proper four-season destination, boating and swimming through summer, skiing at the adjacent Wisp Resort come winter. The surrounding Garrett State Forest runs extensive hiking trails, considerably quieter and more mountainous terrain than most visitors associate with Maryland.
This runs as one of the more remote stops on this list, build proper travel time into your schedule given how far it sits from Baltimore or DC.
Best time Summer for the lake; December-March for skiing
Address Deep Creek Lake, MD
Pimlico & the Preakness Stakes
Home to the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, run at Pimlico Race Course every May since 1873, one of the oldest continuously run stakes races in the country. Race day draws serious crowds, particularly to the infield, which has developed its own reputation as a considerably rowdier, more festival-like atmosphere than the grandstand seating.
Outside race day, the track occasionally runs tours of the facility, check the current schedule if racing history interests you beyond just watching an event.
Best time Third Saturday in May for the Preakness
Address 5201 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD
St. Michaels & the Eastern Shore
A small, historic waterfront town on Maryland's Eastern Shore, still home to a real working watermen's fleet alongside a growing tourism trade, considerably quieter and slower-paced than Baltimore or Annapolis across the bay. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, right on the water, covers the region's boat-building and crabbing traditions, including several historic vessels open for boarding.
A scenic drive along the wider Eastern Shore connects several similarly quiet waterfront towns, extend a St. Michaels visit into a longer, unhurried loop if time allows.
Hours Museum daily, roughly 10am-5pm
Address St. Michaels, MD
Port Discovery Children's Museum, Baltimore
A properly hands-on children's museum spread across three floors, a three-story urban treehouse structure and a dinosaur dig exhibit both rank among the more popular stops for younger visitors. This works well as a rainy-day option alongside a wider Baltimore trip, close enough to the Inner Harbor to pair with the aquarium in the same day if you're up for a full schedule.
Exhibits lean toward younger children specifically, roughly ages 2 through 10, worth knowing if travelling with older kids who might find it a touch young.
Hours Daily, roughly 9.30am-4.30pm
Address 35 Market Pl, Baltimore, MD
Ocean City Boardwalk
Maryland's main beach resort town, a proper three-mile boardwalk lined with arcades, shops, and Thrasher's French Fries, a stand that's operated in largely the same form since 1929. The beach itself runs wide and family-friendly, lifeguards on duty through the main summer season and considerably calmer than some of the more exposed Atlantic beaches further south.
Trimper's Rides, an old-fashioned amusement park at the boardwalk's southern end, keeps ticket prices reasonable and rides properly aimed at younger kids rather than teenagers chasing bigger thrills.
Best time June-August for swimming weather
Address Ocean City, MD
Best time to visit Maryland
May through September covers the most comfortable window for the coastal and outdoor stops on this list, mild enough for swimming without winter's real cold.
Antietam and the historic towns both work well year-round, consider either specifically if visiting outside the beach season.
Getting around Maryland
A car is essential, the distances between Baltimore, the Eastern Shore, and the western panhandle run into a few hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Maryland worth visiting beyond DC's suburbs?
- Yes, easily, Assateague's wild horses and the Eastern Shore's working watermen towns both offer a completely different picture of the state than its proximity to the capital suggests.
- How many days do you need in Maryland?
- Five days gives a comfortable pace to cover Baltimore, the Eastern Shore, and either Antietam or Assateague Island.
- Is Maryland expensive to visit?
- Moderate, crab feasts run pricier than most meals on this list, though the rest of the state stays reasonably affordable.
- What's the best Maryland trip for kids?
- The National Aquarium and Port Discovery Children's Museum both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state that packs considerably more range into a small footprint than most visitors expect.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
