Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2017
Family Fun
Jim Meyer 2016-12-08 04:56:16
Canoeing on Deep Creek Lake
Round up the kids and start making memories on a Maryland adventure.
Whether your family craves a ride on a roller coaster or waterslides, a day at the National Aquarium or zoo (we’ve got five great ones, so make it a month’s worth of Sundays), a visit to great children’s museums, an outdoor adventure, sandcastle construction projects, or some of the best ice cream you’ll ever have, Maryland has more perfect spots for family fun than a dozen dalmatians.
Cutting-Edge Coasters, Classic Rides, and Wet, Wild Fun
Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro is Maryland’s undisputed king of coasters with Apocalypse, BATWING, and the SUPERMAN: Ride of Steel hypercoaster, with its 205-foot drop and virtual reality that takes you into the skies of Metropolis with Superman himself.
Trimper’s Rides on the boardwalk in Ocean City has been a Maryland family staple since 1893, and while they’ve got their own coasters and great thrill rides, this is the place for your little ones to make that unforgettable first ride on the beautiful 1912 carousel.
When the mercury rises, Jolly Roger has a bit of welcome chill to go with their thrills. Rightfully famous for theme park rides in both of its Ocean City locations and the biggest go-cart track on the East Coast, Jolly Roger’s Splash Mountain waterpark will quench your family’s thirst for fun
Dino-Dig at The Maryland Science Center, Baltimore
Get Into the Swing
Tighten those family ties at one of these ropes courses. Terrapin Adventures in Savage Mill, Upward Enterprises in Frederick and Go Ape in Sandy Spring are world-class aerial ropes courses, and the Flying Squirrel Canopy Tour and new Chipmunk Challenge Course at Wisp Resort are perfect for your tiny Tarzans and junior Janes.
Terrapin Adventures, Savage Mill
Go Wild at Top Zoos
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is home to more than 2,000 animals in naturalistic exhibits like the new African penguin exhibit where these best-dressed birds glide through currents and leap through waves. At the Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun you can hand feed Jimmie the Giraffe. The Salisbury Zoo makes for a perfect break on the way to the beach or an adventure all its own. In Thurmont, don’t miss the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. Kiddie Cousteaus will love the Calvert Marine Museum with its giant megalodon shark skeleton and frolicsome river otters. And don’t miss Baltimore’s National Aquarium: with dolphins, sharks and an immersive coral reef, this stunning facility at the Inner Harbor welcomes visitors to a world of water.
Canoeing on Deep Creek Lake
Family-Friendly Museums
The Maryland Science Center offers a mind-blowing look through the eye of the Hubble Space Telescope and features massive dinosaur skeletons. There’s even a simulated dino-dig so you can feel what it’s like to be a paleontologist.
Port Discovery Children’s Museum is like a world unto itself with a fabulous water room, KidWorks, an enormous four-story jungle gym, a toddler room for tykes two and under, and even a kid-scale diner. Kid conductors and would-be firefighters will love the trains at the B&O Railroad Museum and The Fire Museum of Maryland.
Hiking in Deep Creek Lake State Park
PHOTOS: ROBIN SHOTOLOA FOR THE MARYLAND SCIENCE CENTER; TERRAPIN ADVENTURES; MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Camping & Outdoor Adventures
Looking to ease into the outdoors? Start with a weekend at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Hagerstown. Cabins have screened porches and all the essentials of home, and the park’s organized activities for the wee ones will let mom and dad get some down time. Looking to get a little closer to nature? Gunpowder State Park offers kid-friendly (flat!) Hiking. Reserve a cabin at New Germany State Park and create a one-of-a-kind memory. Drop a line in Lake Habeeb at Rocky Gap State Park or at Cambridge’s Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park just a few feet from Route 50, or pitch a tent at Assateague State Park where the sounds of crashing waves and the whinnies of the island’s famous wild beach horses will thrill children of all ages.
Beach Bonanza
Deep Creek Lake has great freshwater swimming beaches, as do the swimming holes at the Beaver Dam Swim Club and Cascade Lake. On the bay, North Point State Park, Hammerman Beach, Sandy Point and the aptly named Chesapeake Beach offer sand, sun and plenty of fun. Oh, and did we mention Ocean City? Between the emerald Atlantic Ocean and the iconic boardwalk lies a stretch of white sandy beach absolutely perfect for castle construction. Finally, after all that family fun, you deserve a reward, so head out on the awesome Ice Cream Trail. Fill up your passport by hitting all eight cowto- cone creameries. If there was ever a good reason to get the family into the car, it’s knowing when they get out, there’s going to be ice cream.
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Family Fun
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