Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2018 Maryland Official Visitors Guide
Road Trips & Driving Tours
2017-11-29 07:15:49
Take an All-American Road Trip
We call ourselves “fun-sized”—and perfect for road tripping
Pack up the car and get that motor running to explore off-the-beaten-path spots along Maryland’s Scenic Byways and other classic driving tours.
What makes a road trip more than the sum of those roadside selfies and rest stop keepsakes? Open highways that let you know you’re really going places, paired with winding two-lane back roads that put you up close and personal with the people and places that turn miles into memories. You’ll see sights so beautiful they swipe the words right out of you, and unexpected oddities that you just can’t stop talking about. Well, folks, buckle up because in Maryland, we’ve got those kinds of trips in spades.
Mason & Dixon Byway
Take the Mason & Dixon Scenic Byway from Westminster to Appleton. You could do it in a day, but why not turn a long weekend into a 143-mile, only-in-America story? Completed in 1767 by astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to settle a colonial border dispute, the Mason & Dixon Line has come to divide the country into North and South, while at the same time, joining it as one great nation.
Immerse yourself in America’s heartland with a stop at the Carroll County Farm Museum, home to living historians, a popular wine festival, traditional classes and cutting-edge concerts. Park the car at Rocks State Park and scale the famous King and Queen Seat rock bluff rising 190 feet above the rapids and falls of Deer Creek. Linger at the observation deck at the foot of Conowingo Dam on the mighty Susquehanna River, where magic soars in the blue skies above. A single scan of the sky can catch two-dozen or more majestic bald eagles soaring amongst the clouds and swooping into the dense schools of fish below.
But, the views are just part of what turns a trip in the car to an honestto- goodness road trip packed with memories. It’s the sound of your tires on timbers as you cross the Foxcatcher Farms Covered Bridge. It’s the loaf of bread you make for friends with buckwheat flour from the Union Mills Gristmill, paired with the bottle of Flirting Heart Cabernet you picked up at Galloping Goose Vineyards, and the story about how you stopped for a hotdog at the Plumpton Park Zoo and ended up on a first name basis with Jimmie the Giraffe.
Booth’s Escape Byway
Of course, some of the best road trips come with a side of adventure, and what’s more adventurous than recreating one of the most notorious manhunts in American history? The 66-mile Booth’s Escape Byway through Southern Maryland takes you on the trail of the assassin John Wilkes Booth and connects you with the men and women who brought Abraham Lincoln’s killer to justice.
In Port Tobacco, a town seemingly frozen in time since the Civil War, let the centuries slip away. Stay the night at the nearby Bell House B&B, summer home of Alexander Graham Bell, nestled on the banks of the gorgeous Potomac River.
Walk the halls of the Surratt House Museum and explore secret rooms where Booth and his co-conspirators planned their wicked act. Stop at the home of Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set Booth’s broken leg and forever dirtied the good name Mudd. (“Your name is Mudd” will take on a whole new meaning.) And follow the trail to the banks of the Potomac and contemplate what it was like for the brave soldiers and agents who brought the conspirators to justice.
Baltimore’s Historic Charles Street Byway
Or enjoy a different kind of adventure along Baltimore’s Historic Charles Street Byway; only 12 miles long, it’s the perfect bicyclist’s road trip. Fill up a Thermos from a local coffee shop for a morning stop in Sherwood Gardens: a hidden oasis in the middle of the metropolis, touting a multicolored sea of dazzling tulips in the spring. Stop for a stroll in Charles Village; this international neighborhood is the home of Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Museum of Art and cuisine from around the globe.
Take a break in Mount Vernon to wander the galleries of the Walters Art Museum, where its stunning collections and legendary “Cabinet of Curiosities” are a perfect fit for every road trip. Explore the beautiful George Peabody Library, climb the steps of the Washington Monument, and witness the roots of religious freedom at the Basilica of the Assumption, the Western Hemisphere’s first Catholic cathedral, and First Unitarian Church Baltimore, birthplace of the Unitarian faith.
Then coast the last mile for dinner and drinks on Baltimore’s world-famous Inner Harbor. This glittering jewel in the heart of the city makes the perfect place to marvel at your two-wheeled road trip in an afternoon.
Historic National Road Byway
Or if you’re a traditionalist, Maryland’s Historic National Road Scenic Byway might be the archetypal road trip. Following America’s first highway from Baltimore out through the gorgeous Allegheny Mountains, this trip packs a lifetime of memories into just 170 miles. Kick it off with a water taxi ride around Baltimore harbor and an Orioles game at “The Yard,” and then head west for stirring vistas and dashboard-horizon fun.
Take in the clustered spires of Frederick, where hip meets historic with shops, restaurants and breweries on its charming downtown streets. You’ll pass through Boonsboro, home of the brand-new National Road Museum, opening in 2018. The charming Inn BoonsBoro, owned by author Nora Roberts, always makes for a perfect overnight stay. Back on the road, Sideling Hill, where modern-day Highway 168 cuts through the mountains, lets you see millions of years of geology against a panoramic backdrop of the Allegheny Mountains.
If you choose, you can park your car in downtown Cumberland and try on a set of steel wheels with a ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. This epic trip through the mountains west to Frostburg makes for memories at every turn of the track. To add a little flair to your getaway, book a Murder Mystery Train and add some sleuthing to your road trip.
If you’re continuing your driving tour, take in the panorama at Casselman Bridge near Grantsville. This remarkable 354-foot-long stone marvel was an engineering tour-de-force when completed in 1814. Now its graceful arch spans the Casselman River, surrounded by lush, rolling forest—it’s the kind of view that lets hours slip by unnoticed and unmissed.
Just a short walk from the bridge, meet the artists and craftspeople of the Spruce Forest Artisan Village. The village is home to a collection of buildings saved from throughout the Appalachians that make perfect workshops for these classic artisans. Pause for a bite at Cornucopia Cafe, or the Penn Alps Restaurant, famous for its classic, home-style buffet.
Chesapeake Country Byway
For something a little different, saunter through the nooks and crannies of North America’s largest estuary. The 419-mile Chesapeake Country Byway may seem daunting at first. But it branches and reconnects, much like the rivers that define this magical place, allowing you to pick and choose your route, so each year’s Eastern Shore adventure on the way to O.C. is unlike the last.
Visit the stunning Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, just a few miles off Highway 50. This “Everglades of the North” is the centerpiece of the Great Atlantic Flyway, where open water vistas are capped with soaring eagles. Make time for the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury— home of the National Folk Festival—and experience thousands of years of traditional Chesapeake art and artistry. And of course, get your shop on at the Queenstown Premium Outlets, because it’s really not a road trip if you don’t come home with some vacation loot!
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Discover the shore’s history with detours along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The 125-mile route immerses you in the country and culture of one of freedom’s greatest heroes. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, carved from the countryside where Tubman herself led people to freedom along the Underground Railroad, provides a soul-stirring look at the woman and her great work. From the center, it’s just a short trip to the Bucktown Village Store, the place where a young Tubman, still just a child, made her first brave stand for freedom.
Cape to Cape Byway
Even if you’ve already made it to the beach, it’s not too late for a road trip. The Cape to Cape Byway starts in Ocean City and winds 79 miles along Maryland’s Atlantic coast. Meet the wild horses of Assateague Island National Seashore, explore the salt-blown Pocomoke State Forest, paddle the primeval Nassawango Creek Preserve—one of the last true wildernesses on the East Coast—and take in charming small towns like Berlin and Snow Hill. Plan ahead, or just turn a rainy beach day into an unforgettable getaway!
Experience Three Scenic Byways Videos with the Blippar App
Escape the highway and enjoy a byway for a relaxing road trip to explore charming towns, the splendor of nature and hidden gems. Download and use the Blippar app to get a taste of these road trips.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
Explore the once-secret network of trails, waterways and safe houses used by enslaved people fleeing north to escape slavery.
Chesapeake Country
Take your time experiencing the special beauty of this tidewater region with its pristine waterways and vibrant historic waterfront villages.
Baltimore’s Historic Charles Street
Though only a dozen miles long, Charles Street is packed with world-renowned museums, captivating performing arts, high-intensity professional sports and a variety of fine dining establishments.
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