CAPITAL REGION When world-renowned chef Bryan Voltaggio returned to his hometown of Frederick to open his own restaurants, he sparked a renaissance for food and drink in Maryland’s Capital Region. The building of MGM National Harbor, a game-changing casino and music hub that rivals the best of Las Vegas, elevated the local area as a premier dining and entertainment destination. Eat & Drink Taste Legendary Cuisine at Volt Bryan Voltaggio’s original restaurant, set in an elegant, late-19th-century brick mansion in downtown Frederick, is now a decade old—and has only grown better with age. The former Top Chef contestant continues crafting memorable menus relying on seasonal, local ingredients. The menu is ever-evolving, but foie gras , beef short rib and a variety of seafood is usually available. known to the locals. Go ahead and bring a large group and try dishes from sambusas and lamb stew to vegetarian—all served on a communal plate and eaten with bread and your own two hands (no utensils), as is the custom for the region’s large Ethiopian population. FREDERICK Frederick See & Do Fly Like a Superhero at Six Flags America At Six Flags America, waltz down Main Street 1776, a re-creation of Colonial America, tangle with the Joker in Gotham City or relax with a float down Wahoo River. Hurricane Harbor hosts a bodacious wave pool that’s the largest in the nation. You’ll also find 10 brain-melting roller coasters and Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth ride that opened in 2018 and swings you 40 miles per hour at 24 stories above the ground. MONTGOMERY Rockville Get Carnivorous at Urban Butcher Can a restaurant that brags about its salami really be one of the best in the nation? Absolutely! This nose-to-tail butchery serves some of the most delectable steaks anywhere, but also offers pâté and pastrami. At Urban Butcher, meat is art. Washington DC Upper Marlboro PRINCE GEORGE’S Share Ethiopian Favorites at Shagga This authentic Ethiopian restaurant in Hyattsville is well Entertainment Venues The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda is one of  Grab a Seat at Top the most striking venues you’ll ever see and the perfect spot for a night at the symphony. The Fillmore, in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, offers big names (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Incubus in 2018), while the nearby AFI Silver presents both modern independent films and classics. Goddard Space Flight Center. Visitors can see model exhibits of the Hubble Telescope and experience the thrill of space through interactive displays and events, such as live science experiments and model rocket launches for the kids. Traverse Trails along the Towpath Built to carry coal from the Allegheny Mountains to the nation’s capital, the C&O Canal Towpath is now a popular walking and biking destination through some of the most scenic parts of the state. Locks, support buildings and aqueducts dot the route as do visitors centers offering information about the canal. You can even stay overnight in a lock house.  Dream Big at MGM National Harbor This gleaming facility on the Potomac has it all—table games and slots, a 3,000-seat theater (Cher made it her East Coast stage in 2017 and 2018), restaurants from José Andrés and the Voltaggio brothers, Brian and Michael, as well as a luxurious hotel to unwind in after all the fun. Be a Rocket Scientist for the Day Wahoo River at Six Flags America, Bowie Watch Live Shows in a Historic Theater Formerly opened as the Tivoli in 1926, this glamorous theater Learn about the intricacies of space missions at NASA 66 ( VISITMARYLAND.ORG | 1-877-333-4455 PHOTO: ANDY LAY/SIX FLAGS AMERICA
Maryland Official Visitors Guide 2019 Maryland Official Visitors Guide: Page 66
