drive type rural landscapes give way to city driving falls road 39 Surrounded by rolling green countryside, this byway provides easy access to historical, cultural and recreational attractions as rural landscapes give way to the glittering Baltimore cityscape. miles from prettyboy reservoir to baltimore t he Jones Falls was once an important source of power for grist and cotton mills that popped up in the Jones Falls Valley and produced goods that were taken into town via the Falls Road Turnpike. Many of those mills still remain as shops, galleries and homes amid elegant neighborhoods. quarries, iron ore pits and an archaeology site are some of the interesting features of this 1,000-acre park, which also hosts outdoor events ranging from orchestral concerts to hot-air balloon ascensions and o ers swimming and hiking. Heading south past the idyllic campuses of Maryvale Preparatory School and St. Paul’s School, you fi nd yourself amid historic country estates in the Green Spring Valley. Get a closer look with a quick sidetrack down MD 130 (Green Spring Valley Road). and English architecture has been used for numerous special events, including celebrity weddings. Grand homes and well-manicured properties characterize residential areas found just inside the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). Rockland is a National Register Historic District that grew up around the milling industry and has become a quiet community of impressive stone buildings. The neighborhood of Bare Hills, with its Gothic revival homes, took its name from mining operations that were active during the 1800s. Bare Hills’ quarries supplied the stone used to build a mansion that is the centerpiece of the Cylburn Arboretum, a beautiful complex of trails, gardens and outdoor sculptures. On the northwest outskirts of Baltimore City, Mount Washington is an eclectic Alesia to Worthington INCLUDING MD 25 The Falls Road tour begins near Prettyboy Reservoir near the tiny community of Alesia. Hiking, o -road biking, fi shing and paddle sports are a few of the popular pursuits at Prettyboy, as well as down the road at Gunpowder Falls State Park. Enter the town of Butler to browse among the various antiques stores and specialty shops before moving on to the Oregon Ridge Nature Center. Marble 26 | Ruxton to Baltimore INCLUDING MD 25 & MARYLAND AVE Passing through an intersection with Joppa Road and the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), you approach what looks like a European castle. The Cloisters, a mansion built in 1932 based on late medieval French maryland scenic byways