Maryland Mini Guide
Part of the Mid Atlantic region, Maryland is a state which epitomises America because it has such variety. Maryland is bordered by many other states including
Pennsylvania,
Delaware,
Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The biggest city in Maryland is
Baltimore, a gritty place which is quintessentially American with its docks and industry. Built on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore is a buzzing and cosmopolitan metropolis with something for everyone.
There is Fells Point which has a vibrant Italian community and the industrial southeast which is home to Irish, Polaks and Greeks. West Baltimore, despite being the setting for crime television series The Wire, is also worth visiting not least to see Edgar Allen Poe’s house. Car rental in Baltimore is the best way to get around this city which mixes modern and old architecture and is very popular with tourists.
Another city within central Maryland is the state capital Annapolis which is home to the gorgeous and impressive Maryland State House. Annapolis also has an incredibly charming harbour which is a good place to grab a bit to eat and a drink. Shellfish around the Chesapeake Bay is particularly good. To drive to Annapolis from Baltimore take the interstate 97.
If city life is not for you why not make the short drive half an hour from Baltimore to the Patapsco Valley State Park? Alternatively you can head to Western Maryland where you can take up the Appalachian Trail and enjoy the wonderful wildlife around Deep Creek Lake. There the Railey Mountains Lake vacations company offers charming cabins by the lake to stay in. Within the Appalachian Mountains the railroad town of Cumberland on the Potomac River and the picturesque city of Hagerstown are worth visiting. Maryland even has access to the sea and Ocean City is the place to go if you want a beach holiday.