Maryland

Photo © zenjenn

Travel Guide North America USA Southern United States Maryland

Introduction

Concord lighthouse Havre de Grace, Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution, and has three occasionally used nicknames: the Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State.

edit

Geography

Maryland borders Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. Maryland is the 9th smallest state by area, but the 19th most populous and the 5th most densely populated of the 50 United States. Maryland has an area of 32,133.2 km2. It is the 9th smallest state of the USA. Maryland possesses a variety of topography, hence its nickname, "America in Miniature."[12] It ranges from sandy dunes dotted with seagrass in the east, to low marshlands teeming with wildlife and large bald cypress near the bay, to gently rolling hills of oak forest in the Piedmont Region, and pine groves in the mountains to the west. The highest point in Maryland, with an elevation of 1,020 metres, is Hoye Crest on Backbone Mountain, in the southwest corner of Garrett County, near the border with West Virginia.

edit

Cities

Annapolis, the state's capital
Baltimore, the state's largest city.
Bethesda
Columbia
Dundalk
Ellicott City
Frederick
Germantown
Silver Spring
Wheaton.

edit

Sights and Activities

Baltimore

The Edgar Allan Poe House
The Maryland Science Center
The National Aquarium
The Baltimore Museum of Art

Annapolis

The Banneker-Douglass Museum
The Annapolis Maryland State House is another great city highlight bursting with US history.
The State London Town and Gardens

Frederick

The Catoctin Mountain Park
The Monocacy National Battlefield
The Cunningham Falls State Park.

Bethesda

The National Library of Medicine
The Dennis & Phillip Ratner Museum
The McCrillis Gardens and Gallery

Salisbury

The Salisbury Zoo
The Chipman Cultural Center
The Poplar Hill Mansion
The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art

Silver Spring

The Penn Oaks Winery
The Sandy Spring Museum

Other

Ocean City is the designated beach resort for those looking for water activities.
Chesapeake Beach - Quiet, great place for fishing, crabbing, sailing, swimming on the north and chesapeake beaches, or the water park! Or just great place to relax enjoy the marina and seafood galore!
Hagerstown City is renowned as a shopping place in the region and people flock from all over to enjoy excellent deals and savings.

edit

Weather

The eastern half of Maryland has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and a short, mild to cool winter. This region includes the cities of Salisbury, Annapolis, Ocean City, and southern and eastern greater Baltimore. Beyond this region lies the Piedmont which lies in the transition between the humid subtropical climate zone and the subtropical highland zone, with hot, humid summers and cool winters where average annual snowfall exceeds 50 centimetres and temperatures below -12 °C are annual occurrences. Farther into western Maryland, the higher elevations of Allegany County and Garrett County lie in the subtropical highland zone. Due to their elevation (more typical of the Appalachian mountain region) with milder summers and cool, and snowy winters, far west Maryland has a humid continental climate. Precipitation in the state is characteristic of the East Coast. Annual rainfall ranges from 890 to 1,100 mm with more in higher elevations. Because of its location near the Atlantic Coast, Maryland is somewhat vulnerable to tropical cyclones, although the Delmarva Peninsula, and the outer banks of North Carolina to the south provide a large buffer, such that a strike from a major hurricane (category 3 or above) is not very likely but is not impossible. Maryland averages around 30–40 days of thunderstorms a year, and averages around six tornado strikes annually.

edit

Getting There

By Plane

There are three major airports that serve the Baltimore-Washington Area. Getting from each of these airports into town is a mixed bag. They all have the standard taxi, shuttle services and rental cars. Public transportation on the other hand is lacking.

1. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) - Located 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Baltimore and 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of Washington, D.C., this airport's main carriers are Southwest Airlines and US Airways.

To/from Baltimore-Washington Airport

Rail: The airport's station is located about a mile from the airport terminal; a free shuttle bus connects the train station and airport terminals. The station is served by Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains and, on weekdays, by the MARC Penn Line. Travel time by train is about 10 minutes to Baltimore's Penn Station and 35 minutes to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Trains depart at least once an hour seven days a week, with departure times during rush hours and business hours being significantly more frequent. The Maryland Transit Administration's Light Rail line has a stop just outside the entrance to the airport's International Terminal. Passengers can take the Light Rail to a variety of destinations in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County, and can transfer to the Metro Subway in Baltimore. A ride downtown takes approximately 30 minutes. Trains run every 20 minutes during peak hours, and 30 minutes all other times.
Bus: Bus service between the airport and the Greenbelt station of the Washington Metro and MARC Camden Line is provided by WMATA's Metrobus on Route B30 every 40 minutes 6:00am-10:00pm weekdays and 9:00am-10:00pm on weekends. The Maryland Transit Administration's Bus Route 17 serves the airport 24/7. During the hours when the Light Rail operates, buses operate to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop. When the Light Rail is not in service, buses operate to Downtown Baltimore. Howard Transit's Silver route operates between BWI and The Mall in Columbia hourly at most times except overnight. Annapolis Transit's Route C-60 operates between the airport and Annapolis.
Car: parking places, rental car facilities and plenty of taxis are available at the Baltimore-Washington Airport.

2. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) - This airport is located 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Washington, D.C., in Dulles, Virginia. United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines are the main airlines in this airport.

To/from Dulles Airport

Washington Dulles Airport is served by a private bus company that picks you up at the terminal and drops you off at a Metro station in DC. For a cheaper option, one can take the Metro Bus, which runs on a slightly longer schedule, every hour or so. This 5A express bus makes two to three stops on its way from the airport to downtown Washington, depending on the time of day. Stops include the Herndon–Monroe transfer station in Herndon and the Rosslyn Metro station in Arlington.
Loudoun County Transit provides bus service which runs from the Dulles Town Center shopping center, to the airport, then to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Air and Space Museum.
Taxis, shuttles and rental cars are widely available and byc ar Dulles is accessible via the Dulles Access Road/Dulles Greenway (State Route 267) and State Route 28.

3. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) - This airport is located three miles (5 kilometres) south of Washington, D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia. US Airways is the carrier with the most flights across the country.

To/from Ronald Reagan Airport

Rail: The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metro station is located on an elevated outdoor platform (with a canopy) connected to the concourse level of Terminals B and C, and offers service to the Yellow and Blue lines.
Bus: Metrobus provides service on weekend mornings before the Metrorail station opens. Door-to-door service is available from several providers.
Car: Taxis from DCA to Virginia are metered. Taxis from DCA to the District of Columbia now run on a metered system as well. DCA is located on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and connected to U.S. Route 1 by the Airport Viaduct (State Route 233). Interstate 395 is just north of DCA, and is accessible by the G.W. Parkway and U.S. Route 1. There are numerous car rental facilities and parking places at the airport as well.

By Train

Many Amtrak trains travel to and from Maryland, mainly stopping in Baltimore:

The Acela Express between Boston and Washington DC.
The Cardinal/Hoosier State between New York and Chicago.
The Carolinian/Piedmont between New York and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Crescent between New York and New Orleans.
The Northeast Regional between Boston and Newport News, Virginia.
The Silver Service/Palmetto between New York and Tampa/Miami.
The Vermonter between Washtington DC and St. Albans, Vermont.

By Car

Like all American states, Maryland has an extensive road system.

Maryland has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.

By Bus

Greyhound runs regular bus between all the major cities. There exist on the East Coast a system commonly referred to as the 'Chinatown Bus'. These buses are run by several companies, some use old retired buses to brand new ones. Tickets go from $10 to $20 roundtrip between Washington, D.C. Chinatown to New York City, with optional stop in Baltimore.

edit

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

edit

Eat

Maryland is known for their Blue Crabs. This includes (but not limited to) crab cakes and steamed crab with Old Bay Sauce.

edit

Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include: