Maryland Vacation - Maryland Hot Spots to Vacation

Find family friendly places to stay on your vacation in Maryland at Family Resorts in Maryland

Find everything you need to know about being on vacation in Maryland at the Maryland Office of Tourism

Baltimore Zoo

They have EdZOOcation classes, Zoo camps and behind the scenes tours with over two thousand animals. Bored with that? Take a safari through Africa. They will even teach you about endangered wildlife species at Keeper Encounters. They have hands on adventures in their Children's Zoo. And check out the trail through the Lyn P. Meyerhoff Maryland Wilderness.

National Aquarium in Baltimore

The Aquarium works hard to blend natural elements with the most modern techniques. They focus on the beauty of the creatures of the sea. Everything is designed to copy their natural environments without mixing species that would not normally be together elsewhere. They work to provide you with world wide examples of the habitat that the species live in.

Salisbury Zoological Park

This zoo now provides a natural habitat for almost five hundred species of animals that come from North America, Central America and South America.

Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo

This Preserve and Zoo has over three hundred fifty exotic animals. You can meet, feed, and sometimes touch the animals. They have everything from snakes, to monkeys, to prairie dogs, to birds, to bears and even panthers.

Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary

On a visit to Merkle, you might see red fox, a groundhog, or a white-tailed deer. In the summer, ospreys nest close to the Visitor Center and there are many hummingbirds, finches and purple martins. In the ponds nearby, visitors may see herons and other water birds. On the trails you can see bluebirds and many songbirds of different species. Bird watching, hiking, biking and fishing are available at different times of the year.

Assateague Island and National Seashore

Assateague Island offers many opportunities for seashore recreation and nature study as well as ocean swimming, camping, bay side canoing, crabbing, clamming, hunting, surf fishing, and off road vehicles. The famous wild horses roam all over and share the area with other animals, including over three hundred species of birds.

Fort Washington Park

Fort Washington Park sits on a cliff overlooking the Potomac River and offers a wonderful view of Washington and the Virginia shoreline. There are many thing to do for recreation.

Monocacy National Battlefield

Monocacy National Battlefield has walks, special programs, an auto tour and special events throughout the summer season.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park

Hiking, biking, camping, fishing, boating, and horseback riding. They also maintain a Canal Museum at Chesapeake City which provides visitors with a glimpse of the canal's early days. The waterwheel and pumping engines remain in the original pump house inside the museum. These steam engines are the oldest of their type in America still on their original foundations. Other artifacts and exhibits in the museum detail and illustrate the canal's history. In March 1996 a $400,000 exterior and interior renovation project was completed at the museum, including access ramps and a restroom for physically challenged visitors. New exhibits include interactive videos and a television monitor which gives visitors up to the minute locations on ships as they travel through the canal.

Antietam National Battlefield

This Civil War site marks the end of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North in September 1862. The battle claimed more than 23,000 men killed, wounded and missing in one single day, September 17,1862 and led to Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Catoctin Mountain Park

Twenty five miles of hiking trails going through Catoctin Mountain Park and Cunningham Falls State Park. The roads of the park offer scenic driving all year; but, portions of Park Central Road and Manahan Road are closed in winter. Camping, picnicking, wildlife viewing, fly-fishing, cross country skiing are all activities for young or old at the park. The hilly terrain is typical of western Maryland with large sections canopied under dense forest cover.

U.S. Naval Academy Museum

The U.S. Naval Academy Museum demonstrates the role the navy plays in war and in peace. The exhibitions and related research are reminders of our naval history. They have thousands of two and three dimensional artwork such as flags, uniforms, weapons, medals, books, instruments and photographs as well as naval objects other than art.

Babe Ruth Museum

First opened to the public as the Babe Ruth Birthplace Shrine in 1974, the Museum has expanded over the past two decades to become the Archives of the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Colts. Over the course of its 30-year history, the Babe Ruth Museum's mission has evolved to not only feature the greatest baseball player ever, but also to present the rich and storied histories of Baltimore's Orioles and Colts.

Great Blacks in Wax Museum

America's first black history wax museum.

Maryland Science Center

Enjoy three floors of exhibits and demonstrations, the Davis Planetarium, and the IMAX Theater. The Maryland Academy of Sciences, the parent organization of the Maryland Science Center, is Maryland's oldest scientific institution and one of the oldest such institutions in the entire nation.

National Cryptologic Museum

The National Cryptologic Museum is one of the few places where the curtain is parted. Here visitors can glimpse some of the dramatic moments in the history of American cryptology. Being the first and only public museum in the Intelligence Community, the Museum hosts approximately 50,000 visitors annually from all over the country and all over the world, allowing them a peek into the secret world of code making and code breaking.

U.S. Frigate Constellation

The USS Constellation Museum offers hands on activities and demonstrations daily. The name Constellation is one of the most famous in U.S. naval history. The first ship to be commissioned in the United States Navy; the first put to sea; and the first to engage, defeat, and capture an enemy vessel, was the three-masted, square-rigged U.S. Frigate Constellation.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

With nine exhibit buildings in scenic St. Michaels, step back in time as you enter the fully restored 1879 Hooper Strait lighthouse and feel what it must have been like to be out at sea alone, guiding ships to safety.The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is one of the premier indoor/outdoor museums focusing on the history and traditions of the Chesapeake Bay. Located in St. Michael's, Maryland on 18 acres fronting the Miles River, the complex houses examples of historic bay working boats, numerous exhibits, guns, decoys, ship models and the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse. An array of interactive programs, workshops and lectures are offered throughout the year.

Jolly Roger Amusement Park

Jolly Roger Amusement Park has rides and games the whole family can enjoy. Roller coasters, kiddie rides, bumper cars, log flume, carousel, simulated race car driving, Water Rides, miniature golf, go cart track and more. The Jolly Roger Amusement Park attracts only the kiddies at first, but when the parents see everything the park has to offer, they make excuses to visit Jolly Roger over and over again.

Six Flags America

Six Flags America features more than 100 thrilling rides, shows and attractions! Eight fun and furious roller coasters, live Hollywood style shows, plus a huge water park filled with more than a million gallons of splashing water! Looney Tunes Movie Town is a big park just for little ones, where kids and parents can ride and play together on 12 different rides and attractions! Kids can meet Bugs Bunny and all his Looney Tunes pals!

Trimpers Amusement Park

Trimpers has something for the entire family. There are over 100 rides, games and amusements for young and old. The Trimpers pride themselves in offering one of the largest, cleanest and safest amusement parks in Maryland. Trimper is located at the end of the boardwalk is a prime stop for family fun. Catch the bus down to the inlet and buy your ride tickets at the booth. Inside the arcade building you will find beautiful antique rides and outside all the favorite thrill rides. There is something for all age groups and ride levels. A perfect family night of fun.

Wisp Ski Area

Wisp Ski Resort is located on Marsh Mountain which is 2470 feet at the base, 3080 at the summit with a 610 feet vertical drop. The 23 slopes and trails total 14 miles on 80 acres of ski terrain. They have Maryland's only half pipe measuring 400 feet long for snowboard skiers to enjoy. Beginner trails make up 20% of all ski terrain, 50% are intermediate trails, and the remaining 30% make up the expert trails, not excluding the daring Devil's Drop. Night Skiing is truly exciting, and The Wisp Ski Area offers night skiing on 90% of its mountain. The Wisp Resort is a great destination for a family retreat. Its mountain offers terrain that is great for intermediate skiers, as well as a ski school that is second to none.

Ocean City, Maryland - The "East Coast's Number One Family Resort" hosts numerous activities and events that appeal to every member of the family and it offers accommodations to meet all tastes and budgets. The Ocean City area continues to sprawl westward across the bay and toward Berlin and Ocean Pines. It is part of the Ocean Pines Micropolitan Statistical Area. No longer a small quiet resort, it still affords thousands of Maryland vacationers an retreat from their everyday lives.

Ocean Pines, Maryland - Boasting 3,500 acres on the Saint Martin River, the Isle of Wight Bay and Manklin Creek, and just a short drive on Route 90 to Ocean City, "The Pines" is a mixture of waterfront, golf course and wooded lots and homes, as well as businesses, parks and water-oriented recreation. Inside of Ocean Pines there is a yacht club and marina, an 18-hole golf course and country club designed by Robert Trent Jones, along with several swimming pools, 16 tennis courts and an abundance of parks.

North Beach, Maryland - Discover North Beach, a quiet waterfront community located just 35 miles south of Washington D.C. Stroll the boardwalk, go swimming at the beach or catch a rock fish off the 550ft pier. Explore fossils from millions of years ago along the water. Enjoy fine dining and entertainment, antiques, unique shops, and charming bed-and- breakfasts and family owned lodgings located throughout the town.

Tilghman Island - Annual special events on the island include the Tilghman Island Seafood Festival in June, the Tilghman Island Jazz Festival in September and the Tilghman Island Day in October. A popular haven for vacationers who are drawn by superb fishing and genteel accommodations.

Deep Creek Lake - This resort is home to a thriving winter tourism industry and has expanded its offerings to include some summer activities as well. Fishing is extremely popular on the lake, as well as boating and camping. Deep Creek Lake State Park lies on the western shoreline and has an environmental center with interpretive exhibits about the areas natural, cultural and local history.

Not a lot of people are aware that Maryland is a wonderful vacation spot for the whole family to have a fun filled vacation. This is a state with a lot of history and the seventh state to become a part of USA. There is the Chesapeake Bay that makes for an eye opening outdoor destination and it has the best restaurants with wonderful seafood dishes and beach activities.