Baltimore County is horse country. There are 149 Thoroughbred horse farms located throughout its rolling countryside, which surrounds Baltimore City. Every April, you can watch the Maryland Hunt Cup, the oldest and most difficult hunt race in the nation.

Towson became the county seat in 1854 when Baltimore City and Baltimore County separated. It’s also the location of the Hampton National Historic Site. The 18th-century Hampton Mansion is within a 63-acre national park.

At The Fire Museum of Maryland in Lutherville, home to a collection of vintage fire engines, you can learn about the Great Fire of Baltimore – a devastating blaze that nearly wiped out the city in 1904. The aftermath of the fire led to a national standardization of fire equipment.

Nature lovers will find plenty to treasure – wooded trails, meadows, streams, ponds, a marble quarry and iron ore pits – at the 17,000-acre Gunpowder Falls State Park and Soldier's Delight Environmental Area.

Visit Baltimore County's web site.