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Home to a large population of free and enslaved Blacks, and sympathetic whites, Underground Railroad support grew in Maryland in the years leading to emancipation. Many of the nation’s best-known Underground Railroad leaders emerged in this environment. These agents and untold more guided Underground Railroad passengers to safety and fought for their freedom. Explore their stories at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum and at the[...]

What’s New, What’s Next & What May Come in Maryland 2026 & Beyond MARCH 2026 | Subject to Change SIGNIFICANT ANNIVERSARIES/ EVENTS 2026 Maryland Fleet Week & Air Show Baltimore / America’s 250th Anniversary Celebration – Celebrating the sesquicentennial of the founding of the U.S., which will occur July 4, 2026. Baltimore will be celebrating with Tall Ships, Military Fleet, Air Show & Fireworks in the harbor, June 25-July 1, 2026. The Maryland event will[...]

With thousands of miles of shoreline along our Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic coastal bays, mighty rivers and western lakes, Maryland has hundreds of hotspots for watching birds on the water. Just like the birdbath in your backyard, Maryland waters are magnets for birds of all varieties. During the fall and spring, millions of birds pass through Maryland during their epic migrations to rest and feed along our shorelines. Winter is a magical time on Maryland waters[...]

The National Park Service created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom to commemorate the places and people who shaped the journey to freedom. Network to Freedom sites are documented places where the enslaved escaped from bondage, the routes they took, places where they stayed or found assistance, and sometimes places where their freedom was tried and tested. Network to Freedom programs provide authentic information about the Underground Railroad and people who escaped. Network to[...]

BALTIMORE, MD (November 14, 2022) – The 2022 Maryland Tourism Awards were presented today at the 41st Annual Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit in Ocean City, Maryland. The awards, given by the Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland Tourism Development Board, recognize excellence and major contributions in expanding the market of Maryland tourism products, maximizing opportunities to generate overnight stays, and leveraging partnerships to showcase Maryland as an exciting, must-see[...]

Exploring Two Capital Cities At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., you’ll find exhibitions that explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors see how the actions of ordinary men and women demanded freedom and transformed the country. Elsewhere in Washington, D.C. you’ll find one end of the nearly 200-mile long C&O canal towpath. The path—which runs all the way to Cumberland, Maryland—was used by freedom seekers like[...]

The early hotspots for colonial horse sports, including racing and foxchasing, were in Southern Maryland, Annapolis and the Eastern Shore areas of the state. But this began to change in the 1700s as settlers migrated north and west and the commercial scene shifted to Baltimore City. The first major Baltimore County horse farm was established in what is now Towson at Hampton Mansion, where Charles Carnan Ridgeley bred and raised Thoroughbreds in the late 1700s[...]

Maryland's Scenic Byways Follow Maryland's 18 scenic byways to embrace diverse landscapes filled with beauty, history and culture. Carefully mapped themed driving routes take you through mountain passes once traveled by American pioneers onboard Conestoga wagons; incorporate vibrant neighborhoods bordering Washington D.C.; wind along country roads in Southern Maryland; introduce you to Maryland’s epic horse heritage, with Baltimore’s Preakness Stakes being one of our “crown jewels”; and urge you to discover quintessential Chesapeake Bay towns[...]

BALTIMORE (March 10, 2021) Maryland’s Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway has been designated as an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the highest designation a road can receive. This honor was announced along with 49 new designations to the America's Byways® collection, including 15 All-American Roads (AAR) and 34 National Scenic Byways (NSB) in 28 states. "With elevation of the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway to an All-American Road, Maryland is[...]