Only-In-Maryland Adventures

When the mercury takes a plunge, Maryland amps up the excitement with unbelievable winter sports. Hit the slopes at Wisp Resort or ride the Mountain Coaster down the slopes, a part go-kart, part roller coaster experience. Take a hike on the ice and even drop a line for some ice fishing on Deep Creek Lake. Strap on your skates at ice rinks that pop up across the state.

You don’t know craft beer until you’ve had Maryland beer. Just look at the Baltimore skyline and see a symbol of Mayland’s brewing tradition, a brightly lit, handlebar-mustachioed man winking at you from the iconic National Brewery or ‘Natty Boh’ as we say. Get a taste of our local craft beer scene during FeBREWary, a month-long celebration with special limited edition releases at breweries across the state, sud-soaked events and beer trails and tours.

No place brings history into focus like Maryland. Explore The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. Together, they offer a stirring look into the life and legacy of a woman who risked all in the name of freedom, and the people she fought for. On the Frederick Douglass Driving Tour, follow in the young Civil Rights reformer’s footsteps and stop at historical places that shaped him.

Experience wow-worthy landscapes from the mountains to the sea. Hike the Eastern Continental Divide through New Germany State Park, paddle the wetlands of Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, the “everglades of the North,” or just explore one of Maryland’s beautiful state parks and let your cares slip away on a warm spring breeze.

From the dunes to the track to the trail, only in Maryland can you catch the sight of wild horses cresting an Atlantic dune at sunset at Assateague State Park, watch thoroughbreds charging from the gates at Pimlico Race Track, and get together with old friends and new for a trail ride through Maryland’s picturesque horse country.

This is how Maryland cools down in the summer. Go gunnel-to-gunnel in a racing regatta out of the sailing capital of the world, go white-water rafting on an Olympic level course at the top of a mountain, or jet skiing in the bay at the famed Ocean City.

Prepare yourself for a one-of-a-kind adventure as Hagerstown's Heavy Metal Playground skips the big '80s hair and replaces it with modern and massive machines that you can actually drive! Weave your digger through an insane obstacle course, indulge your inner Hulk with some serious smashing, and even test your mettle with a Heavy Metal Basketball game! Heavy Metal Playground is open for kids 8 and up, but also welcomes corporate team building and anyone who just wants to ride the big rigs. Follow the link below, and Visit Maryland users get 20 percent off!

Crack, shuck & savor the best of Maryland seafood on the Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail. Experience an endangered Maryland icon and catch the best crab houses, oyster bars, seafood festivals and more throughout the state.

It’s more than just fun and games at Maryland casinos. At Ocean Downs you can try your luck on more than 900 slots, bet on ponies just steps away and cruise the Ocean City boardwalk all in one day. Taste the high life at a celebrity restaurant at Live! Casino and Hotel or even qualify for the World Championships of Poker at Horseshoe Casino.

Maryland brings back Main Street shopping with colorful districts and events far from your typical brick and mortar. In Berlin, find antique shops and quirky events like the bathtub races and high heel races during Second Friday. Hampden, in northwest Baltimore, features The Avenue—a collection of shops that reflect Baltimore’s quirky, endearing style. There’s something for every shopping maven: independent book and record shops, trendy apparel and shoes, furniture, and niche antiques shops specializing in the bizarre and campy.