Maryland

At long last, Baltimore is shedding its industrial pallor, providing lots of good reasons to venture beyond the touristy Inner Harbor. The city's neighborhoods, popping with life, are where it’s at, with new restaurants, bars and boutiques providing singular twists on each area's persona.

The West Coast is famous for its scenic road trips, while the East...well you've got New York City. But where do two native New Yorkers go to escape this beloved (but awfully crowded) city? With just three days to spare, my friend Kevin and I decided to road trip our way to Baltimore.

The 2019 movie Harriet may have dramatized Harriet Tubman’s famous work to free enslaved individuals, but what is lesser known is that Maryland was the epicenter of activity on the Underground Railroad – the loose network of safehouses and routes north to freedom. Indeed, Maryland has the highest documented number of successful escapes in the entire country, a fact that is memorialized statewide every September with the governor-proclaimed International Underground Railroad Month, which began in 2019.

Baltimore writer H.L. Mencken once quipped that “there is a saying in Baltimore that crabs may be prepared in 50 ways and all of them are good.” Indeed, a trip to Charm City means indulging in the famous crustaceans but the same can be said about the city itself.

One of the biggest advantages of living in Baltimore is the ease of escape to the region’s smaller towns and rural enclaves. Just a short car ride away and Baltimoreans can explore the historical and natural wonders of western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Eastern Shore. Whether you opt to stay the day or even the weekend, here are the best day trips from Charm City.

Despite the tasty crabs and picturesque waterfront, Baltimore often gets overlooked in favor of its larger neighbors Philadelphia and Washington, DC. But this revitalized former industrial city offers endless historic and cultural attractions that compete with the bigger cities with one major advantage – it’s easy on the wallet.