Maryland will amaze you with all there is to see and do. The attractions vary from the state's historic capital, Annapolis, to its largest city, Baltimore, from waterfront villages and mill towns to the gently rolling hills of horse country and the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This area is part of two geographic regions: the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau; the variety of industries ranges from mining marble, granite and other stones to harvesting fish and seafood.

Central Maryland
A diorama in the Historic Annapolis Foundation Museum shop helps you see what the dock was like in colonial days. Many important events occurred at the City Dock, including the burning of the Peggy Stewart, a cargo ship loaded with tea that was taxed by the British, and the arrival of an African slave named Kunta Kinte. He was an ancestor of Alex Haley, author of Roots, which traced his family's history back to Kunta Kinte. A plaque at the City Dock memorializes Kunta Kinte's arrival.

Since 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy has been an important part of life in Annapolis. The school's 4,000 midshipmen live in Bancroft Hall, one of the largest dormitories in the world. One of the most interesting places to see at the Naval Academy is John Paul Jones' crypt, located under the chapel. Jones was a naval hero who is considered the founder of the modern navy. Ship models and naval exhibits in the Academy's museum also help tell the story of the Navy, from its earliest days to the present.

Since its redevelopment by James Rouse in the late 1970s, millions of people have come to see Baltimore's Inner Harbor. You can ride the elevator 27 stories to the Top of the World Observation Level and Museum in the World Trade Center, explore the inside of the World War II submarine Torsk and visit sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and thousands of other aquatic animals at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Baltimore
What do Edgar Allen Poe, Babe Ruth, and The Star Spangled Banner have in common? Where can you visit the American Dime Museum, a Tattoo Museum, and a Fire Museum? Baltimore! Nicknamed the "Charm City," Baltimore is the 12th largest city in the U.S. and boasts the fifth busiest port. Baltimore has as much to see and do as many larger cities but with less hassle and expense.

Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor is the home of the Bay Lady and the Lady Baltimore, a tradition since 1981. Both cruise year round with two fully enclosed climate-controlled decks and an open-air top deck that offers a panoramic view of Baltimore's Harbor. Sit back and enjoy food freshly prepared on board. During your lunch or dinner, enjoy music from the 50’s through the 90’s spun by DJ Delights or enjoy the view from the observation deck of our spectacular city.

Other attractions in Baltimore include the National Aquarium, the Maryland Historical Society, Fell’s Point, the Maryland Science Center, Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the American Visionary Art Musuem, the Walters Art Gallery, Evergreen House, and Harborplace.

Western Region
Western Maryland is a great place for outdoor adventures. Visitors can climb Maryland's highest mountain, swim in numerous lakes, hike the Appalachian Trail, brave whitewater rapids or enjoy all kinds of winter sports from skiing to ice fishing. The three counties of Western Maryland, where fall foliage arrives first and winter usually stays the longest, were Maryland's last frontier.

Washington County was named for General George Washington when English, French, Swiss and Scottish settlers founded it in 1776. Washington County is the home of Fort Frederick, the only British colonial fort still standing. This county also has great appeal for Civil War buffs. The markers and fields at Antietam National Battlefield recall September 17, 1862, the bloodiest single-day battle of the war.

Capital Region
The Capital Region's history spans three centuries of Maryland and American life, from the earliest colonists to the pioneers in space flight. Here you'll find peaceful farmland as well as bustling cities and suburbs. In 1791, Maryland donated land from Montgomery and Prince George's counties to be used for the nation's new capital city, Washington, D.C. Once an important farming area, the Capital Region is known today for its many high-tech industries and research centers in the fields of telecommunications, electronics, computers, health and medicine.

Prince George's County is a place to learn about farming and Maryland agriculture and to explore the history of space travel, especially at the visitor center at Goddard Space Flight Center, the hub of NASA's tracking operations.

In Montgomery County, visitors can walk through an Audubon Naturalist Society sanctuary or view the Great Falls of the Potomac River in the C&O Canal National Historic Park. Ride the canal on a mule-drawn barge or cross the Potomac River at White's Ferry on the General Jubal A. Early, the only ferry remaining on the river.

Southern Region
In St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles counties, there are landmarks that help visitors learn about earlier—even prehistoric—times. These three counties are located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and are easy to reach by water. Many of the people who live there still farm tobacco, corn, wheat and soybeans, and harvest fish and shellfish from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. There also are many historic sites and environmental treasures such as woods, fields, ponds, swamps and beaches that are preserved for all to enjoy.

St. Mary's City was the state capital until 1695, and was Maryland's first permanent settlement. To experience what life was like for Maryland's early citizens, visit Historic St. Mary's City, an 800-acre living history museum with interpreters in authentic 17th-century dress. There you'll find replicas of the first state house; an "ordinary" or "inn" a tobacco plantation and the Maryland Dove, a replica of one of the two ships that brought Maryland's first colonists.

Eastern Shore Region
The Eastern Shore is in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region, between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and is part of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is mostly flat farmland where wheat, corn, tomatoes and other crops grow, and where poultry and cattle are raised. Discover the region's many historic and natural landmarks by bicycling or driving on the quiet country roads, or explore the rivers, creeks, inlets and bays by boat. The fresh fish, crabs and oysters found here give both residents and visitors something to look forward to throughout the year.

You'll find yourself immersed in Bay history and lore at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. Its collection includes exhibits on boat building, Chesapeake Bay craft, steamships and decoy carving, plus the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, a restored skipjack, a bugeye and other Bay craft. St. Michaels has been called "the town that fooled the British" because the townspeople hung lanterns in the trees during the War of 1812 and the British cannons overshot the houses.

The Mason-Dixon Crownstone is an elaborately carved English limestone post, which bears the coats of arms of Lord Baltimore and William Penn. The Crownstone is named after surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who settled the boundary dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1767. This part of the boundary line in Marydel was established in 1773 as the Maryland-Delaware border.

Area: 12407 sq.mi, Land 9775 sq. mi., Water 2633 sq.mi.

Coastline: 31 mi., Shoreline 3,190 mi.

Agriculture: Seafood, poultry and eggs, dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, soybeans, corn.

Industry: Electric equipment, food processing, chemical products, printing and publishing, transportation equipment, machinery, primary metals, coal, tourism.

Flag: The Maryland flag contains the family crest of the Calvert and Crossland families. Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, founded Maryland as an English colony in 1634. The black and gold designs belong to the Calvert family. The red and white design belongs to the Crossland family.

Origin of state's name: Named to honor Henrietta Maria, wife of England's King Charles I.

State Capital: Annapolis.

Largest Cities: Baltimore, Silver Spring, Dundalk, Bethesda, Wheaton.

State Motto: "Fatti maschil parole femine" - Manly deeds womanly words.

Topography: Eastern shore of coastal plain and Maryland Main of coastal plain, peidmont plateau, and the Blue Ridge, separated by the Chesapeake Bay.

State Bird: Baltimore Oriole.

State Flower: Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta.

State Nickname: Old Line State.

Population: 5,171,634.

State Tree: White Oak.