Maryland packs a remarkable amount of variety into a small state. From the Chesapeake Bay -- the largest estuary in the United States -- to the Appalachian mountains in the west, and from the rowhouse neighborhoods of Baltimore to the rural Eastern Shore, the state feels like a cross-section of the entire mid-Atlantic region compressed into a few hours' drive.
Annapolis, the state capital, is one of the best-preserved colonial towns in America and home to the US Naval Academy. Baltimore is the state's largest city, with a revitalized Inner Harbor, world-class museums, and a distinctive blue-collar culture that sets it apart from the polished federal feel of nearby Washington, DC. On the Eastern Shore, towns like St. Michaels and Tilghman Island offer a window into the Chesapeake's watermen culture -- crabbing, oystering, and a pace of life that has not changed much in decades.
The Chesapeake Bay defines Maryland more than anything else. Blue crabs are practically the state religion -- steamed with Old Bay seasoning and eaten off brown paper at a crab house is the quintessential Maryland experience. Ocean City on the Atlantic coast draws summer beach crowds, while western Maryland around Cumberland has mountain scenery, the C&O Canal towpath for cycling, and a slower, more Appalachian character.
