The biggest city in Maryland is Baltimore. The downtown area, surrounding neighborhoods and Inner Harbor offer opportunities for shopping, dining and recreation. Kids have access to several great attractions including the National Aquarium (aqua.org), the Science Center (mdsci.org) and the B&O Railroad Museum (borail.org). The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (bsomusic.org) runs several events as part of their BSO Kids program, offering education and music to children of all ages. Port Discovery (portdiscovery.org) is a kid's museum offering interactive exhibits and hands-on activities that are educational and fun.
One of the things residents and visitors appreciate about Maryland is the varied terrain of the state. As you move west from Baltimore, Maryland's mountains and valleys create conditions that are ideal for skiing and hiking. Several trails are suitable for children to hike. Trails that are safe and easy to navigate include the Great Allegheny Passage, Deep Creek's Discover Trail and Deep Creek Lake's State Park trails. If your child would like to have an overnight outdoor experience, the Catoctin Mountain Park offers well-maintained campsites. Kids can learn to ski at the Willy Wisp Ski School at the Wisp Ski Resort (wispresort.com) in McHenry. The program offers ski and snowboard lessons for kids ages 3 through 14.
Many families in Maryland travel to Ocean City and the Eastern Shore for summer vacation. Ocean City is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, providing plenty of opportunities for watersports, swimming and beachcombing. Assateague State Park is a 10-minute drive from Ocean City and offers campgrounds and two miles of ocean access. The park is home to a herd of wild ponies, occasionally viewable from the campgrounds. Kids love visiting Jolly Roger Park (jollyrogerpark.com), featuring two locations in Ocean City at 30th Street and the Pier. In addition to thrill rides, the park offers miniature golf, Splash Mountain Water Park and Speedworld go-karts.
Maryland's capital city, Annapolis, and the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C., are located near the central part of the state, less than an hour's drive apart. Aside from the Maryland Capitol building, visitors to the maritime city can visit the Chesapeake Children's Museum (theccm.org), featuring hands-on activities and exhibits focused on the Chesapeake Bay. There are numerous museums near Washington, D.C. suitable for children, including the Capital Children's Museum (ncm.museum) in National Harbor, Maryland.
