Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for maryland
Down on the Farm in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
The Mason-Dixon line is credited as the boundary line separating the North from the South in the United States. Its original purpose, however, was to establish boundaries of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia thanks to the efforts of surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. In Maryland, the Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway offers country vistas on a route running along the northern edge of Maryland near its border with Pennsylvania. The nostalgia of rural life is on full display at Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster as well as at Union Mills Homestead and its functioning grist mill. And you won’t want to miss Foxcatcher Farms Covered Bridge in Elkton (near the Fair Hill Nature and Environmental Center), one of only two remaining authentic covered bridges in Cecil County.
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Dwelling in the Wind
By Linda Tancs
Thomas Stone was the youngest member of the Maryland delegation to vote for the Declaration of Independence. He was also one of the politicians responsible for the Olive Branch Petition, a letter to King George III petitioning for the avoidance of conflict between Great Britain and the colonies. You can learn more about this peace-loving planter, lawyer and politician at the Thomas Stone National Historic Site near the historic town of Port Tobacco in Maryland. Take a 30-minute guided tour of the Thomas Stone House, unique not only for its blended architectural styles but also for the estate’s historical name, Haberdeventure. Although owners of the house over three centuries spelled it differently, the National Park Service chose to use “Haberdeventure” as the place name, which is generally agreed to be a loose variation of the Latin phrase “havitatio de ventus,” meaning to “dwell in or of the wind.” Living up to its name, the park area has endured a tornado, a derecho and the remnants of two tropical storms.
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Cryptologic History in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
Cryptology is the art and science of making and breaking codes and ciphers. You can learn all about cryptology and those who devoted their lives to national defense at the National Cryptologic Museum in Maryland. Appropriately enough, it’s located adjacent to headquarters of the National Security Agency at Fort George G. Meade. One of the first public museums in the intelligence community, it serves as both a reference library and a tourist destination for those interested in code making and code breaking. The collection of cryptologic history is so comprehensive that the museum is often referred to as “America’s hidden treasure.”
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Visionary Art in Baltimore
By Linda Tancs
Do you consider yourself an artist? Then again, maybe you are, and you just don’t know it. That’s the theme behind the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The facility is dedicated to exhibiting the works of self-taught artists. Unlike folk art, it’s geared toward showcasing spontaneous, intuitive art. Some of the permanent exhibitions include the museum’s exterior mosaic walls and an outdoor, wind-powered sculpture. The museum is located at the base of historic Federal Hill, adjacent to downtown Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Outstanding Topiary in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
The Garden Club of America once described the clipped hemlocks at Ladew Topiary Gardens as “the most outstanding topiary garden in America.” That’s high praise, considering its architect, Harvey Ladew, had no professional training. The socialite-turned-gardening enthusiast purchased Pleasant Valley Farm in Monkton in the 1920s and carved 22 acres of gardens out of fields previously used for crops and livestock. He also transformed the old white farmhouse into the stately manor house enjoyed by visitors today. In addition to the formal, cultivated gardens, there’s a 1-mile nature walk including a short boardwalk through wetland forest and fresh water marsh. Just 30 minutes from Baltimore, it’s located in the heart of horse country.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Art and Landscape at Glenstone
By Linda Tancs
Art and nature merge seamlessly at Glenstone, an indoor-outdoor museum in Potomac, Maryland. Its name is derived from Glen Road (where the property line begins) and a nod to stone indigenous to the area. A short drive from Washington, D.C., the facility showcases a vast and deep collection of modern and contemporary art owned by its founders, Mitch and Emily Rales. That array is complemented by lush grounds and an outdoor sculpture collection amidst nearly 300 acres. The landscape features trails, streams, meadows, forests and several distinct aquatic ecosystems. Admission is free.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Legend in Glen Echo
By Linda Tancs
The Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo, Maryland, is the site of the Clara Barton House, the home of the woman who founded the American Red Cross. Her home for the last 15 years of her life, it boasts an unusual Steamboat Gothic interior with railed galleries and a suspended captain’s room. Tucked at the end of a quiet road, it beckons visitors with stained-glass red crosses on an upper-story window. Lacking the crowds of other nearby historic sites, it’s an off-the-beaten-path gem for history buffs. Guided, interpretive tours of the house occur at the top of every hour on Fridays and Saturdays.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Town that Fooled the British
By Linda Tancs
St. Michaels, Maryland, is a tony waterfront town on the Eastern Shore. Perhaps better known for its quaint inns, crab shacks and boutiques, it’s also, as legend goes, the town that fooled the British. That part of the story dates to the War of 1812. When residents were warned of an oncoming attack by the British, they dimmed the lights and hoisted lanterns into the trees above the city, creating blackout conditions that fooled the British into overshooting the town’s houses and shipyards. The ruse was largely successful, resulting in a single cannonball shot to the Federal-style home built for shipbuilder William Merchant. That house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of many stops on the town’s historical walking tour.
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Byway Explores Underground Railroad
By Linda Tancs
Former slave Harriet Tubman is the most widely recognized symbol of the Underground Railroad movement, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom. You can learn more about her legacy along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a 125-mile, scenic road linking historic sites and areas associated with Tubman. Meandering through Maryland’s Eastern Shore, it’s the only place in the world that preserves and interprets the places where Harriet Tubman was born, lived and labored and from which she fled. In addition to the visitor center, the lands associated with the area are part of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, affording visitors opportunities to hike, bike, paddle, shop, dine and attend events.
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America’s Best Bike Tour
By Linda Tancs
Ernest Hemingway said, “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” So what could be better than a nearly level bike path along 150 scenic miles? That’s what you get on the Great Allegheny Passage (the GAP), a holy grail for bicyclists. Winding its way between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the trail comprises a series of retired rail corridors—the longest rail trail east of the Mississippi. Aided by interpretive signage, the path crosses the Cumberland Narrows, the Mason-Dixon Line and the Eastern Continental Divide and is dotted with a chain of cyclist-friendly trail towns.
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