Things To Do in Maryland - National Parks

Antietam National Battlefield - Established by Act of Congress on August 30, 1890, this Civil War site marks the end of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North in September 1862. The battle claimed more than 23,000 men killed, wounded, and missing in one single day, September 17,1862, and led to Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Antietam National Cemetery - The Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, on September 17, 1862, was the tragic culmination of Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. That one fateful day more than 23,110 men were killed, wounded, or listed as missing. Approximately 4,000 were killed, and in the days that followed, many more died of wounds or disease. The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital and burial ground extending for miles in all directions.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail - The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,167-mile (3,488 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in north Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park - The C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD. The canal operated from 1828-1924 as a transportation route, primarily hauling coal from western Maryland to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of original structures, including locks, lockhouses, and aqueducts, serve as reminders of the canal's role as a transportation system during the Canal Era.

Central

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Baltimore-Washington Parkway - Opened in 1954, the parkway is a 29-mile scenic highway that connects Baltimore, Maryland with Washington, D.C. The part of the parkway from Washington, D.C. to Fort Meade,Maryland is managed by the National Park Service.

Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network - First thoughts of the Chesapeake Bay often bring up images of crabs and oysters. But, as the largest estuary in North America, the Chesapeake Bay has touched and influenced much of the American story – early settlement, commerce, the military, transportation, recreation and more. The Bay and its surrounding 64,000 square mile watershed hold a treasure trove of historic areas, natural wonders and recreational opportunities.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine - This late 18th century star-shaped fort is world famous as the birthplace of the United States' national anthem. The guardian of Baltimore's harbor, it was the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces during a British attack on September 13-14, 1814, that inspired 35 year old poet-lawyer, Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Hampton National Historic Site - Hampton preserves a vast estate from the 1700s. Its centerpiece is an elegantly furnished Georgian mansion set amid formal gardens and shade trees. When it was finished in 1790, Hampton was the largest house in the United States.

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Thomas Stone National Historic Site - Thomas Stone National Historic Site encompasses Haberdeventure, the plantation home of Thomas Stone, one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stone provided leadership to our emerging nation as delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775-78 and from 1783-84. He served on the committee that drafted our country's first system of government, the Articles of Confederation. His crowning achievement came on August 2, 1776 when he helped to launch this nation by signed the Declaration of Independence.

Eastern Shore

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Assateague Island National Seashore - Assateague is a windswept barrier island that offers many opportunities for seashore recreation and nature study along its thirty-seven miles. Ocean swimming, camping, bayside canoeing, crabbing, clamming, hunting, surf fishing, and off-road vehicle use are all popular.

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Catoctin Mountain Park - Originally planned to provide recreational camps for federal employees, one of the camps eventually became the home of the Presidential retreat, Camp David. The Presidential retreat is not open or accessible to the public, but the eastern hardwood forest of Catoctin Mountain Park has many other attractions for visitors: camping, picnicking, fishing, 25 miles of hiking trails, scenic mountain vistas, all await your exploration.

Clara Barton National Historic Site - Clara Barton National Historic Site commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The house in Glen Echo served as her home, headquarters for the American Red Cross and a warehouse for disaster relief supplies. From this house, she organized and directed American Red Cross relief efforts for victims of natural disasters and war.

Fort Foote Park - Eight miles downriver from the capital, Fort Foote was considered "a powerful enclosed work" by its chief engineer, "and the most elaborate...of all the defenses of Washington." Fort Foote was designed to protect the river entrance to the ports of Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington and replace the aging Fort Washington as the primary river defense. The fort was named for Rear Adm. Andrew H. Foote.

Fort Washington Park - September 8, 1814, Major Pierre L'Enfant was hired by the government to start construction on new defenses to be named Fort Washington. Fort Washington was held by Union forces during the Civil War and was the only defense for the National Capital, until the Circle Forts were completed. During World War II the Fort served as the home of the Officer's Candidate School of the Adjutant General's Corps. A Veteran's Administration hospital operated here from 1944 until 1946.

George Washington Memorial Parkway - The George Washington Memorial Parkway preserves the natural scenery along the Potomac River. It connects the historic sites from Mount Vernon, where Washington lived, past the nation's capital, which he founded, and to the Great Falls of the Potomac where the President demonstrated his skill as an engineer. Developed as a memorial to George Washington, the Parkway may be used on any day to travel to exciting historical, natural, and recreational areas.

Glen Echo Park - The park is run by the National Park Service and is located a couple of miles NW of Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac. It hosts a wide range of art, craft and cultural activities. Around 150 courses and workshops are run each semester (4 per year). Its Spanish Ballroom hosts an extensive social dance program. The Carousel is a delight for all ages. The Puppet Co theater and the Adventure Theater have several shows each week. Picnic areas and the old amusement park buildings complete the ingredients for a delightful family day out.

Greenbelt Park - Greenbelt Park is a retreat from the pressures of city life and a refuge for native plants and animals just twelve miles from Washington, D.C. Greenbelt Park has a 174 site campground.

Harmony Hall - Harmony Hall is in the Broad Creek Historic District, the first historic district formed under Prince George's County preservation law. The house is an 18th century Georgian country house that architecturally ranks as one of the great early plantation houses and an outstanding early colonial house of Maryland. The front of the house faces the Potomac River and remains much as it appeared in 1766, the estimated time of construction.

Monocacy National Battlefield - Known as the "Battle That Saved Washington", the battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864 between 18,000 Confederate forces under General Jubal Early, and 5,800 Union forces under General Lew Wallace, marked the last campaign of the Confederacy to carry the war into the north.

Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm - The primary feature of Oxon Cove Park is Oxon Hill Farm which operates as an actual working farm, representative of the early 20th century. You can see a farm house, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. It exhibits basic farming principles and techniques as well as historical agricultural programs for urban people to develop an understanding of cropping and animal husbandry.

Piscataway Park - The tranquil view from Mount Vernon of the Maryland shore of the Potomac is preserved as a pilot project in the use of easements to protect parklands from obtrusive urban expansion. The project began in 1952 to preserve the river view as in was during George Washington's day. Piscataway Park stretches for 6 miles from Piscataway Creek to Marshall Hall on the Potomac River.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail - The designation of a Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail corridor in 1983, an amendment to the National Trails System Act, is being used by communities in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania to develop and make connections among trails, historic sites and a range of recreational and educational opportunities.

Maryland National Parks