Maryland Hotels & Attractions

Founded as the sole Catholic colony in strongly Protestant America, and isolated as the northernmost slave state, MARYLAND has always been unusual. Within its small, irregularly-shaped area, its attractions range from the frantic, boardwalk beaches of Ocean City to the sleepy fishing villages of the Chesapeake Bay , and the bustling urban center of Baltimore to peaceful Appalachian hill country.

Maryland's heritage isn't quite as obvious as Virginia's, with nowhere near as many historical sites, but it boasts plenty of firsts for the United States, including the first Catholic Cathedral, gas-lit street and telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington DC. Kent Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore was the third permanent English settlement (behind Jamestown and Plymouth Rock) in 1631. And during the War of 1812, the British forces attempted a last-ditch effort to wrest back the colonies, in which they burned down much of Washington DC and moved onto the shipyards of Baltimore. In a valiant battle, they were staved off at Fort McHenry ; the fort's resistance inspired an onlooker, Francis Scott Key, to write the words to the United States' national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner .

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