The Atlas Obscura Guide To Maryland

235 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Maryland

Updated October 29, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Maryland

Nutshell Studies Diorama

Baltimore, Maryland

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Eighteen miniature death-scene dioramas.

Baltimore, Maryland

George Peabody Library

It's not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music's library has been described as a "cathedral of books."

Baltimore, Maryland

Edgar Allan Poe's Grave

The trials and tribulations of marking Poe's grave.

Bazaar

Baltimore, Maryland

Bazaar

Crammed into a Baltimore row house is an oddities shop that sells everything from skulls to dead insects.

Inside the stacks at The Book Thing

Baltimore, Maryland

The Book Thing

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.

Beware, don't look into this clown's eyes for too long!

Havre de Grace, Maryland

Dr. Gloom's Crypt of Curiosities

Fiji mermaids, mummified remains, and recreated cryptids are among the morbid oddities at this Maryland museum.

Plaque that marks the former hospital

Baltimore, Maryland

Site of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

The site where Poe "in great distress, and ... in need of immediate assistance" likely died.

Baltimore, Maryland

Papermoon Diner

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

See All 235 Things To Do in Maryland

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland

Papermoon Diner

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

Baltimore, Maryland

Ministry of Brewing

An abandoned church gets a second life as a massive beer hall and event space.

Owls still keep watch over the bar.

Baltimore, Maryland

The Owl Bar

At this former Prohibition speakeasy, electric birds signaled the arrival of hooch.

Mother of Peeps

Westminster, Maryland

Peep Show at Carroll Arts Council

Easter in Westminster may be the only time and place to behold Edgar Allen Poe made entirely of Marshmallow Peeps.

See all 6 Places to Eat in Maryland

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8 Historic Military Relics in Maryland

Maryland has the distinction of being one of the first states to officially join the Union in 1788—and as such, it’s played both big and small roles in various battles across the nation's history. Here are eight nods to its military past, ranging from a furnace that produced George Washington’s cannonballs to an unusual museum dedicated to the U.S.'s cryptographic history.

These Civil War guns are located at Fort Washington in Maryland.

Explore Maryland

History & Culture 42

History 38

Architecture 35

Museums 27

Military 18

Abandoned 16

Collections 16

Black History 14

Houses 14

Art 12

Architectural Oddities 12

Schools 12

Places To Stay 2

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Recent Maryland Activity

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wants to go to Crystal Grottoes Caverns
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Stories About Maryland

The legend of the Snallygaster appears to have been an invention of local newspapers, but one that carried a dark threat.

The Unsettling Legend of Maryland's Native Cryptid, the Snallygaster

A strange, scary farce that brought together Old World legends and racist scare tactics.

by Colin Dickey

October 27, 2023

On the nesting colony platform, a common tern watches over its chicks beside tufts of artificial grass that mimic the birds' traditional nesting habitat.

Maryland's Rare Seabirds Get a Life Raft and Babysitters

Scientists don bike helmets and dodge bird poop to care for a colony of endangered common terns.

by Ashley Stimpson

Together these artifacts formed a spiritual bundle to protect a home from bad spirits and negative energy.

Beneath an Old Fireplace, Evidence of the Spirituality of the Enslaved

The finds are also enriching understanding of the formative years of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing

The street names in Columbia, Maryland, were drawn from art and literature. "Satan Wood Drive," however, was the result of a typo. It was supposed to be named "satin wood" for a line from an Amy Lowell poem.

What’s Up With Columbia, Maryland’s Quirky Street Names?

From Nodding Night Court to Dove Sail Lane, the town’s address choices are both practical and poetic.

by Amy Crawford

The instruction isn't visible to people actually in the 2021 Chilliwack Corn Maze in British Columbia, Canada.

Exploring the Mysterious Allure of Mazes and Labyrinths

On the joys and frustrations of losing yourself.

Also known as the "house of horrors," the house tested close combat skills and "the moral fiber of the student," Fairbairn said.

The Haunted Houses Designed to Scare Spooks

These WWII-era “houses of horrors” trained American spies for combat using cardboard Nazis.

October 28, 2021

In a waterlogged area, such parts of Dorchester County, archaeological work can be difficult.

Solving the Mystery of Harriet Tubman's Family Cabin

In Maryland, archaeologists raced rising waters to find traces of the past.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

These muskrat bones were found among hundreds of other bones on the Bayly property. Muskrat remains popular in Dorchester County.

A Historical Dig Sheds Light on the Food of the Underground Railroad

Archaeologists found muskrat, turtle, and other edible remains in Harriet Tubman Country.

by Reina Gattuso

October 14, 2020

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