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All United States Maryland

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Maryland

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

Updated April 3, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
Nutshell Studies Diorama
Baltimore
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Silver Spring
John Paul Jones Crypt
Annapolis
Front gate of the park. (2020)
Bethesda
"Triage"
Frederick
The Bucktown Village Store.
Cambridge
All Cities
  1. Annapolis
  2. Ashton Sandy Spring
  3. Baltimore
  4. Berlin
  5. Bethesda
  6. Cabin John
  7. Cambridge
  8. Chevy Chase
  9. Cockeysville
  10. College Park
  11. Cumberland
  12. Ellicott City
  13. Fort Meade
  14. Fort Washington
  15. Frederick
  16. Gaithersburg
  17. Germantown
  18. Havre De Grace
  19. Kensington
  20. Laurel
  21. Linthicum Heights
  22. North East
  23. Ocean City
  24. Poolesville
  25. Rockville
  26. Sharpsburg
  27. Silver Spring
  28. Takoma Park
  29. Thurmont
  30. Upper Marlboro
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Maryland

Nutshell Studies Diorama

Baltimore, Maryland

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Eighteen miniature death-scene dioramas.
Hell House Altar

Ellicott City, Maryland

St. Mary's College

The haunting "Hell House Altar" is one of the few remnants of an abandoned college that has been a magnet for local legends.

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."
The gravesite of Edgar Allan Poe.

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.
The Fiji Mermaid always makes a splash with visitors.

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.
See All 216 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.

College Park, Maryland

Pinball Parlor at MOM's Organic Market

Two dozen pinball games hidden away inside a most unlikely location.
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 5 Places to Eat in Maryland
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

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. As the pandemic continues, we hope this virtual trip helps you explore America’s wonders. If you do choose to venture out, please follow all guidelines, maintain social distance, and wear a mask.

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

Explore Maryland

History & Culture 40
History 36
Military 18
Abandoned 16
Collections 16
Museums And Collections 14
Architectural Oddities 12
Art 12
Schools 12
Houses 12
Black History 12
Animals 11
Places To Stay 2

Maryland Leaderboard

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Places Visited

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Recent Maryland Activity

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Stories About Maryland

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
March 21, 2023
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
June 16, 2022
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.
by A.J. Jacobs
May 5, 2022
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.
by April White
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
June 7, 2022
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
A ghost forest in Dorchester County, Maryland.

The Haunting Ghost Forests of Maryland's Eastern Shore

Rising seas are claiming land, changing lives, and transforming our relationship with nature.
by Sarah Laskow
May 26, 2020
Once upon a time there was a cemetery here, in Tangier, Virginia.

From Indonesia to Ingonish, Some Bones Won't Stay Buried 

As seas and storms erode coastlines, cemeteries are giving up their dead. 
by Jennifer S. Holland
October 28, 2019

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