All the Things You Never Knew You Wanted to Know About Maryland

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Let’s talk Maryland, shall we?

It’s a funny-looking little state that makes for a really lousy state-shaped cutting board. Am I right? And this isn’t even really our geography.

You could probably serve something on this but it wouldn’t be accurate because somebody took some serious liberties with the state’s geography and decided to just eliminate THE ENTIRE CHESAPEAKE BAY.

Here’s why that’s important. Maryland is a state that’s all about water. We’ve got the Chesapeake Bay (famous for blue crabs and oysters), the Patuxent River, the Potomac River, the Baltimore Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean. And we have the freaking U.S. Naval Academy right here in Maryland!

A Hometown Maryland Girl

I actually grew up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in a little town called Prince Frederick. What we were lacking in entertainment and things to do, we made up for with bike riding, cliff climbing, tobacco picking, crabbing, boating, and, of course, cruising the Safeway parking lot.

If it sounds idyllic, it wasn’t. Not to me, anyway. I couldn’t wait to get out of the town, the county, and the state! So I hightailed it to greener pastures in Ohio, of all places, and never planned to return.

Four years ago, my husband’s job took us to the Baltimore-Washington Metro area. I was apprehensive about returning home to Maryland and not feeling like I was going back to the life I desperately wanted to leave.

We ended up in Central Maryland and I have to finally admit that I love living here. This is a different Maryland for many reasons. First, I’m not a kid anymore. I’m a grown-up with my own family living in a completely different part of Maryland. Second, I’m close to some of my favorite urban areas: Baltimore (35 minutes), Washington, DC (60 minutes), Philadelphia (90 minutes), and even New York City (just a short 3 hour train ride). I never feel lacking in anything to do.

Maryland Revisited

But biggest reason I love living here is that I’m seeing it with all new eyes and I’m not afraid to get out and explore. When we moved back here, I actually planned to start a Maryland-based blog called Maryland Revisited. I even purchased the domain and everything. But I never got around to doing anything with it. Instead, I started including some travel highlights on this blog.

For the past two summers, I’ve devoted at least one day a week to getting out somewhere with my son and exploring the local area under the series I called Field Trip Friday. This summer, I really plan to set my sites on seeing Maryland through new eyes and discovering places I’ve never been (even though I grew up here).

I was inspired when I met up with several other Maryland bloggers last week for the Maryland Blogger Bash, a event for us to meet and greet with local breweries and wineries, as well as tourism offices for many of the counties and cities. I even learned new things about the county I grew up in!

If you’re interested in coming along for the journey, look for my new series starting in June entitled Maryland Revisited (yay! I finally used the name!) and follow along online with the hashtag #MDrevisited.

Consider this your Starter Kit.

Fun Facts About Maryland

• Annapolis is the capital.
• Maryland was one of the 13 original colonies and the 7th state of the United States.
• Maryland residents are extremely proud and fond of their unusual flag.

• We’re home to the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Redskins, UMD Terrapins, and the Preakness (part of the Triple Crown in horse racing). And our state sports are lacrosse and jousting (yep, you read that right).
• Our state bird is the Baltimore Oriole and the state flower is the Black-Eyed Susan, both symbols you’ll see throughout the state.

• Maryland is bordered to the north by the Mason Dixon line – that really straight line that separates us from Pennsylvania. That’s also the line that means Maryland is technically considered part of the South. (Yes, I saw my share of confederate flag growing up).

But besides all that, Maryland is a geographically diverse state rich in history, heritage, and people. I can’t wait to get out and start exploring it all.

And if you decide you actually do want that Maryland-shaped cutting board, feel free to click on the picture and use my Amazon affiliate link.