Traveling by car through Baltimore, Maryland on the scenic byways is a true sight to behold with antique rows, farmers markets morning, wineries, blacksmith shops, yards of cars, and lots of historical sites and tourist attractions.

The Historic National Road

Hundreds of years ago the easiest ways for new settlers to cross the Appalachian Mountains to the west is going into the ground and paved the road. The new settlers carried horse-drawn Conestoga wagons that carried building materials and supplies. Families horse coaches and cars often stopped on the way to take advantage of friendly cities on their way westward.

The National Road was the road with U.S. federal funds first. The Road Project National took four decades of hard work to complete. The road that led all the way from Baltimore to Vandalia, Illinois. It began in 1806 to open trade and communication with the growing frontier in the Ohio River Valley.

You can travel from Maryland on the road from Baltimore to Western Maryland. Stop to enjoy of the inns, taverns and shops that have survived over time. The Historic National Road passes through three Maryland Heritage Areas are:

 • Baltimore City

 • Heart of the Civil War (in Frederick)

 • Canal Place (Cumberland)

The Baltimore to Cumberland portion of the road is called Baltimore National Pike. Start at the edge of water in the Inner Harbor area in which are also close Charles Street and national historic trail port. If you follow Lombard Street west you can stop at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, located at the site of the former railway station in the country.

West of Baltimore, MD over 144 (Frederick Road) to find the Catonsville National Historic District which was developed in 1810 and later became an attraction for summer homes, when linked to downtown Baltimore by electric trams.

Drive through the town of Oeller before crossing the Patapsco River. Oeller still contains the old stone and brick buildings that once housed and textile workers at a paper mill. Oeller was also home to African-American mathematician Benjamin Banneker. That Oeller is honored with a 142-acre historic park and museum. In this environment will also find Patapsco Valley State Park, which is 14,000 hectares, five recreation areas. The Avalon Visitor Center is in this environment also.

A little beyond the Patapsco River you will see antique shops, unique restaurants and historic buildings Ellicott City. Ellicott City was a former flour mill town that offers the station first in the nation and Thomas Isaac log cabin that served as station in a National Highway.

On arriving at Mount Airy will find a variety of vineyards that are open for tours and picnics. The area is also known for boutiques and antique shops. Travelers passing through the historic hotels, restaurants and taverns, domestic travelers organized road as you make your way towards Frederick.

When Frederick is connected to through the Baltimore National Pike, flourished as a commercial center that carry agricultural products to the port of Baltimore. Sight seeing in Frederick will show you many homes and public buildings which represent two centuries of architecture. Do not forget visit the law office of Francis Scott Key and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, before traveling to the Children's Museum of Rose Hill.

Traveling on the road scenic western Maryland Baltimore is definitely much nicer than the trip hard and opaque throughout major interstates.

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 © 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved

Written by: Connie Limon. Visit http://smalldogs2.com/Baltimore for more articles like this one.

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