Maryland is the only state to boast an official sport. Nope, it’s not baseball or lacrosse or anything else you’d expect to see played in this country – or this century. It’s jousting, which has been played here for more than 300 years. A particularly good place to see the spectacle of a medieval-style jousting tournament is the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival, held in Crownsville (an appropriate place for such a regal event) on weekends from August through October. Maryland also is home to North America’s eighth location of Medieval Times, an entertainment and dining venue that features jousting as part of its performance.


The world’s first telegraph line was erected between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in 1844. Baltimore’s Mount Clare Station, which was built in 1830 as the first railroad station in the country, was the receiving point of Samuel Morse’s famed “What hath God wrought” message. Today the station is the B&O Railroad Museum, a great place to learn about the history of the railroad that brought fame and fortune to Baltimore and which earned immortality on the Monopoly board.


Margaret Brent was the first American woman to be a lawyer, landowner, taxpayer and suffragist. There’s a memorial to her at Historic St. Mary’s City in Southern Maryland, site of the state’s original capital. Besides visiting that memorial, you can see how a 17th-century plantation was run, climb aboard a replica of one of the two ships that brought settlers to Maryland in 1634, and witness a 1600s-style trial staged by costumed interpreters.


The army’s first Aviation Corps was established at the College Park Airport, the oldest continually operating airport in the country. The most famous instructors at the site were Wilbur and Orville Wright. The College Park Aviation Museum marks the site, complete with an animatronic Wilbur Wright to guide visitors through the exhibits.


The first monument to the memory of George Washington was erected in a single day on a hillside in Boonsboro, Maryland in 1827. It’s basically a pile of stones . . . but it was a good effort nonetheless! Today you can hike to the monument at Washington Monument State Park to get a wonderful view of Western Maryland and surrounding states. If you’d prefer something a little more statuesque, visit the Washington Monument in the heart of Baltimore City. The 178-foot column was crafted in 1842 by Robert Mills, the same man who later designed the more familiar (pencil-like) monument in Washington, D.C.


The infamous Doc Holliday was a student at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, founded in 1840 as the first dental school in the world. There’s no more appropriate place, then, for the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, a fabulous interactive facility that showcases the evolution of dentistry. Among the pieces in its collection are George Washington’s dentures (no, they weren’t wooden; they were ivory) and a set of dental instruments used by Queen Victoria.


Roger Brooke Taney, a notable chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, hailed from Frederick. His former home is now the Roger Brooke Taney and Francis Scott Key Museum honoring both Taney and his brother-in-law, lawyer Francis Scott Key. Key earned his fame not only in the courtroom but also as the man who penned “The Star-Spangled Banner.” For the complete story about the national anthem, head to Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry, site of the battle that inspired Key to write his poem; the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum, home to the woman who sewed the huge flag that Key saw amidst the rocket’s red glare; and the Maryland Historical Society, which houses Key’s original manuscript.


The Peabody Institute in Baltimore was the first endowed school of music in the United States and is still considered one of the finest conservatories in the world. Visitors can catch a student or faculty recital there or simply stop in to ogle the magnificent ironwork in the school’s library. It seems only fitting that this musical city would also be home to the first municipally supported orchestra in the country. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has been playing strong since 1916. Today a trip to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is a highlight of the winter season. Or if you prefer, catch the symphony in an outdoor summer concert (which often includes dramatic fireworks) at Oregon Ridge Park just north of Baltimore.


Many cities on the East Coast claim to be a one-time home of author Edgar Allan Poe. But Baltimore is the only city that boasts both his home (now a museum) and his grave. A gorgeous tombstone honoring Poe was erected at Westminster Cemetery in 1875. The project was paid for with pennies raised by Baltimore schoolchildren. Today that “Pennies for Poe” campaign continues; visitors to the grave often leave pennies at the gravesite. The coins are collected by a caretaker and used to pay for upkeep at the cemetery. For more information about Poe, schedule a visit to the tiny Edgar Allan Poe House, where he once lived with his aunt and cousin Virginia (who later became his wife), or stop by the Enoch Pratt Library, which features an amazing collection of Poe’s works and memorabilia.


A plaque at Annapolis’ City Dock commemorates the arrival in 1767 of African slave Kunta Kinte, who was immortalized by his descendent, Alex Haley, in the novel Roots. A life-size bronze statue of Haley was erected next to the plaque, symbolizing the message of Roots: the strength of the human spirit to overcome challenges comes from maintaining strong family connections and keeping pride in one’s cultural heritage.


Maryland was home to America’s first native-born saint, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton. She was responsible for beginning the parochial school system in the United States when she opened an academy in Baltimore in 1808. Her Baltimore residence, the Mother Seton House, is now a museum, or you can visit the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg.


Wholesale production of ice cream began in Baltimore in 1851 when milk dealer Jacob Fussell finally figured out a way to use up surplus cream. Today the city has no shortage of places to find delicious ice cream treats. But if you want to see one of Fussell’s first ice cream wagons, visit the Baltimore Museum of Industry, a great interactive museum that highlights the city’s impact on the industrial age. Another highlight of a visit to the museum is learning how to make an umbrella. You guessed it: The first umbrellas manufactured in the United States were made in Baltimore in 1828.


Maryland’s State House is the oldest one in continuous legislative use in the United States. It also boasts the largest all-wood dome in America. The dome weighs approximately 160 tons and is topped by an acorn, the symbol of wisdom. Oddly enough, though, the acorn was installed upside-down.


Maryland is home to several baseball heroes, but perhaps the most famous is Babe Ruth, who was born here in 1895. The Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum is within paces of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The bar that Ruth’s father owned once stood in part of what is today one of the most famous ballparks in the country.


The bloodiest one-day battle in American history was fought at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862. On that day, 23,100 soldiers were killed or wounded. They are remembered each year when that many luminaries are lighted at the battlefield on the first Saturday in December.


Route 40, a.k.a. “The National Road” was the first federally funded highway in the United States. Today visitors can navigate the road from Baltimore City in Central Maryland to Grantsville in Western Maryland, stopping along the way to admire various historic sites and points of interest that have withstood the test of time and modern travel.


Crisfield is known as the “Crab Capital of the World.” This tiny town on the Eastern Shore is responsible for supplying the entire world with crabs – of both the hard-shell and soft-shell variety. Each year the town pays tribute to its beloved crustacean at the National Hard Crab Derby and Fair, which takes place on Labor Day weekend. Besides getting plenty of great crabs to eat, festival-goers can witness the Governor’s Cup Crab Race, in which crabs representing all 50 states and skittle to glory.