WASHINGTON, D.C.

With our nation’s capital featured nightly on television, many monuments and buildings are already familiar: the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, FBI headquarters, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Holocaust Museum, Washington Monument, the Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam Veterans memorials and the new World War II Memorial. Other attractions include the National Zoo, Rock Creek Park, National Arboretum, and 16 museums and galleries that constitute the Smithsonian Institution. These include the National Air and Space Museum, National Galleries of Art, American History and Natural History, Arts and Industries Building, the Freer Gallery of Oriental Art and National Museum of African Art, and the newest, the National Museum of the American Indian. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is located here, as well as theaters including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Arena Stage, National Theatre, Ford’s Theatre and Folger Shakespeare Theatre.

BALTIMORE

This one-time industrial center has developed into a true tourist mecca thanks to the Inner Harbor, a model of successful urban redevelopment. Right in the harbor are the National Aquarium and Marine Mammal Pavilion, the Maryland Science Center, great shopping and dining. Other attractions downtown include the B&O Railroad Museum, the Edgar Allan Poe house and grave at Westminster Burying Ground, the Babe Ruth Museum, and the birthplace of the national anthem, Fort McHenry. Not far away, food stalls in Lexington Market sell everything from freshly made horseradish to Maryland crab cakes. National touring companies perform at the Morris Mechanic Theatre, Lyric Opera House, Center Stage and the newly renovated Hippodrome Theatre while other groups such as the Arena Players and Vagabond Players also thrive. The music scene features the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Opera Company. Museums and galleries include the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore’s Black American Museum, the Museum of Industry and the American Visionary Art Museum. And don’t forget the Baltimore Zoo! Baltimoreans are devoted to their “birds,” the Orioles, and the 2001 Super Bowl champions, the Ravens football team. Each year on the third Saturday in May, the world focuses on Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course for the running of the Preakness, second jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown.

ANNAPOLIS

Maryland’s capital, a charming and well-preserved port that is also the unofficial capital of the state’s boating population, is less than an hour away. The narrow downtown streets are lined with interesting shops, boutiques and restaurants, including a market house at the busy city dock area. Tours are available, but the old section is so compact you can easily get around by yourself. The U.S. Naval Academy grounds are open to tourists.

FREDERICK, NEW MARKET AND HARPERS FERRY

About an hour west is picturesque Frederick, where historic buildings and antiques shops abound. New Market, on the way to Frederick, is another 18th-century town known for antiques. Somewhat farther west is Harpers Ferry, W.Va., site of the famous 1859 raid on a federal arsenal by John Brown and his fellow abolitionists. Located at the juncture of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, the area has long been appreciated for its scenic as well as historic interest ... and the shopping is good, too.

GETTYSBURG

A couple of hours to the north lies Gettysburg, Pa., the site of this pivotal Civil War battle. Thirty miles of marked roads pass more than 1,000 monuments. Self-guiding tour maps and other information are available at the Visitors Center.

CHESAPEAKE COUNTRY

The Chesapeake Bay is Maryland’s single greatest natural resource, the favored rest and recreation destination of both man and beast. Up and down its shores, and on islands in its midst, communities, marinas, parks, historic sites and wildlife preserves welcome visitors. Maryland’s Eastern Shore, bucolic and beautiful, begins just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Keep going to get to Atlantic beaches and resorts such as Ocean City in Maryland or Rehoboth and Bethany beaches in Delaware.

MOUNTAIN HIGH

The Alleghenies run through the state, providing spectacular scenery. Mountains mean hiking, whitewater rafting and skiing at a number of resorts, including Maryland’s Wisp as well as others in Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Ski conditions are recorded on a local hot line (410-296-4919).