Maryland Vacations Idea #12:Head across the Maryland border into Washington D.C. for a visit to the
International Spy Museum. Here you can see some unique exhibits like the
"The Secret History of History" and a
"School for Spies". You can learn about some really cool spy stuff here, like microdots, invisible ink, listening bugs and clever disguises. They have a fun feature where guests can compete against each other in a Scavenger Hunt. As you make your way through the museum, you use a top secret bag of tricks to attemp to decode messages, answer questions or solve problems.
Maryland Vacations Idea #13:Near the Washington Dulles International Airport is the National Air and Space Museum -
Udvar-Hazy Center. Here you can see thousands of aviation and space artifacts. There are loads of aircraft, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines all on display. One example is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world. You can also see the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane and the space shuttle
Enterprise. The planes are on display where you can walk around them in the museum hanger. Also at the museum is an IMAX Theater and flight simulators where you can experience air-to-air combat in an F-4 Phantom II jet fighter. This great place to go on a vacation with teenagers.
Maryland Vacations Idea #14:Antietam National Battlefield is the Civil War site of the bloodiest single-day battle in America's history. The fight here at Antietam marked the end of the Confederate invasion of the North. A self-guided driving tour is a good way to view the battlefield. You can get an audio tape at the visitor center that will narrate the trip. For a better close-up experience you can walk or bike the route. The visitor center also has two films, the 26 minute "Antietam Visit" and the one hour long "Antietam Documentary". Along with the museum exhibits, this is a good way to learn about the battle before you go out and take a tour of the actual battlefield. Maryland was a central player in the American Civil War and Antietam was one of the key battles of the war.
