As International Museum Day approaches, Maryland can certainly stake a claim to be among the elites in the United States. The Old Line State has many places of curated art, history, sports and cultural artifacts, and even hard-to-categorize curiosities.
The day that expressly recognizes museums around the world is Thursday, May 18.
In gauging how Maryland stacks up in the larger world of museums, we took a break from analyzing Maryland sports betting to consider the state’s place among best museum states. BetMaryland used data from the 2018 edition of the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Data Files to calculate the number of museums, botanical gardens, planetariums, and zoos per square mile. We then ranked the states by density for these types of institutions.
Maryland ranked No. 6 among all states, averaging more than 111 museums (111.24 to be exact) per 10,000 square miles. Ranking ahead of Maryland were Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware.
However, when accounting for states that have at least 10,000 square miles of land surface, Maryland is No. 2 behind only Massachusetts, which has more than 211 museums per 10,000 square miles. So the state has more to brag about than its growing market for best maryland sportsbook app options.
The highest-rated museum in Maryland, according to TripAdvisor, is the world-famous famous Walters Museum in Baltimore. The museum is open to everyone and is free.
According to the Walters’ website, its collection “spans more than seven millennia, from 5,000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects.”
Currently featured at the Walters are works from Asia and the Islamic World – and coming soon is a celebration of Juneteenth.
A museum with specific focus on African-American culture, history and traditions is the Reginald F. Lewis Museum dedicated to the African-American experience in America and specifically in Maryland over 400 years. The museum is near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
A much talked about museum is the American Visionary Art Museum, which challenges conventional notions of what “art” is. Works there stretch the imagination with their quirkiness, humor and startling images and forms.
More traditional art can be found at the Baltimore Museum of Art in the Charles Village section of the city. Located near the Johns Hopkins University campus, the museum features wall art, sculptures and meditative gardens.
For folks who enjoy sports, and perhaps are inclined to take advantage of the top Maryland sports betting promos at BetMaryland, there is the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum. It is located in a brown brick row building less than a mile from Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Just a further sampling Baltimore’s museums include the B&O Railroad Museum with a striking roundhouse and the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.
Outside of Baltimore, the United States Naval Academy Museum is in the state capital of Annapolis, which itself is an architectural museum for strolling. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the picturesque town of St. Michaels. And to stretch the definition of “museum” just a bit, there’s a “Ripley's Believe it or Not!” In the fun seashore town of Ocean City.
Author
A longtime reporter and editor who began writing on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened, Bill covered the World Series of Poker and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for a decade.
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