Name Your Top Five Favorite Towns/Cities in Maryland

[that412]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Thanks for this. Rock Hall and Chestertown have always been a places that I've wanted to explore. A Bay Bridge accident gave me a reason to take a quick side trip to Chestertown and it was beautiful. We need to take a weekend trip to Rock Hall and see what it's about.

I had passed through a few times and it had always intrigued me, so I finally spent a long weekend there last Labor Day. Because of the holiday I had been a little apprehensive, but I was very amazed at how laid back it still was. It's compact enough that you can get from one end of the town to the other in < 30 minutes on foot, and it's great for getting around on a bike, too. There's a little business district at the main crossroads with just the perfect scope of amenities: a local supermarket and a Walgreens and a gift shop, coffee shop, a few restaurants, etc (plus there are a handful of seafood joints scattered around alongside or as part of marinas, etc.).

In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose it is a bit of a stretch to call it a "beach town," as there's really just a small municipal park fronting the Bay where there is any public extent of sand. So if you're someone who is super into THE BEACH, you will probably be disappointed. But it was ample enough for me, especially given the lack of crowds.

For a shore getaway, I need a place where I can both easily walk to the water and easily walk to a supermarket and a decent selection of places to eat, without having to deal with crowds and chintziness, or having to pay an arm and a leg to stay there. Such a place is remarkably hard to find on the east coast, but Rock Hall comes about as close as I've encountered to striking the ideal balance.

[personone]

1. Bethesda
2. Chevy Chase
3. Columbia
4. Ellicott City
5. Annapolis