City: Catonsville, MD

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (410) 744-0590

Address: 2 Thistle Rd.

Description: Tucked at the edge of Patapsco State Park, The Wilderness seems like it’s, well, nowhere. But it is, in fact, just a half-hour drive to downtown Baltimore or Columbia, and about five minutes to historic Ellicott City. Its Victorian charms and leafy three-acre setting make you feel a part of some place quiet and relaxing. The aroma of something sweet wafting in from the kitchen welcomes guests right away. A mix of comfortable furnishings and eye-catching antiques fill the sitting room, dining room, and three suites. Each suite has a separate sitting room and modern bath. If the outdoors beckons, there’s a wide front porch, a screened porch in back, and a patio in the yard. Two resident cats keep an eye on guests.