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Other Heritage Tourism Programs
Several statewide and multi-state initiatives with beneficial effects to Maryland's Heritage Areas have made significant strides over the past few years. These initiatives include the efforts to have Maryland's portion of the National Road designated an All American Road by the Federal Highway Administration, the advance of the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Study Act of 1999, the development of the Maryland Civil War Trails Initiative, and the creation of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. To learn more about individual heritage attractions in Maryland, visit the Maryland Office of Tourism Development.
National Road
 The National Road connects four of Maryland's Heritage Areas (Baltimore City, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Civil War, and Canal Place) that can benefit from directed efforts to preserve and develop the scenic and historic qualities of our nation's first federally funded road. Originally called the Cumberland Road, the National Road was the first federally planned and funded highway in the United States. Various segments of the historic route have had other names at one time or another, such as the Bank Road, the Baltimore Pike, and the National Pike. On contemporary street maps, the historic route also goes by several names, such as the Old National Pike, Western Pike, or National Pike. The route is also labeled on highway maps as MD 144, US 40, US Alt. 40, and Scenic US 40, in various segments.
In the spring of 2001, the Maryland Department of Planning and their agency partners, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, the Maryland State Highway Administration, the Maryland Historical Trust, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources completed a “Corridor Partnership Plan” for Maryland's Historic National Road Scenic Byway. The Corridor Partnership Plan is part of a six-state effort to gain All-American Road designation for the National Road through the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Scenic Byway Program. Funding for the plan was provided by the FHWA. Development of the plan was led by those state agencies noted above, working in concert with a Citizen Advisory Group and a multi-disciplined team of landscape architects, community planners, economic/marketing consultants, engineers, and historians headed by Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, P.C.
The purpose of the Corridor Partnership Plan is not to advocate or create more regulations. Instead, the Plan proposes strategies to:
develop and enhance the route to attract visitors and increase tourism
preserve the historic, scenic, and natural resources along the route
celebrate the heritage of the corridor and tell its stories
maintain the high quality of life found along the National Road
To learn more about the National Road Corridor Partnership Plan, visit their website.
Star-Spangled Banner Trail
The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Study Act of 1999 is a legislative initiative co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes and Congressman Benjamin Cardin. The bill amended the National Trail Systems Act by designating the route of the British invasion of Maryland and Washington D.C. and that of the American defenses in the War of 1812 for study for potential addition to the national trails system. The Act complements the work underway by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development to develop and promote the War of 1812 as a heritage tourism theme in Maryland, as well as work underway in the Southern Maryland, Anacostia Trails, Baltimore City, Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, and Upper Eastern Shore Heritage Areas.
For more information, contact Marci Ross, Destination Resources Manager for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development.
Maryland Civil War Trails Initiative
 The objective of the Maryland Civil War Trails Initiative, led by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development (MOTD), is to develop, enhance, connect, and market Civil War sites as inter-modal touring trails resulting in direct revenue and other benefits for the state. In December 1999, MOTD and Virginia Civil War Trails, Inc. agreed to cooperate in the development of trails that connect Maryland and Virginia with the hope that eventually West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC will be regional partners.
The process to establish this statewide inter-modal trail system has begun. These driving trails will follow events of the Civil War in Maryland, using historic road traces that will be enhanced with wayside exhibits providing accurate historic interpretation. Inter-modal linkages, such as water and hiking trails, will add significant impact to the visitor experience. The concept is to compel the traveler off of the highways to tour the byways and visit sites where actual Civil War events occurred.
Each trail will have a Trail Committee with representation for all stakeholders and include designated leadership. The Maryland Civil War Trails Initiative will also consist of a Board charged with oversight of the program at large.
For more information, contact Marci Ross, Destination Resources Manager for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development.
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
 The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and one of the world's most productive bodies of water. For centuries, the Bay and its tributaries have sustained human endeavors, driven the region's economy, and defined the natural beauty, traditions, and culture of a vast area.
Congress recognized the regional, nation, and international importance of the Chesapeake Bay and its many related resources in 1998 through the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act. The Act authorizes a broad-based partnership to enhance people's connections with these resources in meaningful ways that foster conservation and restoration of the Bay.
This partnership is creating a dynamic network of Chesapeake Bay Gateways linking a diverse array of special places within the Bay watershed, including parks, wildlife refuges, historic communities, maritime museums, waterways, and more. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways network will provide the physical and program links between these Gateways, allowing people to more easily explore, understand, and help conserve the Bay and its related resources. Gateway Hubs and Regional Information Centers will orient and educate people as they begin their exploration of the Network's Gateway sites and connecting byways and water trails.
For further information about the Gateways Program, visit their website.
National Register Travel Itineraries
 Printed and web-based National Register travel itineraries are designed to help people conduct research on historic properties, encourage travelers to visit those properties open to the public, and to offer the Internet traveler the fullest possible documentation on National Register-listed properties. Many National Register travel itineraries have been prepared in collaboration with local preservation organizations, historical societies, chambers of commerce, city governments, and statewide groups. If you would like to prepare a National Register itinerary for your community, contact Patrick W. Andrus at the National Register of Historic Places by phone at 202-343-9519. Examples of the two travel itineraries prepared for Maryland are listed below.
- All Aboard for Cumberland
- Baltimore: A National Register Travel Itinerary
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail
On August 2, 2005, President Bush signed legislation (Public Law 109-54) to authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to study the feasability of establishing the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail, as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriation Act.
 The NPS has begun its study process to determine whether the trail meets the criteria required by the National Trail System Act (NTSA) to become a National Historic Trail (NHT). The NPS will determine if the trail is nationally and historically significant, and whether it provides opportunities for public recreation. Given a positive recommendation from the NPS, Congress must then amend the NTSA to include the John Smith Water Trail, in order for it to officially become a NHT.
John Smith Trail Study Schedule
• January 2006 - Draft significance report & solicit public input
• March 2006 - Complete resource assessment
• August 2006 - Draft study report
• September 2006 - Public review of study report
• November 2006 - Final study report
For more information about the Jouhn Smith Water Trail study, please contact William Sharp, Project Manager, at 215-597-1655, or Sherry Peck, Senior Planner, at 215-597-6478.
Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway
 Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway, located in Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore region, was the state's first scenic byway to receive the "National Scenic Byway" designation. Chesapeake Country is proud to celebrate life on Maryland's Eastern Shore, one of the truly special landscapes in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries reveal the tapestry that is Chesapeake Country. Our agriculture and pristine natural resource areas accentuate our rural character. Historic buildings, churches, and museums are evidence of our rich colonial history. Our working landscapes and waterfronts reflect the heritage that upon which Chesapeake Country was founded. Enjoy the beauty, peace, and tranquility along the Byway's historic main streets, take in the scenery, drop by a local restaurant for fresh seafood, watch commercial watermen unload their day's harvest along our waterfronts, pick up fresh produce from a local farm stand, fish from a nearby pier, hike through upland woods, bike along flat, rural roads, or paddle along an undisturbed stretch of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. Come closer! Experience Chesapeake Country!
Last updated: January 23, 2007
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