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Highest-rated specialty museums in Maryland by visitors

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Anton_Ivanov // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Maryland on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#30. National Capital Radio and Television Museum

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#30. National Capital Radio and Television Museum

- Rating: 4.9/5 (55 reviews)
- City: Bowie
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Museum Of Historic Annapolis

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#28. Museum Of Historic Annapolis

- Rating: 4.9/5 (20 reviews)
- City: Annapolis
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. St. Michaels Museum

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#25. St. Michaels Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (34 reviews)
- City: St Michaels Talbot County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum

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#23. Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum

- Rating: 4.1/5 (41 reviews)
- City: Hagerstown
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Garrett County Museum of Transportation

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#22. Garrett County Museum of Transportation

- Rating: 4.7/5 (46 reviews)
- City: Oakland Garrett County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. The Oakland B&O Railroad Museum

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#20. The Oakland B&O Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (34 reviews)
- City: Oakland Garrett County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Banneker-douglass-tubman Museum

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#17. Banneker-douglass-tubman Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (60 reviews)
- City: Annapolis
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. B&O Ellicott City Station Museum

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#15. B&O Ellicott City Station Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (186 reviews)
- City: Ellicott City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. College Park Aviation Museum

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#14. College Park Aviation Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (128 reviews)
- City: College Park
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum

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#13. Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (369 reviews)
- City: Ocean City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Ripley's Believe it or Not! Ocean City

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#12. Ripley's Believe it or Not! Ocean City

- Rating: 4.1/5 (94 reviews)
- City: Ocean City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Baltimore Museum of Industry

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#10. Baltimore Museum of Industry

- Rating: 4.5/5 (317 reviews)
- City: Baltimore
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Calvert Marine Museum and Drum Point Lighthouse

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#8. Calvert Marine Museum and Drum Point Lighthouse

- Rating: 4.7/5 (438 reviews)
- City: Solomons Calvert County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

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#7. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (410 reviews)
- City: Baltimore
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. National Museum of Civil War Medicine

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#5. National Museum of Civil War Medicine

- Rating: 4.5/5 (483 reviews)
- City: Frederick
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. Glenstone Museum

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#4. Glenstone Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (244 reviews)
- City: Potomac Montgomery County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

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#3. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,074 reviews)
- City: St Michaels Talbot County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. American Visionary Art Museum

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#2. American Visionary Art Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,653 reviews)
- City: Baltimore
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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