Things to Do in Timonium during Nationals
Things to Do in Timonium during Nationals
Since becoming a member, I have attended 5 of our club’s National Specialty Shows. While most of them took place on good show grounds (such as the beautiful location for the Buck’s County show), or near densely populated areas (such as Lexington), none of them really offered much in the way of things to do nearby other than show stuff. Now, for most people, that’s fine & dandy. After all, the purpose for going to the show is the show, right?
The difference this year is that the show location is just on the outskirts of a big city. Timonium MD is Baltimore’s equivalent to Redmond WA, Garland TX, or Bay Ridge NY. Timonium MD is located just north of Baltimore, mere minutes outside of the beltway. Timonium itself is a more upper middle class part of the Baltimore area and there’s a ton of shopping, good restaurants, and a lot to do. To really get your touristy-fix, Baltimore’s legendary Inner Harbor is a shorter drive than some of our past host hotels have been from the show grounds. Here’s a quick glance at things to do & places to go in the area:
Timonium Area (all listings in this section are less than 10 miles from host hotel)
Restaurants and Bars
The Crackpot Restaurant: If you come to Maryland and haven’t eaten Maryland crabs, you’ve done it wrong. This award-winning seafood restaurant offers, among other things, a 20-ounce crab cake, and steamed crabs and is just down the road in Towson MD. Visit their website for coupons and information: http://www.crackpotcrabs.com/.
Racers Café: If you like to drink beer – I mean GOOD beer – Racers Café is the place to go. Voted “Best Happy Hour” in 2003 by City Paper, this place serves the kind of beers that are hard to come by even at the local liquor store. One catch: don’t expect much in the way of food. Learn more at http://4106656000.pubcrawler.com
7732 Harford RD
Baltimore, MD 21234
Michael’s Café: Michael’s calls itself “casual dining in an upscale atmosphere“. What this means to me is regular food and good service. Located just a few miles from the host hotel, Michael’s offers everything from excellent seafood to ribs.
Learn more at http://www.michaelscafe.com
2119 York Road
Timonium, MD 21093
An Poitin Stil: If you need some food to go with your beer, this might just be the place. This Irish Pub is located just down the road from our host hotel and offers the typical beer you’d expect to find at an Irish Pub. If you’re looking for a more authentic Irish experience, you may be better off elsewhere, but if you want food and beer, this is a good start.
Learn more at: http://www.thestill.net/
2323 York Rd.
Timonium MD 21093
Edo Sushi: Located just a few miles from the host hotel, Edo Sushi is one of the more popular places in the area for Sushi. Learn more at: http://www.edosushimd.com/
53 East Padonia Road
Timonium, MD 21093
(While you’re at it, check out one of my personal favorite Sushi places: San Sushi Too: 10 W Pennsylvania Ave Towson, MD 21204 only a few miles further away)
Oregon Grille: Just north of the host hotel, enjoy some country roads as you anticipate eating at one of the top-3 Zagat rated steak houses in Maryland. This is the kind of place you call three months ahead for New Years Eve dinner. In fact, I’d recommend calling a few weeks ahead to make reservations. Learn more online at http://www.theoregongrille.com/
1201 Shawan Rd.
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
Padonia Station: This is, by far, the most popular sports bar in the Timonium area. Every town has a place like this. Not very great décor, not much of a menu, but rather a simple menu of bar food and beer. Oh yeah, and 35 flat screen TVs and 5 big screen TVs to get your sports fix. On April 18, 19, 20 the Orioles have a 3 game series against the Yankees. It’ll be early enough in the season that the Orioles may be playing well enough to win! Learn more at: http://www.padoniastation.com
63 E. Padonia Road
Timonium, MD 21093
Other Stuff
Pine Ridge Golf Course: Not far from the show site, Pine Ridge Golf Course is a Golf Digest 4-star course. Weekend reservations are hard to come by, but weekday reservations are available 14 days in advance and standard weekday greens fees are $49.
Learn more at: http://www.bmgcgolf.com
2101 Dulaney Valley Road
Lutherville, MD 21093
Towson: The city of Towson MD is just a short drive down York road, approximately 10 minutes (including traffic) from the host hotel. There you will find a very nice mall, as well as a shopping district, three excellent sushi restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Baltimore (all listings in this section are 20-30 miles from the host hotel)
Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Did I mention the Orioles are playing the Yankees that weekend? They’re home games, too! Anyone who knows anything about baseball will tell you that Camden Yards is one of the best baseball parks in the country. This park started the retro boom in ballpark design in the 90s.
Baltimore Inner Harbor: Why go listing everything to be done here, when I could just list the general area? In the 70s, this place was nothing more than a garbage dump and polluted shipyard. It has now evolved into a world-renowned tourist area complete with restaurants, museums, a world-famous aquarium, and more shopping than you can handle. Learn more at http://www.baltimore.org/baltimore_inner_harbor.htm
Little Italy, Fells Point and Canton: If, after reading everything above, you just can’t find what you’re looking for when it comes to food and drink, leave the host hotel, drive south on I-83 for about 20 minutes until it becomes President St. When that road ends (it didn’t end, you’re at a traffic circle), look right. That’s the Inner Harbor. Look left. That’s Little Italy. Stop here for Italian food. Or, turn left and go about 10 blocks. That’s Fells Point. Keep going past Fells Point and you’ll run into Canton. Both Fells Point and Canton are filled to the brim with bars and restaurants of every kind as well as eclectic shopping.
Beyond Baltimore:
Harley Davidson Factory Tours: OK, York PA isn’t exactly “in the neighborhood”, but for those of you who are interested in motorcycles and driving long distances already, you might want to consider taking a 45-minute trek up the road to the York PA final assembly plant for Harley Davidson. The tour lasts about one hour and is an excellent time. Go to http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Factory_Tours/york_details.jsp?locale=en_US for more information
Old Stein Inn: Edgewater MD is likely to be much further away from the show site than most people are comfortable with. Just outside of Annapolis, it is about an hour’s drive. But for those of you coming in from the south, this may be a great stop on the way out of town. The Old Stein Inn is without a doubt the favorite restaurant of the Groves family.
Learn more at: http://www.oldstein-inn.com
1143 Central Ave.
Edgewater, MD 21037
One last thing worth mentioning:
Baltimore isn’t exactly setting any trends when it comes to public transportation. Unlike cities like NY and DC, you can’t find a train to hop on every 2 blocks. On the upside, however, is the fact that what little mass transportation we do have is highly convenient to the show site and most of the places I’ve discussed above. Maryland’s Light Rail train ends a few miles north of the host hotel and is basically a straight shot south, through the city and ending in the northern part of Anne Arundel County by the BWI airport. Between there, however, a number of stops in places of interest, including stops right in the heart of the Inner Harbor and one right next to Camden Yards. You can drive less than a mile, then hop on the Light Rail down to the Inner Harbor and not have to deal with traffic, directions, or parking hassles. Learn more at: http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/lightrail/