About
The City of Laurel
The City of Laurel Historic District is centered on Main Street
Laurel Sits along the Banks of the Patuxent Between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Washington, DC, is 20 miles south of Laurel. The nation’s capital features many free museums and monuments. On weekdays it is best to take public transportation, as a downtown parking spot can be hard to find at the popular tourist attractions. The Greenbelt Metro station is 12 miles away. Drive and park at the station or catch the Metro bus three blocks from Laurel Manor House. The MARC train will also get you into DC.
Baltimore is 21 miles north of Laurel. Visit Fort McHenry where the original Star Spangled Banner flew during the War of 1812, enjoy a day at the amazing National Aquarium, or experience hands-on science at the Maryland Science Center.
The Maryland state capital, Annapolis, is 25 miles to the east of Laurel. There you will find the US Naval Academy and a historic downtown area dating to colonial times.
The University of Maryland, the state’s flagship university in College Park, is only ten miles south of Laurel.
This directory is reproduced courtesy of Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast, a local place to stay. Located six blocks from Main Street, it sits at the highest point in the city, yet close to wooded areas.
Transportation
Baltimore Washington International Airport – (15 miles)
MARC Rail Laurel Station on the Camden Line – (1.1 miles)
Metro Rail Greenbelt Station – (12 miles)
Metro Bus Lines 87 and 89 stops – (0.2 miles)
I-95/MD 198 Interchange – (1.2 miles)
Restaurants
There are several local restaurants on and near Main Street.
Red Hot & Blue – (0.7 mile) Memphis-style barbecue
Acapulco Restaurant & Grill – (0.7 mile) Traditional Salvadoran and Mexican food
Oliver’s Old Town Tavern – (0.7 mile) Sports bar and restaurant
Olive on Main – (0.8 mile) Middle Eastern cuisine
High Five – (0.9 mile) Ice cream shop
Ragamuffins Coffee House – (1.0 mile) Coffee shop
More Than Java Cafe – (1.1 miles) Coffee shop with sandwiches
Pho Viet 75 – (1.1 miles) Vietnamese cuisine
Rise Up Nutrition – (1.1 miles) Nutrition shakes and energy teas
CaribeExpress – (1.2 miles) Caribbean cuisine
Wings Things & Pizza – (1.2 miles) Wings and pizza
Tampico Grill – (1.4 miles) Tex-Mex cuisine
Shopping | Movies
Shops, restaurants, and a movie theater complex at the Towne Centre at Laurel, a mile south on US 1. Four miles north of Laurel is the town of Savage and Savage Mill — a shopping mall converted from an old mill on the National Register of Historic Places with unique shops, artist studios, craft galleries, banquet facilities, Roggenart Bistro and Cafe and Dive Bar and Grille.
Entertainment
Laurel Mill Playhouse – (0.8 mile)
Toby’s Dinner Theater – (11 miles)
Olney Theatre – (14 miles)
Regal Cinemas Laurel Towne Centre 12 – (1.4 miles)
Laurel Park Race Track – (3.4 miles) Horse racing and off-track betting
Merriweather Post Pavilion – (10 miles) Concert venue
Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House – (15 miles) Tours, taproom, gift shop, and a restaurant at the only Guiness brewery in the USA.
Jailbreak Brewery – (3.1 miles) Tasting room for this local craft brewery offers ample seating, dining, four large HDTVs with a 120″ HD projector
Maryland Live Casino – (12 miles) Table games and slot machines
Outdoor Activities
Patuxent Branch Trail — A 4.5 mile trail. End points: Lake Elkhorn Loop at Broken Land Pkwy (Columbia) and Savage Park north of Fair St & Baltimore St (Savage)
McCullough Field – (0.3 miles) Local park with fields, tennis and basketball courts.
Riverfront Park – (0.5 miles) Paved walking path and open space along the Patuxent River.
High Ridge Park – (1.5 miles) Paved trails, as well as some nice blazed hiking in the undeveloped section, along Rocky George on the Howard County side of the river.
Supplee Launch – (2.0 miles) Boat launch at the reservoir (fee) with picnic tables by the lake.
Dinosaur Park – (4.0 miles) Open House 1st and 3rd Saturday each month, noon to 4pm, where you can search for Cretaceous Period fossils.
Terrapin Adventures – (4.0 miles) Ropes course and zip line (fee).
Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge – (5.8 miles to the north tract and 7.1 miles to south tract) Extensive hiking at both locations with a visitor center at the south tract.
Indoor Activities
Salt on Main Wellness Center – (0.9 mile) Dry salt therapy center
Gardens Ice House – (4.5 miles) 150,000-square-foot facility offers open skating at select times for a small fee. In the same building, you will find the Potomac Curling Club, which offers a Saturday morning curling program for non-members.
Laurel Museum – (0.5 mile) Learn about the history of Laurel, browse the gift shop, and check out the latest exhibit at this 19th-century mill worker’s house.
Montpelier Mansion – (4.5 miles) National Historic Landmark built in the 1780s.
National Cryptologic Museum – (8 miles) Check out the machinery and history of coding and code breaking.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center – (11 miles) NASA’s largest center, in charge of many science missions, all the weather satellites, and other space missions.