Cylburn Arboretum: Baltimore's Quiet Escape

4915 Greenspring Avenue. 207 acres on a hill, Victorian mansion at the top. The formal gardens edge into wild wood — hedges trimmed to patient shapes, ferns that practice the art of staying still. The looped perimeter trail rises gently through tulip trees and maples, descends to a pond where ducks drift and dragonflies hover.

Late spring for azaleas and rhododendrons. Fall for golds and coppers. The Conservatory has tropical warmth, but the real experience is outside where the city's roar recedes behind the trees. Free, daily. Parking is limited — arrive early on spring weekends.