Things to Do in Hunt Valley

“Pimlico is more than a dirt track bound by four streets,” explained then-Maryland Club president Alfred G. Vanderbilt 50 years ago. Vanderbilt was referring to Pimlico’s status as an “American institution,” a title it has earned as the country’s second oldest racetrack. Founded in 1870, Pimlico has weathered everything from World War II to the day steeds skipped work en masse to see Seabiscuit, and remains a popular destination to this day as host to the US Triple Crown’s second leg, the Preakness Stakes. In its four-star Terrace dining room, patrons dine on buffet breakfasts and lunches as they view thoroughbreds galloping to the finish line. Meanwhile, the screens in the venue’s Sports Palace project simulcasts of offsite races, and the patrons seated in the Jockey Club enjoy especially clear views of the competing horses without having to glue equine portraits to the insides of their sunglasses.

Maryland Wine curates the abundant spread of wineries and vineyards that dot the state’s landscape, keeping tabs on the more than 400 wines they produce. Holders of the Maryland Wine Passport wind their way through the state’s six wine trails, tracking their progress as they taste vintages and take photos with their favorite vines. The site also keeps track of local wine news and upcoming winery events.

Director Ann Wiker leads a creative crew of teachers who curate exhibits, lead accessible art classes, and help local artists to market their work. In the Creative Messes classes, 2- to 4-year-olds, accompanied by parents, dabble in drawing stick figures, painting stick fruit bowls, and forming pottery, as teachers emphasize key shapes and colors. In beginning oil-painting courses ($95), mature beginners prep canvases, mix paints to create unearthly colors, and learn rules of composition as they experiment with brush techniques. Intermediate painters can continue to develop color mixology skills and use of light and shadow in intermediate oil courses or paint without an explicit subject in abstracting courses, using acrylics and oils to create stark images that represent either waves crashing on a beach or the inside of a baboon's heart. Consult the schedule to find other courses, including advanced-level painting ($95), introduction to digital photography ($90), and watercolor painting ($90).

Kim Yates's passion for the macabre spawned from a 1973 ride through the Haunted Mansion at Disney World, after which the child collected props and crafted monsters for her parents' front porch. Over the next several decades, Kim channeled her energy into drumming for a Baltimore metal band and building a sprawling Halloween attraction in her front yard and then watching it blossom into a full-scale haunted house in 1994. Despite various relocations, her indoor haunt has been growing ever since.

Featured in the Baltimore Sun, Kim’s Krypt sets Charm City teeth chattering with 25- to 30-minute adventures teeming with unexpected spooks and surprises in a show that adds new scenes annually. A terror-ridden tradition for more than 19 years, the indoor haunt invites brave patrons to test their nerve against killer clowns soliciting screams, zombies seeking fresh flesh, and blood-spattered apparitions recklessly searching for change for a $20 bill. Staffers fortify patrons for their harrowing journey with a range of concession fare as they converse at the covered waiting area after receiving their first shock of the night in the form of free parking. A force of uniformed and plainclothes police officers patrol the building to ensure visitors scare in safety.

Since 1947, Baltimore Ski Club has loaded up its bus with ski poles, parkas, and club members, setting off for trips to some of the world's oldest mountain ranges. A nonprofit group, the ski club functions thanks to the annual contributions of its members, who in turn get access to ski trips and monthly get-togethers. From December through April, the club sponsors trips across the East Coast, the Western states, and European mountain ranges. Trips include the price of transportation, lodging, and lift tickets, allowing skiers to ride local slopes or legendary Alps without having to stuff their boots with dollar bills.

When Superior Tours looks for new drivers, it wants polite, reliable, and personable people, and it doesn't even consider those with fewer than five years of experience. Its drivers all work only for Superior Tours so that they can be on time and well rested for each trip. Luxury, 54-passenger motorcoaches pick up groups from the airport, ferry people to New York City for a day of urban exploration, or steer toward Atlantic City where passengers can hit the slots. The company also programs charter trips for corporate outings, church trips, and charter-bus-of-the-month clubs.