Things to Do in Mays Chapel

Twin brothers and Parkville Lanes co-owners Edward and Brian Foreman have given sphere slingers a home for classic duckpin-style bowling since 1986 with 26 gleaming lanes. While the rules of duckpin bowling are similar to those of the traditional 10-pin game, bowlers play duckpin with softball-size bowling balls that lack treacherous finger traps, which they hurl at shorter, squatter pins with three throws per turn. Between turns, patrons can refresh at the snack bar, where steaming slices of pizza are chased with sips of brews and wine. Perfect for family-fun nights and dates with retired wrecking balls, Parkville Lanes can also accommodate larger parties for birthdays, wedding receptions, and bowling leagues.

Boordy, owned and operated by the R.B. Denford family, is the oldest winery in the Baltimore area. Stepping onto the Boordy property is like walking through a delicious wormhole into a nostalgic past where everyone had wine. Confront tipsy ghosts in the 1830s stone wine cellar as you and a friend, loved one, or sentient android sample the available oak-aged cabernets, vivid chardonnays, seyval blancs, and more. After whetting your taste for vino, you'll get to drink an entire glass of non-reserve wine and even take home a Boordy wine glass for at-home elixirs of coffee and orange juice.

Presidential dentures, a kid-sized dental chair, and interactive brushing instruction are some of the permanent exhibits spanning the space's two floors. The museum also boasts a life-size narwhal model, an exposé on saliva, and a celebration of our country's best dental schools. This upcoming season, stop in to pay homage to the tooth fairy for Tooth Fairy Day, or get a mouthful of mammals on Jaws and Paws Day. View a listing of upcoming events here. Take the whole family (admission for children ages 3–18 is $3, and those less than 2 are free), bring a bad-breathed date for a tutorial on mouth management, or instill yourself with a new sense of appreciation for the dentist.

The American Visionary Art Museum devotes its space to original work by self-taught artists who honed their craft—often unintentionally—while operating on the outskirts of the formal art world. As temporary exhibitions explore a particular artist or theme in depth, the permanent collection displays thousands of powerful and often whimsical items, such as Wayne Kusy’s Lusitania, a detailed toothpick replica of the doomed vessel, or the haunting Applewood Figure, an emaciated sculpture said to wince whenever someone eats a piece of fruit. The museum spreads its arresting pieces throughout three historical buildings, including the expansive main building, which boasts a reflective mirrored-mosaic exterior and neighbors the Tall Sculpture Barn, an ex-whiskey warehouse fully equipped with 45-foot ceilings for large-scale projects. A wildflower garden—complete with meditation chapel—and a sculpture plaza featuring a 55-foot whirligig beckon visitors to the museum's outdoor space, where envious clouds shape themselves into crude versions of Pietà. Completing any trip, the museum's Sideshow gift shop stuffs shopping bags with an ever-rotating collection of eclectic artwork, jewelry, toys, and more.

The backstories of most famous pirates are filled with ruthless deeds and dangerous raids. Inspired by their own kids' love for all things pirate-related, two mothers founded Urban Pirates. The swashbuckling crew whisks families on one-hour voyages around the Baltimore Inner Harbor in the 52-foot ship Fearless, regaling them with maritime songs, games, and activities. But the passengers aren't mere spectators—they become real members of the crew, donning pirate costumes complete with drawn tattoos and facial hair and manning water cannons to help protect the ship when it's stormed by rival pirates.

The charismatic buccaneers can also personalize their charters, whether by distributing eye patches and other goodies to birthday-party guests, hosting on-the-water weddings, or guiding corporate groups through team-building exercises, such as teaching a parrot to say "profits are up!" On evening adult cruises, they even encourage patrons to bring their own grog from home. And, though the Fearless stays moored for the winter, the crew hardly abandons their mission to spark young imaginations. Rather than take to the sea, they visit Baltimore libraries and put on free pirate-themed story events that also incorporate games and songs.

The fly-fishing experts at Great Feathers Fly Shop are always willing to help customers choose the perfect knot or select the right material for fly tying. When not selling reels and rods, they teach fly-fishing lessons and head over to the Gunpowder River to fish for trout.