Located to the west of Baltimore City in Howard County, Historic Ellicott City offers a rustic and relaxed respite from city life.

It has many antique and specialty shops along The Main Street where you can spend the whole day hunting for that something special that catches your eyes among the many interesting items such as furniture, toys, china etc. Restaurants and cafes are aplenty when you need a bite or just to relax your feet.

Meandering through this hilly region is Patapsco River which flows into The Chesapeake Bay. As part of Maryland catchment area, Historic Ellicott City is prone to floods, the highest flood level recorded thus far was 14.5 ft (4.4 m) in 1972.

Along this river, there sits The Ellicott's Lower Mills and The Ellicott Baltimore & Ohio (B & O) Railroad Station which helped create one of the greatest milling and manufacturing towns in the eastern coast of bygone era. Visit the B & O Railway Station Museum which is the oldest surviving railroad station in America. The museum has exhibits regarding transportation and travel in early America and living history programs. Admissions for adults are $5, seniors (60+) $4 and children (2-12), $3. The operating hours are Wednesday to Sunday - 11am to 4pm.

For more information about Historic Ellicott City, visit http://www.ellicottcity.net/. The Visitor Information Center is located at Car Park D. If you are going to HMart, do consider driving 10 minutes west along Route 40 for a visit to the past.