Once the largest private home in America, Hampton National Historic Site is a masterpiece of Georgian architecture, built in 1790 by the Ridgely family. This sprawling estate—complete with a 24,000-square-foot mansion, terraced gardens, and original slave quarters—offers a rare glimpse into Maryland’s plantation past.

Set on rolling hills just north of Baltimore, Hampton’s perfectly preserved interiors showcase ornate parlors, rare antiques, and one of the finest collections of 19th-century furnishings in the country. The estate’s formal gardens, lined with sculpted hedges and towering oaks, contrast sharply with the preserved remnants of its enslaved workforce.

As a National Park Service site, Hampton tells the full story of both privilege and oppression, wealth and labor. Walking its halls, visitors step back in time to an era of grandeur and deep complexity, making this one of the most historically significant estates in the nation.