Last Updated on April 29, 2021
If you’re stationed on Fort Meade, you’re lucky enough to be at the heart of a bustling east coast hub. Numerous attractions, amenities, and activities await you at this post near Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
No matter what you enjoy, you’re sure to find activities and people that share your passions.
Love the outdoors? Head to Patapsco Valley State Park, just a 35 minute drive from the post, for a camping trip or a day-hike.
Or drive just 25 minutes from Fort Meade and visit Centennial Park. It surrounds a beautiful lake and is home to many different species of wildlife.
What about a night in the city? Fort Meade has you covered there, too. The post is just a little over a half an hour drive to downtown Baltimore and just a 45-minute drive to Washington, D.C.
Whether you spend a romantic evening with your spouse or take the kids out on the town, you have no shortage of options.
Are you an adventurer? Then pack up the car with the kiddos and head 40 minutes south of the post to Six Flags America, which even offers a 20% military discount!
No matter what activities you enjoy, or whether you’re visiting Fort Meade for a temporary stay or PCS, read below for a comprehensive list of attractions, dining, and shopping options in the area.
ON POST
Housing
For information on housing options on post, check out the Ft Meade housing website.
Dining Options
When you live on post and don’t feel like cooking, you don’t have to leave the post to get food. Here are the places on Fort Meade where you can grab a bite to eat:
Five Hats Dining Facility
- Cooks a variety of flavorsome, inexpensive foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Located at 9829 Love Rd. Bldg. 9828.
- Enjoy their lunch buffet Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. They serve a range of food options, including fresh seafood, soups and salads, BBQ dishes, Asian cuisine, and Southern meals.
- Serves cheese and pepperoni pizzas, mild and spicy wings, and $1 sodas, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and pizza slices all day on Thursdays, which are Dollar Days.
Entertainment Options
Military posts are usually big on athletics and physical fitness, and Fort Meade is no exception. Besides swimming laps in the Rock Avenue Outdoor Pool, the Gaffney Fitness Center and Murphy Field House provide numerous ways for you to stay active.
In addition to the athletic facilities, there’s a range of facilities on Fort Meade you will want to take advantage of. Places you should check out include:
- Arts and Crafts Center
- Old Fort Meade Museum
- Fort Meade Post Theater
- The Lanes at Fort Meade
- The Medal of Honor Memorial Library
- Post Library Annex (Kuhn Hall)
- Automotive Skills Center
Fort Meade also provides events for its military members and their families. Here are just a few of them:
- Summer Concert Series
- Fort Meade Run Series
- Farmer’s Market
- Summer Reading Program
- Pre-K Story Time
- Community Job Fair
- Fort Meade Veterans Job Fair
Hotel Options
At Fort Meade, there are IHG Army Hotels, convenient on-post hotels available to visiting families and out of town guests. IHG Army Hotels on Fort Meade, offers not only the convenience of staying on-post, but a variety of complimentary amenities catered specifically for the military audience including: breakfast, on-post shuttle service, weekly socials, internet access and more
OFF POST
Dining Options
Everyone enjoys a chance to dine out, and you have plenty of places to choose from in the cities near Fort Meade. Here are several options:
Three Brothers Italian Restaurant
- Address: 13600 Baltimore Ave. #210, Laurel, MD 20707
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 20 minutes
- Serves a complete selection of Italian-American foods, as well as authentic New York-style pizza, and has done so for more than 30 years.
- Address: 112 Annapolis St., Annapolis, MD 21401
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 20 minutes
- Providing rich coffees, lattes, mochas, espressos, and teas alongside specialty sandwiches, paninis, pastries, salads, and tasty breakfast options 7 days a week.
- Address: 6325 Washington Blvd., Elkridge, MD 21075
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 15 minutes
- Try one of their many sushi options, like a spicy tuna roll, a dragon roll, a dynamite roll, or a California roll. If you don’t like sushi, you have soup, salad, and kitchen entrée options.
- Address: 1350 Dorsey Rd., Hanover, MD 21076
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Serves homemade Italian favorites, like pizza and meatball subs, as well as their famous veal and seafood dishes.
- Address: 7000 Arundel Mills Cir., Hanover, MD 21076
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Enjoy bacon-wrapped sirloin medallions or a hearty burger for yourself and order some chicken fingers or a pretzel dog for your kids. They also offer an Eat & Play Combo so you can enjoy a delicious entrée and play some games at a great price.
- Address: 1131 Annapolis Rd., Odenton, MD 21113
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Experience fine, authentic Chinese cuisine for lunch or dinner in a relaxing atmosphere. They specialize in Hunan and Szechuan cuisine.
- Address: 7061 Arundel Mills Cir., Hanover, MD 21076
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Famous for their never-ending breadsticks, salad, and pastas.
- Address: 1351 Odenton Rd. #1, Odenton, MD 21113
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Serves the freshest, highest-quality crabs, fish, and seafood around. You can get crab legs, crab dip, crab balls, crab cakes, grilled shrimp, fried shrimp, oysters, and more.
- Address: 3244 Laurel Fort Meade Rd., Laurel, MD 20724
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Provides numerous mouthwatering crab meals, as well as other fresh seafood, like flounder, scallops, and oysters.
- Address: 1726 Dorsey Rd., Hanover, MD 21076
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 10 minutes
- Serves weekly seafood specials, along with soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks, and pastas for those who don’t like seafood.
- Address: 8743 Piney Orchard Pkwy. #102-103, Odenton, MD 21113
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 15 minutes
- Dishes up savory Italian pasta dishes, baked entrees, pizzas, and cold and hot Italian subs. You can also get seafood and veal dishes.
- Address: 7894 Washington Blvd, Eldridge, MD 21075
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 15 minutes
- Operated by family members that cook and serve traditional Tex-Mex dishes and authentic Mexican foods with a bit of a twist. Their tacos are some of the best on the East Coast.
- Address: 8874 McGaw Rd., Columbia, MD 21045
- Driving distance from Fort Meade: 20 minutes
- Cooks tandoor-style meals, lamb and seafood dishes, vegetable entrees, and all kinds of bread for those who enjoy fine dining and Indian food.
Entertainment Options
In the cities surrounding Fort Meade, especially Baltimore and Washington, D.C., there are many things to do and see. You could spend a day touring a museum, shopping, or attending a Baltimore Ravens football game.
Here are some of the off-post amenities around Fort Meade:
- Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD Theater (Special military discounts are offered when you show your valid military ID. Discount days and times vary so check before you go)
- Hoyts West Nursery Cinema
- Maryland Live! Casino (Arundel Mills Mall)
- Hog Neck Golf Course
- Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club
- Eisenhower Golf Course
Here are the Baltimore area’s attractions and shopping options within a 30-minute drive of Fort Meade:
- Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
- National Aquarium (Discounted tickets are offered to certain military bases in the area. Check with the MWR on your base for details)
- Pier Six Pavilion
- Arundel Mills Mall (Participating stores offer a 10% military discount)
- The Mall of Columbia (Participating stores offer a 10% military discount)
- Horseshoe Casino
- M&T Bank Stadium
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Active, retired and reserve military members receive $5 off their tickets. If you show your active duty ID badge, you receive a complimentary Orioles baseball cap)
Here are Washington, D.C.’s area attractions within an hour drive from Fort Meade:
- United States Capitol Tours
- White House
- Smithsonian
- International Spy Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Newseum
- Lincoln Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
- Washington Monument
- Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- United States Mint Tours
- Pentagon Tours
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Old Town, Alexandria
- The Kennedy Center
As you can see, there’s really no shortage of delicious food and fun for you, your spouse, your family, and your children on and around Fort Meade.
This list is just a starting point Feel free to share any of your favorite local finds with the community on this blog.