Head over to Charm City, Baltimore, for a visit to a town that’s geographically close to D.C., (just an hour away), but totally different in character. John Waters, Baltimore’s local hero, once wrote, “you’ll never discover a stranger city with such extreme style.” In Baltimore, you’ll find the fabulous, the elegant, and the downright strange.

For fans of John Waters and his films (mostly set in Baltimore), start your visit in Hampden, the hipster neighborhood of the city, and where Waters filmed Pecker. Stop by Atomic Books, a groovy bookstore that also happens to be where Waters receives all of his fan mail and then swing by the American Visionary Art Museum to check out the giant statue of Divine, the late, great star of Waters early films, or watch a movie at Bengies Drive-In Theatre, featured in Cecil B. Demented. And be sure to eat some crabs cakes in Old Bay—locals love the dive Bill’s Terrace Inn, in Essex, MD, which is nothing but brown paper on the tables, rolls of paper towels, and the best crabs in the state.

The preceding post is part of the DCist Fall Guide, sponsored by Lexus.