I’m a terrible bowler: I’m lucky to crack 90 on a good day. So when I went with my friend Jared to Patterson Bowling Center, east of downtown Baltimore, to try out duckpin bowling, an idiosyncratic local pastime, I thought my fortunes might change. We walked into the 90-year-old institution, plunked down $15 each for an hour (shoe rental included, and you’re allowed to bring your own beer and wine), then headed upstairs and began to play.

My dreams of joining the pro tour were quickly dashed. The light, grapefruit-size balls were even more difficult to control, and the squat little duckpins, a fraction the size of normal bowling pins, wouldn’t cooperate. Whenever I fired a perfect strike down the middle of the lane, I’d somehow manage to knock down only three or four pins. In my head, I gave the little duckpins Daffy Duck voices. “You’re despicable!” they taunted. I still had a great time.

My visit to Baltimore was filled with quirky fun like this: singular activities that make Maryland’s largest city a creative hotbed and thoroughly worthwhile place to visit. Despite my limited budget, I was able to enjoy excellent food, discover historical landmarks and make the most of a city whose eccentricity led the director John Waters, a native, to say, “you’ll never discover a stranger city with such extreme style.”