The Bowie race track isn’t quite abandoned, but is nowhere near as active as it was during the early 1900’s. I actually met another drone pilot while flying here, apparently the track is a hot spot for hobby pilots of all sorts, and he told me about the fascinating history of the track as we walked around the broken down rubble where the grand stands used to be.
Thanks to the magic of the internet, the historical significance of the track is not lost. Just a quick google search shows the wikipedia page and a good Baltimore Sun article. My favorite story is where everyone there was trapped due to a blizzard, and they had a big party in the stands:
“When it snows, Bowie goes,” track officials crowed. On Feb. 8, 1958, more than 18,000 fans celebrated Opening Day of the winter season in biting cold temperatures and “b-b-bitter winds,” The Sun wrote. One week later, a blizzard trapped more than 2,000 patrons at the track. Nonplussed, they huddled there overnight, shooting dice and playing cards.
