This offbeat streak perfectly defines Baltimore, famously the home of gritty TV shows such as The Wire, as well as eccentric visionary filmmaker John Waters, responsible for camp classics, such as Hairspray and Serial Mom.

Everything has a twist here. I’m blown away by the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), an institution dedicated to preserving ‘outsider art’. Its 4,000-strong permanent collection includes a colossal copper nest protruding from the museum building, 3D paintings and a series of wry Victorian drawings that make me cackle with laughter (“E is for Edward who died of ennui”). Stopping for lunch in Encantada, AVAM’s gorgeously spacious sustainable restaurant, I’m surrounded by mirrored, winking walls as I munch down on a shroom burger. There is nothing else like this place.

Even the more traditional cultural destinations surprise me; I’m shocked by the solidly A-list roster of artists on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), having never heard of it before. Rubbing shoulders are iconic works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe and Vincent Van Gogh. It also lays claim to the largest public collection of Henri Matisse paintings on the planet. Refreshingly, BMA galleries also showcase art by overlooked minority artists too, so you can’t miss something as special as Stephen Towns’ sumptuous quilt rendering of the story of slave rebellion leader Nat Turner.

Travel Inspiration: Explore a vibrant up-and-coming East Coast hang out