Baltimore

Visiting Baltimore without seeing the Inner Harbor is like touring New York City and skipping Manhattan. The harbor and surrounding area are home to a good number of the city's most popular sites: the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, the American Visionary Arts Museum, and The Maryland Science Center.

The neighborhoods themselves are fun to explore. Historic Federal Hill, just south of the Inner Harbor, is home to some of the oldest houses in the city. Fells Point and Canton, farther east, are lively waterfront communities. Mount Vernon and Charles Village have wide avenues lined with grand old row houses that were once home to Baltimore's wealthiest residents. Farther north are Roland Park (Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. contributed to its planning), Guilford, Homeland, and Mt. Washington, all leafy, residential neighborhoods with cottages, large Victorian houses, and redbrick Colonials. It's easy to tour the Inner Harbor and neighborhoods such as Mount Vernon, Federal Hill, Charles Village, and Fells Point on foot. To travel between areas or farther out, however, the light rail or a car is more efficient. Most of the Inner Harbor's parking is in nearby garages, though meters can be found along Key Highway. In other neighborhoods, you can generally find meters and two-hour free parking on the street.

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  • 1. American Visionary Art Museum

    Federal Hill

    The nation's primary museum and education center for self-taught or "outsider" art has won great acclaim by both museum experts and those who don't even consider themselves art aficionados. Seven galleries exhibit the quirky creations—paintings, sculptures, relief works, and pieces that defy easy classification—of untrained "visionary" artists working outside the mainstream art world. In addition to the visual stimulation of amazingly intricate or refreshingly inventive works, reading the short bios of artists will give you insight to their often-moving spiritual and expressive motivations. The museum's unusual, playful philosophy extends outside its walls, with large exhibits installed in a former whiskey warehouse, an outdoor movie theater, and a 55-foot whirligig twirling in the museum's plaza.

    800 Key Hwy., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA
    410-244–1900

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $16, Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 2. Baltimore Museum of Art

    Charles Village

    Works by Matisse, Picasso, Cézanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, and Monet are among the 90,000 paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts on exhibit at this impressive museum near Johns Hopkins University. Particular strengths include an encyclopedic collection of Postimpressionist paintings donated to the museum by the Cone sisters, Baltimore natives who were pioneer collectors of early-20th-century art. The museum also owns the world's second-largest collection of Andy Warhol works and many pieces of 18th- and 19th-century American painting and decorative arts. The museum's neoclassical main building was designed by John Russell Pope, the architect of the National Gallery in Washington. A $28-million renovation resulted in a new, interactive exhibition space, a renovated visitor's entrance, and a completely reworked contemporary wing. From Gertrude's, the museum restaurant, you can look out at 20th-century sculpture displayed in two landscaped gardens.

    10 Art Museum Dr., Baltimore, Maryland, 21218, USA
    443-573–1700

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 3. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

    This star-shaped brick fort is forever associated with Francis Scott Key and "The Star-Spangled Banner," which Key penned while watching the British bombardment of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Through the next day and night, as the battle raged, Key strained to be sure, through the smoke and haze, that the flag still flew above Fort McHenry—indicating that Baltimore's defenders held firm. "By the dawn's early light" of September 14, 1814, he saw the 30- by 42-foot "Star-Spangled Banner" still aloft and was inspired to pen the words to a poem (set to the tune of an old English drinking song). The flag that flew above Fort McHenry that day had 15 stars and 15 stripes, and was hand-sewn for the fort. A visit to the fort includes a 15-minute history film, guided tour, and frequent living-history displays on summer weekends. To see how the formidable fortifications might have appeared to the bombarding British, catch a water taxi from the Inner Harbor to the fort instead of driving.

    2400 E. Fort Ave., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA
    410-962–4290

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $15; Annual Pass: $45
  • 4. Maryland Science Center

    Originally known as the Maryland Academy of Sciences, this 200-year-old scientific institution is one of the oldest in the United States. Now housed in a contemporary building, the three floors of exhibits on the Chesapeake Bay, Earth science, physics, the body, dinosaurs, and outer space are an invitation to engage, experiment, and explore. The center has a planetarium, a simulated paleontological dinosaur dig, an IMAX movie theater with a screen five stories high, and a playroom especially designed for young children.

    601 Light St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA
    410-685–5225

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $25.95
  • 5. Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

    More than 2,000 animals live in the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, the third-oldest zoo in the country. Elephants, lions, giraffes and hippos are among the park's roaming game. The zoo's centerpiece is a new African penguin habitat, a state-of-the-art facility surrounded by water housing the country's largest breeding colony of Afircan penguins. Other exhibits feature a giraffe-feeding station, the polar bear arctic pool, and a petting zoo with a re-created barnyard. Also, don't miss the Jones Falls Zephyr, a locomotive modeled on an 1863 locomotive that takes visitors on a 10-minute ride alongside the African Journey exhibit. Surrounding the zoo is grand, leafy Druid Hill Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

    1876 Mansion House Dr., Baltimore, Maryland, 21217, USA
    410-366–5466

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $17.50, Mar.–Dec., daily 10–4.
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  • 6. Oriole Park at Camden Yards

    Home of the Baltimore Orioles, Camden Yards and the nearby area bustle on game days. Since it opened in 1992, this nostalgically designed baseball stadium has inspired other cities to emulate its neotraditional architecture and amenities. The Eutaw Street promenade, between the warehouse and the field, has a view of the stadium. Look for the brass baseballs embedded in the sidewalk that mark where home runs have cleared the fence, or visit the Orioles Hall of Fame display and the monuments to retired Orioles. Daily 90-minute tours take you to nearly every section of the ballpark, from the massive JumboTron scoreboard to the dugout to the state-of-the-art beer-delivery system.

    333 W. Camden St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
    888-848–2473-tickets to Orioles home games

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Eutaw St. promenade free, tour $15
  • 7. Port Discovery Children's Museum

    At this interactive museum, adults are encouraged to play every bit as much as children. A favorite attraction is the three-story KidWorks, a futuristic jungle gym on which the adventurous can climb, crawl, slide, and swing their way through stairs, slides, ropes, zip lines, and tunnels, and even across a narrow footbridge. Learn about the Earth's atmosphere as you splash around in Wonders of Water (rain slickers and shoes are provided). Cook food in Tiny's Diner, an interactive restaurant. A soccer field becomes a stage for dance-offs and virtual races. Changing exhibits allow for even more play.

    35 Market Pl., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    410-727–8120

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $17.95
  • 8. The National Aquarium

    The most-visited attraction in Maryland has nearly 20,000 fish, sharks, dolphins, and amphibians dwelling in 2 million gallons of water. The Blacktip Reef exhibit mimics a coral reef in the Indo-Pacific waters. It features pufferfish, stingrays, and more unusual creatures, such as the tasselled wobbegong, a carpet shark. In the Living Seashore exhibit, visitors can touch live stingrays. The aquarium also features reptiles, birds, plants, and mammals in its rain-forest environment, housed inside a glass pyramid 64 feet high. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are part of several entertaining presentations that highlight their agility and intelligence. The aquarium's famed shark tank and Atlantic coral reef exhibits are spectacular. Arrive early to ensure admission, which is by timed intervals; by noon, the wait is often two to three hours, especially on weekends and holidays.

    501 E Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    410-576–3800

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $39.95
  • 9. Walters Art Museum

    Mount Vernon

    The Walters' prodigious collection of more than 30,000 artworks provides an organized overview of human history over 5,500 years, from the 3rd millennium BC to the early 20th century. The museum houses major collections of Renaissance, Baroque, and Asian art as well as one of the nation’s best collections of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ethiopian works. It also houses Medieval armor and artifacts, jewelry and decorative works, a gift shop, a family activities and arts center on the lower-level, and a café.

    600 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
    410-547–9000

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 10. Washington Monument

    Mount Vernon

    Completed on July 4, 1829, the impressive monument was the first one dedicated to the nation's first president. An 18-foot statue depicting Washington caps the 160-foot white marble tower. The tower was designed and built by Robert Mills, the first architect born and educated in the United States; 19 years after completing Baltimore's Washington Monument, Mills designed and erected the national Washington Monument in D.C. After extensive restorations, the monument's lower-level museum has reopened; visitors can climb the 227-step circular staircase to the top and enjoy stunning bird's-eye vistas over downtown.

    Mt. Vernon Pl., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    202-426--6841

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $6, Closed Mon. and Tues.
    View Tours and Activities
  • 11. B&O Railroad Museum

    The famous Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was founded on the site that now houses this museum, which contains more than 120 full-size locomotives and a great collection of railroad memorabilia, from dining-car china and artwork to lanterns and signals. The 1884 roundhouse (240 feet in diameter and 120 feet high) contains exhibits and historic objects. It adjoins one of the nation's first railroad stations. Train rides are available Wednesday through Sunday (weekends only in January). TraxSide Snax serves food and drinks.

    901 W. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21223, USA
    410-752–2490

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $20, $10 for train rides
  • 12. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

    West Baltimore

    This plain brick row house, three blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, was the birthplace of "the Bambino." Although Ruth was born here in 1895, his family never lived here; they lived in a nearby apartment, above a tavern run by Ruth's father. The row house and the adjoining buildings make up a museum devoted to Ruth's life and to the local Orioles baseball club. Film clips and props, rare photos of Ruth, Yankees payroll checks, a score book from Ruth's first professional game, and many other artifacts can be found here.

    216 Emory St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA
    410-727–1539

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $6, Apr.–Oct., daily 10–5, until 7 before Oriole home games; Nov.–Mar., daily 10–5
  • 13. Baltimore City Hall

    Downtown

    Built in 1875, Baltimore City Hall consists of mansard roofs and a gilt dome over a 110-foot rotunda, all supported by ironwork. Inside you can get tours of the chambers and view exhibits on Baltimore's history. Directly across the street is City Hall Plaza, on what was originally the site of the Holliday Street Theatre. The theater was owned and operated by the Ford brothers; they also operated Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., where President Lincoln was assassinated. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was first publicly sung here.

    100 N. Holliday St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    410-396–3100

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Tours generally offered Tue. morning, Wed. afternoon and Thurs. morning—call Curator Jeanne Davis at 410-396-4947 to schedule.
  • 14. Baltimore Civil War Museum-President Street Station

    Harbor East

    President Street Station offers a glimpse of the violence and divided loyalties that the war caused in Maryland, a state caught in the middle. Originally the Baltimore terminus of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad, the relocated station, built in 1849, contains exhibits that depict the events that led to mob violence. It began when troops from the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment bound for Washington, D.C., walked from this station to the Camden Station (near Oriole Park). In what would be the first bloodshed of the Civil War, four soldiers and 12 civilians were killed; 36 soldiers and a number of civilians were wounded. The riot lasted for several hours and inspired the secessionist poem "Maryland, My Maryland," today the state song.

    601 President St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    410-461–9377

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Weekends 10–4, tours available by appointment.
  • 15. Baltimore Museum of Industry

    Federal Hill

    Baltimore is proud of its blue-collar roots. The fascinating and kid-friendly Baltimore Museum of Industry is housed in an 1865 oyster cannery and features interactive exhibits covering the city's rich industrial heritage. Tour a circa 1900 belt-driven machine shop, learn how oyster canning revolutionized the food industry, and see a garment loft as it would have looked in early 20th-century Baltimore. The print shop, featuring a working Linotype machine, contains drawers of tiny, touchable letters that were used to create lines of text. The Maryland Milestones gallery highlights world-changing inventions such as the gaslight, the passenger railroad, Noxzema cream, and the umbrella. Just don't call these museum pieces "relics"—on the weekends, volunteers fire up the machines and give live demonstrations. It's a sight to behold and well worth the half-mile walk south of the Inner Harbor along Key Highway.

    1415 Key Hwy., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA
    410-727–4808

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $12, Tues.–Sun. 10–4
  • 16. Baltimore Streetcar Museum

    Station North Arts District

    This often-overlooked museum lets you travel back to an era when streetcars dominated city thoroughfares. A film traces the vehicle's evolution, there are beautifully restored streetcars to explore, and, best of all, you can take unlimited rides.

    1901 Falls Rd., Baltimore, Maryland, 21211, USA
    410-547–0264

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $7; $5 children and seniors, June–Oct., weekends noon–5; Nov.–May, Sun. noon–5
  • 17. Baltimore Visitor Center

    Inner Harbor

    Stop by the sweeping, all-glass center for information on the city, brochures, tickets, and hotel and restaurant reservations.

    401 Light St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA
    877-225–8466

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Oct.–Mar. daily 10–4; Apr.–Sept. daily 9–6
  • 18. Basilica of the Assumption

    Mount Vernon

    Opened in 1821, the Basilica of the Assumption is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. Designed by Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol, it stands as a paragon of neoclassicism, with a grand portico fronted by six Corinthian columns that suggest an ancient Greek temple. Two towers are surmounted by baroque domes. The church, including 24 skylights in the dome which were covered over before or prior to World War II, was restored in November, 2006, the bicentennial of the laying of the church’s cornerstone.

    409 Cathedral St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
    410-727–3564

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Daily 8:30–4:30
  • 19. Broadway Market

    Fells Point

    Head to the market's two pavilions to grab a drink or light snack or stock up on ethnic deli meats. You can also find pizza, sandwiches, and oysters at a raw bar.

    Broadway between Fleet and Lancaster Sts., Baltimore, Maryland, 21231, USA
  • 20. Bromo Seltzer Tower

    West Baltimore

    Baltimore was the headquarters of the Bromo Seltzer antacid company, which modeled this tower after Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio in 1911. A five-story, rotating blue bottle once sat at its top and could be seen at night as far as 20 miles away (it was removed in 1936). Today the tower has been converted into artist studios, which you can visit for free on Fridays and Saturdays. As a special treat, you can even tour the clock tower and learn about its century-old mechanics.

    21 S. Eutaw St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
    410-752–8632

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Fri. 1–7 and Sat. 11–4. Clock tower tours Fri. every hr 1:30–5:30 and Sat. 1:30–2:30 pm

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