Baltimore
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Baltimore - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Baltimore City Hall
DowntownBuilt 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, USA410-396–3100Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Tours generally offered Tue. morning, Wed. afternoon and Thurs. morning—call Curator Jeanne Davis at 410-396-4947 to schedule. -
2. Baltimore Civil War Museum-President Street Station
Harbor EastPresident 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, USA410-461–9377Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Weekends 10–4, tours available by appointment. -
3. Baltimore Museum of Industry
Federal HillBaltimore 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, USA410-727–4808Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12, Tues.–Sun. 10–4 -
4. Baltimore Visitor Center
Inner HarborStop by the sweeping, all-glass center for information on the city, brochures, tickets, and hotel and restaurant reservations.
401 Light St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA877-225–8466Sight Details
Rate Includes: Oct.–Mar. daily 10–4; Apr.–Sept. daily 9–6 -
5. Carroll Mansion
Historic JonestownThis was once the winter home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It's now a museum dedicated to the history of the city and the neighborhood, Historic Jonestown, as told by the various occupants of the house through the years.
800 E. Lombard St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-605–2964Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5, Sat.–Sun. noon–4 and by appointment. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Federal Hill Park
Federal HillIf you want to snap a photo of the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill Park is the place to do it. On the south side of the harbor, the park was named in 1788 to commemorate Maryland's ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Until the early 1900s, a signal tower atop Federal Hill displayed the "house" flags of local shipping companies, notifying them of the arrival of their vessels. Some of the oldest homes in Baltimore surround the park, and its summit provides an excellent view of the Inner Harbor and the downtown skyline. The park is also a favorite spot for watching holiday fireworks.
Battery Ave. and Key Hwy., Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, USA -
7. Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Inner HarborFans of comic books and pop culture have plenty to take in at this museum. A stone's throw from the baseball park in Camden Yards, it has thousands of comic books, toys, and collectibles from as far back as the 1700s. Geppi's has won awards from parents and local publications as a destination for kids (and adults with inner kids). For adults, it's a trip down memory lane. Kids will marvel at how their favorite superhero evolved over the years.
301 W. Camden St, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA410-625–7060Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10, Tues.–Sun. 10–6 -
8. Harborplace and the Gallery
Inner HarborInside two glass-enclosed marketplaces are a plethora of shops and eateries: the Light Street Pavilion has two stories of food courts and restaurants, and the Pratt Street Pavilion is dedicated mainly to retail stores. More than a dozen restaurants, including The Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Tir Na Nog, offer waterfront dining. Specialty shops as Destination Baltimore and McCormick World of Flavors carry interesting souvenirs. In summer, performers entertain at an outdoor amphitheater between the two pavilions, and paddleboats are available for rent south of the Pratt Street building. A skywalk from the Pratt Street Pavilion leads to The Gallery, a four-story shopping mall with 70 more shops, including Bath & Body Works, Forever 21, and Michael Kors.
201 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-332–4191Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.–Sat. 10–9, Sun. 11–7. Harborplace and the Gallery have extended summer hrs; some restaurants open earlier for breakfast, and most close late. -
9. Historic Ships in Baltimore
Inner HarborConsisting of three docked vessels and a restored lighthouse, this museum gives a good sense of Baltimore's maritime heritage as well as American naval power. On the west side of the pier, the submarine USS Torsk, the "Galloping Ghost of the Japanese Coast," is credited with sinking the last two Japanese warships in World War II. The lightship Chesapeake, built as a floating lighthouse in 1930 and now out of commission, remains fully operational. The Taney is a Coast Guard cutter that saw action at Pearl Harbor. The USS Constellation, launched in 1854, made antislavery patrols during the Civil War. Built in 1856 the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse marked the entrance to Baltimore Harbor from the Chesapeake Bay for 133 years before its move to the museum.
301 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-539–1797Sight Details
Rate Includes: $11–$18, All boats and the lighthouse open at 10 am year-round -
10. Jewish Museum of Maryland
Historic JonestownSandwiched between two 19th-century synagogues, the Jewish Museum of Maryland has changing exhibits of art, photography, and documents related to the Jewish experience in Maryland. The Lloyd Street Synagogue, to the left of the museum was built in 1845 and was the first in Maryland and the third in the United States. The other, B'nai Israel, was built in 1876 in a uniquely Moorish style. Tours of both synagogues are available.
15 Lloyd St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-732–6400Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8, Sun.–Thurs. 10–5 and by appointment. -
11. Phoenix Shot Tower
Historic JonestownThe only remaining tower of three of this type that once existed in Baltimore, this brick structure was used to make shot pellets by pouring molten lead from the top. As the drops fell, they formed balls that turned solid in cold water at the bottom. In the summer months the tower may close due to heat.
801 E. Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-605–2964Sight Details
Rate Includes: Tours leave from Carroll Mansion; call ahead -
12. Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Inner HarborA Smithsonian affiliate, the museum showcases the rich history and culture of African Americans, with a special focus on Maryland. The permanent gallery features famous Marylanders such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Cab Calloway, and Thurgood Marshall, as well as unsung heroes who helped make the state what it is today. Besides rotating exhibitions, visitors can enjoy live performances from gospel and jazz to steel drums. The monthly film series has enriched audiences on the history of soul food, civil rights, and more. For families, programs like art workshops and living history bring the museum's mission to life. Lectures and the resource center enrich what visitors will find in the permanent collection. Soul food is served at the museum cafe.
830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA443-263–1800Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8, Wed.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. noon–5 -
13. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium
Inner HarborThe Baltimore outpost of the museum that celebrates all things unusual has plenty of shrunken heads, lizard men, automated dinosaurs, and castles made from toothpicks—although it would be nice if more weird things from Maryland were featured. A mirror maze with LED lights is dizzying fun. The 4D Moving Theater has moving seats and digital effects. Separate admission fees for the Mirror Maze and 4D Moving Theater.
301 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA443-615–7878Sight Details
Rate Includes: General admission $17.99 adults, $11.99 children. Mirror Maze $12.99 adults, $8.99 children. 4D Moving Theater $12.99 adults, $8.99 children, Mon.–Thurs. 10–10, Fri.–Sat. 10 am–11 pm, Sun. 10 am–9 pm -
14. Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
Historic JonestownBuilt in 1793, this Federal style home was where Mary Pickersgill hand-sewed the 30 x 42 foot, 15-star, 15-stripe flag that survived the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." The house contains early 19th century furnishings and American art of the period, including pieces from the Pickersgill family. Outdoors, a map of the United States has been made of stones from the various states. The Jean and Lillian Hofmeister building houses a new, permanent exhibit, Family of Flagmakers, which examines the life and career of Mary Pickersgill and contains the original receipt for the Star-Spangled Banner, on view for the first time in decades.
844 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-837–1793Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7, Tues.–Sat. 10–4 -
15. The Power Plant
Inner HarborWhat actually was the city's former power plant is now a retail and dining complex that includes the flagship Phillips Seafood Restaurant, a Hard Rock Cafe and a Barnes & Noble. Next door is the Pier 4 Building, which houses a Chipotle Mexican Grill and Blu Bamboo, a fast-casual Mongolian grill.
601 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USANo phone -
16. Top of the World Observation Deck
Inner HarborWith 32 stories, Baltimore's World Trade Center, designed by I.M. Pei's firm, is the world's tallest pentagonal structure. The 27th-floor "Top of the World" observation deck allows an unobstructed view of Baltimore and beyond from a height of 423 feet.
401 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-837–8439Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5, Memorial Day–Labor Day, Mon.–Thurs. 10–6, Fri.–Sat. 10–7, Sun. 11–6; Oct.–May, Wed.–Thurs. 10–6, Fri.–Sat. 10–7, Sun. 11–6 -
17. USS Constellation
Inner HarborLaunched in 1854, the USS Constellation was the last—and largest—all-sail ship built by the U.S. Navy. Before the Civil War, as part of the African Squadron, she saw service on antislavery patrol; during the war, she protected Union-sympathizing U.S. merchant ships from Confederate raiders. The warship eventually became a training ship for the Navy before serving as the relief flagship for the Atlantic Fleet during World War II, finally arriving in Baltimore in 1955 for restoration to her original condition. You can tour the USS Constellation for a glimpse of life as a 19th-century navy sailor, and children can muster to become Civil War–era "powder monkeys." Recruits receive "basic training," try on replica period uniforms, participate in a gun drill, and learn a sea chantey or two before being discharged and paid off in Civil War money at the end of their "cruise." Purchase single admission to the Constellation or combined admission to the two other Historic Ships and restored lighthouse. At this writing the ship will head to drydock to undergo repairs from October 2014 to March, 2015.
Pratt and Light Sts., Baltimore, Maryland, 21202, USA410-539–1797Sight Details
Rate Includes: $11, Mar.–Oct., daily 10–5:30; Nov.–Feb., daily 10–4:30
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