Baltimore

For one-stop sightseeing head to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, with some of the city’s best attractions, scenic waterfront views, museums and entertainment options.  

This historic seaport, one of America’s oldest, is home to the Maryland Science Center with a planetarium and observatory and the National Aquarium  the city’s most visited attraction and home to 20,000 animals. 

The district also is home to Harborplace, a pavilion complex full of retail and dining options; Port Discovery Children’s Museum and Power Plant Live!, a dining and entertainment destination with bars, restaurants and music venues located in a repurposed  former power station. 

For stunning views of the city head to The Top of the World Observation Level, where sightseers also can view a collection of historic warships is docked below. 

Wanna-be sailors and anyone interested in ocean faring life will enjoy touring one of the four historic ships that are docked in the Harbor.  Visitors can climb aboard a U.S. Navy tall ship first launched in 1854, a U.S. Coast Guard lightship from the 1930s, a submarine that took two war patrols in Japan during World War II, and the last ship floating that fought in the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

The Inner Harbor is located at the mouth of Jones Falls, creating the wide and short northwest branch of the Patapsco River.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Located three miles southeast of the Inner Harbor on a 42-acre park, Fort McHenry is a top Baltimore destination. Built in the shape of a five-pointed star it’s best known for its role in the War of 1812, when American troops defeated a British navy fleet. The site also was the inspiration for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key, who witnessed the battle and America’s victory. 

Fort McHenry includes a visitor and education center, exhibits featuring war artifacts, displays and interactive programs about the War of 1812 and a variety of ranger programs. Scheduled flag changes take place inside the fort every morning and evening.

This whimsical museum offers a refreshing alternative to stuffy, quiet “don’t touch!” museums.  Exemplifying this nod to fun is FiFi, a 14-foot tall pink poodle, who resides in the dedicated Sculpture Barn year round when she isn’t participating in the Baltimore’s annual Kinetic Sculpture Race.

Other quirky and amusing exhibits include “Edgar Allen Peep,” made up of 5,000 tombstone-shaped marshmallows. 

Located in the Federal Hill neighborhood, the museum specializes in the presentation of outsider art.   It houses 4,000 pieces including eclectic works from artists including Ho Baron, Nek Chand, Howard Finster, Vanessa German, Mr. Imagination (aka Gregory Warmack), Leonard Knight, William Kurelek, Leo Sewell, Judith Scott, Ben Wilson, as well as over 40 pieces from the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre of London.  

The museum’s Main Building features three floors of exhibition space, and the campus includes a Tall Sculpture Barn and Wildflower Garden, along with large exhibition and event spaces in the Jim Rouse Visionary Center.

Unlike other museums, there are no professional curators, and instead features  works created by self-taught artists who find inspiration from ordinary life to create and express their visions through art.

For an insightful look into the history of the American shipbuilding industry, be sure to visit this destination. Located in the historic and picturesque Fells Park neighborhood, the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park honors abolitionist Frederick Douglass and other African Americans who contributed to Baltimore’s shipbuilding industry.

It offers educational programs on how Baltimore developed around the maritime trades; at one point there were almost 20 shipyards in the area employing thousands of people.

Don’t miss the Bearman Gallery on the third floor which offers a rotating exhibition of local artists whose work covers a broad range of styles and mediums. 

Tours of the museum are provided exclusively by Living Classrooms in partnership with the Baltimore National Heritage Area’s Urban Rangers.  

All aboard! Train enthusiasts will be thrilled with the B&O Railroad Museum; a U.S. designated historical landmark and the birthplace of American Railroading.  It houses the most extensive collection of railroad artifacts and equipment in the Western Hemisphere.  

Known as Mount Clare Shops and Station, the site is the original railroading complex of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), founded in 1827.  The railroads had a significant impact of the development of America.  The campus features interactive displays, exhibits and cars, including the largest collection of 19^th century locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars, and maintenance vehicles. 

Train rides are offered on the mile of track on Wednesday through Sunday from April through December and weekends in January. Children will appreciate the museums Kids Zone, rides, and a wooden model train for kids to climb on.  

Baltimore is home to Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. It also is home to The Preakness Stakes horse racing, the second leg in American thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown series.

Nearly one third of Baltimore’s city’s buildings (over 65,000) are designated as historic in the National Register, which is more than any other U.S. city.  “Charm City” offers visitors and residents alike myriad options to explore and have fun! 

Check out these activities and sites either on your own or via guided tours.  See the best of what Baltimore has to offer!   

• Tours by land
• Tours by sea 
• Industry 
• Arts & Culture
• Sports
• Food 
• History
• Gardens and Parks
• Nature