Maryland Science Center
Housed within the striking glass, steel, and
concrete structure on Inner Harbor, the Maryland Science Center
contains five storeys of interactive exhibits, an IMAX, the
world-famous Davis Planetarium, and an observatory. Dating back to
1797, the Maryland Academy of Sciences is one of the USA's oldest
scientific institutions and remains focused on education. There are
imaginative and hands-on displays ranging from astronomy and space
travel, to dinosaurs and general science experiments. The
planetarium runs programs with stargazing at night and studying the
sun during the day through the observatory telescope. Other popular
attractions include The Kids Room and the National Touring
Exhibit.
Address:
601 Light Street, Inner Harbor
Maryland Science Center
Fritz Geller-Grimm
National Aquarium
The National Aquarium is Maryland's leading
tourist attraction and one of the best aquariums in the world.
Recently voted as one of the top ten family destinations in the
USA, visitors can tour the tidewaters of Maryland, the Pacific
coastland, or a tropical rainforest without leaving Baltimore. The
aquarium offers more than just marine life. There are several
special exhibits like the Amazon Rainforest display with poison
dart frogs, dwarf caiman, anacondas, sloths, colourful birds, and
conehead lizards, as well as plants and fish. A sea cliffs habitat
features puffins and other sea birds, while the Coral Reefs and
Open Ocean tanks are walkthrough displays bringing visitors face to
face with sharks and exotic fish. Permanent residents include
seahorses, turtles, stingrays, and octopuses. In addition to the
permanent exhibits, dolphins jump, wave, and flip in regularly
scheduled shows at Dolphin Discovery. People can catch an
underwater view from an atrium below the pool or watch the tricks
from the stands. The aquarium also offers 4D films to immerse
viewers in fascinating marine worlds. These shows have additional
in-theatre sensory effects, such as smell, water spray, and moving
seats. Films shown range from popular cartoons to documentaries,
usually lasting for 15 minutes.
Address:
Pier 3, Inner Harbor, 501 East Pratt Street
National Aquarium
AndrewHorne
Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad Museum
The B&O Railroad Museum's roster of rolling
stock, historic railway buildings, and assortment of memorabilia
from stations and trains makes it a must-visit for train
enthusiasts. But even for those who are not railroad fanatics, this
is one of the best sights in Baltimore and a fascinating place for
the whole family. Housed in the huge Roundhouse is an enormous
collection of locomotives, passenger cars, classic heritage trains,
mail cars, and Pullman sleepers. A full-scale model of the first
locomotive, Tom Thumb, is on display along with a red caboose from
1907. Other exhibits include posters, historic photographs, and
newspaper cuttings, as well as a superb model railway and numerous
interactive and entertaining exhibits. Some recreate experiments
from the 1830s such as sail-powered carriages, hand cranks, and
propulsion using dogs or horses. The B&O was the first railroad
in the US, dating from 1827, and the museum is located on the site
of the first station in America.
Address:
901 West Pratt Street
B&O Railroad Museum
Barry Eagel
Fort McHenry
The Fort McHenry National Monument is forever
associated with the US national anthem, written by poet Francis
Scott Key while watching the British attack Baltimore during the
War of 1812. After more than 25 hours of constant bombing by
British naval forces, the fort stood with the flag flying high.
Interestingly, it was the only action the brick fort had seen in
more than 100 years of guarding the waters approach to Baltimore. A
visit includes a short historical film and a guided tour, with
exhibits recalling the siege as well as the fort's Civil War
service. On summer weekends there are military ceremonies and
drills, as well as a living history program simulating the daily
activities during the battle. There is also a daily changing of the
flag ceremony, with about 20 people required to fold the enormous
Star-Spangled Banner. A short talk about the fort, flag, and anthem
concludes the ceremony. The monument and its grounds are a national
park and visits to the parklands are free. From the fort, there are
fine views down the Patapsco River to Inner Harbor and towards
Chesapeake Bay.
Address:
2400 East Fort Avenue
Fort McHenry
Fredlyfish4
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame
The origins of lacrosse lie within multiple Native
American tribes, for whom the game had great significance in both
religious observance and preparing men for war. The Lacrosse Museum
and National Hall of Fame showcases the history of this, America's
oldest sport. It also displays the top male and female players of
today's game, alongside coaches and contributors. More than 400,000
people in the eastern United States and Canada play the unique
sport of lacrosse. Nowhere is it more popular than in Maryland,
where 'LAX' stickers sit beside decals for posh private schools on
fancy cars, furthering the sport's elite reputation. Since
September 2016, the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame
relocated to a new location in Sparks, Maryland.
Address:
2 Loveton Circle, Sparks
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of
Fame
Mark Goebel
Baltimore Museum of Art
Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the
Baltimore Museum of Art sits in the leafy neighbourhood of Charles
Village. Today, the BMA is home to an internationally renowned
collection of European and American fine and decorative art pieces.
These range from 15th through to 19th-century prints and drawings,
works by established and emerging contemporary artists as well as
objects from Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Its 90,000
works include the world's largest holding of pieces by Henri
Matisse. Two beautifully landscaped gardens surround a grand museum
building, designed by famous American architect John Russell Pope.
Yoga classes and jazz concerts often take place upon the lawns in
the early evening. Visitors can sample signature Chesapeake Bay
cuisine on the lovely outdoor terrace of Gertrude's, the BMA's
restaurant.
Address:
10 Art Museum Drive, at North Charles and 31st
Streets
Baltimore Museum of Art
Iracaz
Walters Art Museum
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, two
Baltimore men, William Walters and his son, Henry, amassed a
diverse range of artwork. Drawn from all around the world, they
then bequeathed it to their hometown. The 22,000 pieces they
collected span 55 centuries, including ancient Egyptian art as well
as late 19th-century European pieces and decorative objects. Some
favourite works on display at the Walters include seven ancient
Roman sarcophagi, judged to be among the finest in the world; a
collection of Japanese arms and armour; a medieval ivory casket
covered with scenes of jousting knights, one of only a dozen such
items remaining; and 900 illuminated manuscripts as well as the
letters of Catherine the Great and the diary of Napoleon.
Address:
600 N. Charles Street
Jar with Design of a Dragon
Walters Art Museum
Baltimore's climate is classified as humid
subtropical, with high annual rainfall spread throughout the year.
The city experiences hot, humid summers and cold, damp winters. In
the height of summer, temperatures in downtown Baltimore can rise
to 91°F (33°C) and fall to 60°F (15°C), while during January, the
coldest month, temperatures range between 23°F (-5°C) and 41°F
(5°C).
The ocean moderates the weather, so it is not as cold
in winter or as hot in summer in Baltimore as it is in eastern
cities that are further inland. Snow does fall in winter, though,
usually in the form of snowstorms that deposit a few inches on the
city streets. The best time to visit Baltimore is in the summer
(June to August), when the weather is sunny and warm, and the city
hosts a number of events and festivals.
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall
Airport
Location: The airport is situated 10 miles (16km) south of
Baltimore and 30 miles (48km) north of Washington.
Time: GMT -5 (GMT -4, from mid-March to the first Sunday
in November).
Transfer Between Terminals:
There are five concourses (A-E) within the large terminal
building. All concourses are connected in the terminal by walkways,
but time should be allowed in order to transfer from one concourse
to another when catching a flight.
Getting to the city:
The MARC train station services both central
Baltimore and Washington, D.C., connected to the terminal via
shuttle buses. A light rail service is also available to downtown
Baltimore, Timonium, and Hunt Valley. The BWI Marshall Light Rail
Station is located immediately outside the lower level of the
terminal building, adjacent to Concourse E.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA) has a bus service to the Greenbelt Metro Station, which
connects to metro stations throughout Washington, D.C., Virginia,
Montgomery, and Prince Georges Counties. There are two WMATA Bus
Stops. One is located on the lower level of the International
Concourse and the other stop is located on the lower level of
Concourse A/B.
Car Rental:
Car rental companies include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz,
National, Alamo, Enterprise, Nextcar, Payless, and Thrifty.
Airport Taxis:
The taxi stand, BWI Airport Taxi, is located just outside of the
baggage claim area of the lower level of the terminal. The journey
to Baltimore takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes while the journey
to Washington, D.C., will take around 45 minutes.
Facilities:
There are restaurants, bars, shops, duty-free, and ATMs
throughout the airport. Other facilities include currency exchange
desks, postal services, a meditation room, and the historical
Benson Hammond House. Facilities for the disabled are good.
Parking
Short and long-term parking is available at the airport. The
Hourly Garage charges $4 per hour, with a daily maximum of $22. The
Daily Garage charges $12 per day; the Express Parking area charges
$10 per day; and the Long-Term Parking area charges $8 per day. The
long-term lots are served by shuttles.
Artscape
Maryland's major celebration of the visual, literary, and
performing arts has been making headlines for nearly a quarter of a
century. Artscape in Baltimore involves local, regional, and
national acts in a first-class schedule of dance, theatre, opera,
street performers, and family fun, most of which is free of charge.
In addition a huge array of visual arts is on offer from more than
200 artisans, craftspeople, and cultural exhibitors. The range
covers everything from sculpture to 'art cars' and books to
ballet.
Venue:
Mount Royal Cultural Area
![Artscape]()
Artscape
mislibrarian
Preakness Stakes
The United States horseracing circuit features three
main events, known collectively as the Triple Crown. Baltimore's
Preakness Stakes is one of these, and the others are the Kentucky
Derby and the Belmont Stakes. So important is this race on the
city's annual calendar that the event has now become the
culmination of a week or more of festivities which make up
Preakness Celebration in May each year. Events include hot air
ascensions, block parties, parades, fun runs, and a sailpast of
tall ships. The actual race is the grand finale, when top
three-year-old thoroughbreds compete for a million-dollar
prize.
Venue:
Pimlico Race Course
![139th Preakness Stakes]()
139th Preakness Stakes
Maryland GovPics
Baltimore Book Festival
Cultural Mount Vernon Place, the heart of Baltimore, becomes a
bibliophile's paradise each September with the staging of the
Baltimore Book Festival, a celebration of the literary arts. Famous
authors are on hand for book signings and there are poetry
readings, cookbook and home and garden demonstrations, live music,
and bookstalls of more than 125 exhibitors. Other fun family
attractions include storytellers, street theatre, live music, and
hands-on projects for children.
Venue:
Mount Vernon Place
![Baltimore Book Festival]()
Baltimore Book Festival
Kimberlyshorter
Baltimore Running Festival
Baltimore's renowned Marathon is a qualifying race
for the famous Boston Marathon, but the field is limited to 4,000
strongly competitive runners. The marathon is run each year as part
of a one-day running festival, including the marathon itself, a
half-marathon, relay race, and kid's fun run. Part of the reason
for the Baltimore marathon's popularity is probably the fact that
the contestants run through the scenic part of this pretty city,
along the inner harbour waterfront area, through charming Fells
Point and historic Federal Hill.
![Baltimore Marathon]()
Baltimore Marathon
JLG.name
Sowebo Arts and Music Festival
For more than 20 years, the Sowebo Arts and Music
Festival has been held every Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend.
Coined a 'topsy turvy excursion into art and music', the festival
presents Baltimore's largest music venue (over 40 bands), a
sizeable non-juried art exhibit, puppet shows, glass blowing demos,
outdoor sculpture, kid's art, and fun. The aim is to 'foster
community development through the promotion of art and music' by
showcasing the talents of neighborhood artists, musicians, and
working professionals. The festival has grown to incorporate
various arts events throughout the year, with concerts and
exhibitions held at galleries and other venues around Baltimore.
But the flagship Sowebo Arts and Music Festival is still held in
May.
![SoWeBo Arts Festival]()
SoWeBo Arts Festival
rashida s. mar b.
![]()
Most visitors to Baltimore will head for the compact Inner
Harbour and downtown areas, which are easy to navigate on foot or
by public transport. Water taxis act like a bus service and are a
cheap and convenient way to get around the Inner Harbour,
connecting many attractions as well as other districts.
The inexpensive bus network connects all parts of the city and
provides an easy way of getting around, although transfers are
often necessary. The metro and light rail systems provide limited
coverage, mainly aimed at commuters. Taxis are usually ordered by
phone, but they can be found at taxi ranks or hailed on the
street.
Driving in central Baltimore is unnecessary and not recommended
due to difficult and expensive parking, but the layout is fairly
easy and congestion limited to rush hour. The recommended option
for visitors is the Charm City Circulator, which provides a free
daily bus service to Baltimore's most popular areas.
Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, with a
vast and important seaport history. It draws in visitors with a
range of attractions and is home to many famed places of learning,
most notably the Johns Hopkins University.
There are many museums and some wonderful cultural
institutions such as an eminent symphony orchestra. The Baltimore
Inner Harbour is a superb place to visit, where tourists find
themselves enjoying the newly renovated area and old town
centre.
Surrounding the popular waterfront are several
entertainment hubs suitable for the whole family. Home to more than
16,000 marine animals, the National Aquarium is a sought-after
attraction, and the Maryland Science Center makes for a one of a
kind educational experience for both young and old.
Great family activities include the Maryland Zoo and
the Port Discovery Children's Museum. For those interested a little
less in the past and culture, a potential temptation may be the
outlandish exhibitions found at Ripley's Believe It or Not!
There are also a lot of vibrant restaurants and
lively nightlife spots from which to choose when the children are
in bed. Fells Point is the most popular district for entertainment,
offering lots of nice restaurants as well as cafes, bars, and
nightclubs.
Annapolis
Situated only 35 miles (56km) south of Baltimore,
Annapolis is not only the small capital of Maryland but also
considered the sailing capital of the USA. A huge concentration of
recreational and racing yachts shelter in its marina.
It's also a college town and has been home to the
US Naval Academy since 1845. The waterfront has grown in to an
attractive district having retained its 18th century appeal,
despite the collection of boutiques, upmarket shops, bars,
restaurants, and inns.
These cater to the onshore sailing crowd and
tourists drawn to the city's history, nautical outlook, and
reputation as a party town. Much of Annapolis's colonial past is
preserved in the thousands of historical buildings scattered along
the narrow streets and brick-paved sidewalks.
The concentration of original colonial-style
houses and grand public buildings is greater here than anywhere
else in the country. Among the elite brick manors are numerous
pastel-coloured rows of wooden slatted cottages that lead down to
the waterfront.
At the centre of Annapolis is the Maryland State
House that once served as the capitol of the country, where George
Washington resigned as Commander-in-Chief and where Congress
authorised the treaty ending the Revolutionary War.
The city is a good base from which to explore the
small towns across Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore, by way of
the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Annapolis is also ideally situated for
weekend trips to Washington DC and provides more budget-friendly
accommodation for travellers to America's capital.
![Annapolis City Dock]()
Annapolis City Dock
Charlie Stinchcomb
Ocean City
With more than 10 miles (16km) of white sandy beaches and
pounding surf, Ocean City is Maryland's number one vacation
destination, with so many visitors during the peak summer months
that it becomes the second largest city in the state for the
season. The town is dominated by the famous old boardwalk that is
lined with shops, bars and restaurants, flashing neon signs and
holiday condos. Among the ice-cream stands and all-night fast-food
franchises are hotels dating back to the 1920s. The fishing pier at
the end of the Ocean City boardwalk has an amusement park with a
huge Ferris wheel. There are plenty of activities including boating
and deep-sea fishing, mini-golf courses, tram rides as well as the
beaches. To escape the holiday crowds in Ocean City, the Assateague
Island National Seashore is a 37-mile (60km) stretch of wild and
undeveloped beach and marshland that extends into Virginia. Little
brown and white ponies are the only inhabitants that roam the dunes
and graze in the grassy marshes. The main roads and paths can be
crowded in summer with people coming to see the legendary wild
ponies, but a short way off the main routes will bring the peace
one may be looking for.
![Ocean City, Maryland]()
Ocean City, Maryland
OC Always
The Eastern Shore
The Eastern Shore occupies more than half of the
Delmarva Peninsula shared between Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia,
protecting the towns along Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.
Although linked to the mainland by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, life
is much slower and sleepier on this side of the bay.
Miles of country lanes and Chesapeake waterways
await, while old wooden farmhouses and wheat fields, waterfront
towns and fishing craft, lonely wind-rusted marshes and the sound
of birds give the peninsula its charming character.
On the Atlantic Coast, the summer-swollen resort
of Ocean City with its lovely beaches, amusement arcades, and busy
fast-food stands is the most visited spot on the East Shore. In
contrast, the quaint old towns of Oxford, the colonial college town
of Chestertown, and Saint Michaels are waterfront communities that
sport old-fashioned family-owned stores and are the essence of life
along Chesapeake Bay.
Crisfield and Smith Island are classic old-world
villages in the south and home to huge numbers of soft-shelled blue
crabs that are the delicious speciality of Maryland. Easton is the
unofficial capital of the Eastern Shore and is the largest town
with a picturesque downtown district of historical colonial
buildings.
The farmlands invite exploration by bicycle along
miles of quiet back roads. Visitors can also explore the inlets and
rivers by boat, stopping along the way to sample the fish, oysters,
and crabs found here throughout the year.
![Eastern Shore]()
Eastern Shore
Rory Finneren
Western Maryland
Western Maryland is a haven for outdoor
enthusiasts in every season, with beautiful scenery, thousands of
acres of parkland, lakes for swimming, fly-fishing and boating,
winter skiing, and white-water rafting.
Visitors can climb the state's highest mountain,
hike part of the famous Appalachian Trail, or cycle and hike along
the popular Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which once served as a
towpath for mule-drawn barges between Washington DC and
Cumberland.
The state's largest freshwater lake, Deep Creek
Lake, is the hub of outdoor recreation in Garrett County, with a
variety of water sports, golf, and skiing. Apart from these fine
activities and fantastic scenery, there are a number of quaint
small towns.
These include Cumberland, Frostville, and Lavale,
which offer restaurants, antique shops, and bookstores in addition
to their charm. The haunting plaques of the Civil War battlefield
at Antietam are another popular Western Maryland attraction, and a
must-see for Civil War history buffs.
![Early Fall in Western Maryland]()
Early Fall in Western Maryland
Javcon117
Maryland Science Center
Fritz Geller-Grimm
National Aquarium
AndrewHorne
B&O Railroad Museum
Barry Eagel
Fort McHenry
Fredlyfish4
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of
Fame
Mark Goebel
Baltimore Museum of Art
Iracaz
Jar with Design of a Dragon
Walters Art Museum
Artscape
mislibrarian
139th Preakness Stakes
Maryland GovPics
Baltimore Book Festival
Kimberlyshorter
Baltimore Marathon
JLG.name
SoWeBo Arts Festival
rashida s. mar b.
Annapolis City Dock
Charlie Stinchcomb
Ocean City, Maryland
OC Always
Eastern Shore
Rory Finneren
Early Fall in Western Maryland
Javcon117
