Charm City completely swept us off our feet. If you have any preconceived notions about Baltimore we are here to say its a wonderful city to visit! Baltimore is full of charm (obvs), history and parks. There are just a ton of things to do in in the city of Baltimore! Here are five great and fun things you can do on your first or next trip to Baltimore – “The birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner.”
1. Visit Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry is a National Historic site run by the National Park Service and is the place where the Star Spangled Banner was originally penned. It sits right inside Baltimore on the inner harbor and is even a stop along the water taxi route. We are always taken aback by the amazing facilities and sites run by the NPS, they are always stellar and Fort McHenry is no different. It has an awesome Visitors Center with a great museum type area full of loads of info on our National Anthem. PS – Don’t miss the short movie! It does a great job of telling the story of the Battle of Baltimore. The ending is definitely epic, a great surprise.
After soaking in all of the historical knowledge you can tour the entire Fort – (its big!) They also provide several excellent War of 1812 re-enactments to view while on site. If you are traveling with the kids don’t forget to do the Junior Ranger Program! Just ask the Park Ranger at the Visitor Center desk and they will get you going.
As a side note, the park does have a $15 per person fee to visit the fort – kids 15 and under are free! We opted to purchase a National Parks Annual Pass, which you can purchase at any national park location. The pass is $80 for the year and includes admission for up to 4 adults. We decided this would quickly pay for itself and would be well worth it! In total, we probably spent 2 hours here exploring and learning, but you could definitely spend even more time at this park site.
2. Explore the Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is an area along the waterfront full of walking paths, restaurants, shops and activities for the whole family. Its beautifully preserved with lots of old ships, submarines and bridges to walk along. The National Aquarium is also located here along the water! You could spend all day here for sure. We enjoyed exploring and walking around the water and looking at all of the old ships, grabbed a bite to eat and spent a moment at the 9/11 memorial. Its really a nice and safe area for the family to check out!
3. Catch a Baltimore Orioles Game
The O’s game was our first priority for visiting Baltimore (we are huge baseball fans!) Camden Yards is an awesome stadium with great views all around. It offers a ton of dining options, a kids play area, great affordable seating and plenty of baseball history to soak in. If you have a kid and its their first time going, don’t forget to pick up a first Camden Yards Game certificate from guest services on Eutaw Street (they load you up with lots of fun goodies too).
Getting in and out of the park is actually really easy. We stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham and had a super quick and easy walk to the stadium. We would highly recommend staying here if you are coming in for a game – and bonus its within walking distance to the Inner Harbor too!
4. Spend a Morning in Fells Point, Baltimore
Wow, Fells Point is the neighborhood of my dreams. Cobblestone roads anyone? Seriously, spend some time here! Fells Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Baltimore and has over 160 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Broadway Market (opened in 1786) is here which houses plenty of places to eat. Fells Point is right on the water and home to numerous piers. Make sure you take a minute to stroll to the end of Broadway Pier and take in the view. Fells Point was one of the main stomping grounds of Edgar Allan Poe and was the last place anyone saw him before his mysterious death. It is also the place where Frederick Douglass worked as a shipbuilder. Tons of history here.
We went on a Saturday morning around 9 and easily found parking on the street. By the time we left it had gotten pretty crowded, so try and go early. There are several breakfast options around, we ended up at a place called Twist. It was French inspired decor (so I was hooked) with a Mediterranean inspired menu (hence the name Twist). We really enjoyed our breakfast at this cute and yummy place! A bonus for Saturday morning is the Farmers Market that pops up here on Broadway. We could have walked and walked all morning looking at the beautiful homes, roads and details here. The lantern lights, unique doors, mini gardens..it was all so charming. Take some time to learn the history of this historic location, there is a ton to learn and take in!
5. Tour the Hampton Mansion
On our way out of Baltimore we spent the rest of our morning touring the grounds of the Hampton National Historic Site. It’s a beautiful historic estate, with a Gregorian styled Mansion, gardens and more. This is a free park to visit! You can tour the grounds on your own time but need a tour guide for the mansion itself so make sure to check those times before heading there! It was blazing hot when we were there and not a lot of shade so bring plenty of water and sunscreen if you are going in the late summer! Overall, it was a nice visit and the gardens were definitely a highlight for us.
This is really just scratching the surface at what Baltimore has to offer! After spending the weekend here we can understand why it’s called Charm City. Baltimore, you charmed our socks off. Always go the adventure way!
What are some of your favorite spots in Baltimore? Are there any cities on your bucket list you are waiting to visit? Share with us!
Want to check out more fun things to do in a city near you? Check out our day trip guide to Greensboro!
