BALTIMORE

If Baltimore is on your list of places to go, you won’t be disappointed. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore offers history, fun times and great food to all who visit.

A prominent city throughout American history, it continues to be a leader in urban revitalization and development.

Walk into America’s Maritime History

Any trip to Baltimore has to include a trip to the Inner Harbor. Baltimore’s restored waterfront once housed the wharves of its active 19^th century international trade. It is now a dynamic shopping, restaurant and tourist hub with dozens of Baltimore’s major attractions within walking distance.

You can catch a glimpse of Baltimore’s maritime past by visiting USS Constellation. Built prior to the Civil War, it is the last sail-rigged ship built by the US Navy.

The Baltimore Maritime Museum is home to four naval treasures: the USS TORSK, the USCGC TANEY, the Lightship Chesapeake and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse. The TORSK and TANEY date back to World War II. The TANEY is the last remaining ship from Pearl Harbor still afloat.

Just three miles south of the Inner Harbor is Fort McHenry, the site that inspired the National Anthem. Most famous for its role in the War of 1812, Fort McHenry served as a prison during the Civil War, a hospital during World War I and a Coast Guard training station during World War II. After an orientation film, visitors can take a self-guided tour of the fort and surrounding grounds. Pets are permitted on fort grounds, but not in the historic area.

If the tour of Fort McHenry leaves you wanting more, you can take a cruise on the Pride of Baltimore II. A reproduction clipper, the Pride II serves as a replica of the type of ship that helped win the War of 1812. The Pride of Baltimore II serves as a worldwide goodwill ambassador for Maryland and sails for the public daily. Space is limited so reservations are required.

The National Aquarium, serving as the anchor to the Inner Harbor, offers visitors views of sharks that you would normally only get in the ocean. So, if the idea of swimming with sharks doesn’t appeal to you, then check out the shark tank and get that up close experience from dry land.

The Aquarium gives visitors a realistic view of the symbiotic relationship between man and the animals. One exhibit provides a demonstration of the destruction of the rain forests and the extinction of many of the Earth species. Follow that with a walk through the Aquarium’s own rain forest on the top of the building.

Dinner and a … Concert

Recher Theater, located in nearby Towson, MD, gives you both music and food. In a converted vintage one screen movie theatre, the Recher Theater enjoys a reputation as the best place for live music in the Baltimore area. They serve pizza, appetizers, subs and more during all concerts.

Speaking of food, what is a trip to Maryland without eating some crabs? While Baltimore boasts many sea food chain restaurants like McCormick & Schmicks and Legal Sea Foods, there are many local places to choose from like L.P. Steamers, a casual local restaurant praised by Baltimore Magazine as serving the best sea food.

Off the Beaten Path

Once you’ve exhausted the mainstream destinations, there is much more to sample. Did you ever wonder if Nemo was right and all drains lead to the ocean? You can find out at the Baltimore Public Works Museum. Located in the historic Eastern Avenue Pumping Station, this museum takes you behind the scenes to see how a major city functions with its tunnels, bridges and plumbing.

If art is your thing, then you might want to checkout the American Visionary Art Museum. This museum exhibits the works by self-taught artists. In addition to their permanent exhibit space, each year the staff has a guest curator create a new thematic exhibit by both contemporary and historical artists.

You could also venture into the odd at the American Dime Museum. This museum is dedicated to the history of the sideshow. The museum’s collection contains reproductions of shrunken heads, mummies, banners and other sideshow props.

And where better to continue your oddities adventure than at the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. Poe, the grandson of a Baltimore Revolutionary War Veteran, came to live with family members at this house in 1829 and stayed here until 1835. It was here that he began writing short stories. Many of those stories were published in local newspapers and created quite a stir. Poe and his wife lived out their lives in Richmond, but are buried in Downtown Baltimore.