Every once in a while you drive past a place so many times that it almost becomes part of the…read morescenery. That was the Turkey Hill Experience for me. I'd driven past it countless times over the last few years but either didn't have enough time to stop or couldn't convince anyone else to stop with me. During my Lancaster Adventure Day, though, all of that changed. I purchased a Single Scoop ticket online ahead of time for $16.75 and reserved the very first time slot of the day at 10am. I figured a late-summer Thursday morning would be the sweet spot, and it turned out to be a great decision. It was busy enough that the place felt lively but not so crowded that I had to wait for every exhibit. Parking was plentiful, and I somehow managed to snag a spot right in front of the GIANT cow out front. Honestly, my day was already off to a fantastic start! The only hiccup of the visit came during check-in. Even though I'd already purchased my ticket online, I still had to wait in the same line as everyone buying gift shop items, purchasing admission and asking questions. Since there were only a two employees working both the registers and admissions, the line moved a little slower than I expected. If I could change one thing, it would be creating a separate express check-in line for folks who already have tickets. Once I finally made it inside, though, everything became easy peasy! The exhibits are completely self-guided, so you can wander at your own pace learning how Turkey Hill makes its ice cream and iced tea while playing with interactive displays along the way. One of my favorite parts was creating my own virtual ice cream flavor, complete with custom packaging. I also wanted to film my own Turkey Hill commercial, but those stations stayed busy the entire time I was there, so that'll have to wait until another visit. Naturally, I made a beeline for the tea sampling station. As someone who appreciates sugar-free options, I was thrilled to find both Zero Sugar Sweet Tea and Zero Sugar Fruit Punch available to sample. Both were fantastic! Then it was time for the part we'd all been waiting for...unlimited ice cream samples. One thing I really appreciated is that they weren't tiny little "blink and it's gone" samples. You picked two flavors, and they served actual scoops in a bowl. For an attraction centered around ice cream, that felt exactly right. My only tiny complaint? Wooden popsicle sticks instead of spoons. They definitely got the job done, but they made eating melting ice cream a little more awkward than it needed to be. Still...free and unlimited ice cream? I'm not about to complain too loudly! I spent about an hour wandering through the exhibits, playing with the interactive displays and enjoying the air conditioning on a hot August morning before making one final stop in the gift shop. Prices there were about what you'd expect for a tourist attraction, but there were plenty of fun souvenirs if you're looking to bring a little Turkey Hill home with you. Overall, I'd absolutely recommend visiting the Turkey Hill Experience at least once. I don't know that it's somewhere I'd return over and over again, but it was a fun, interactive way to spend an hour learning something new, eating entirely acceptable quantities of free ice cream and escaping the August heat. That sounds like a pretty successful adventure day to me!

Turkey Hill Experience was a fun stop for our family! We visited with three kids, and everyone…read morefound something to enjoy. The interactive exhibits were engaging, and the kids loved learning how ice cream is made and creating their own virtual flavors. The highlight was definitely sampling the different ice cream flavors and making our own ice cream creations.

Thanks to this wonderful not for profit I can learn about the history and heritage of this fine…read morecity I love! Today I learned about Parks Sausage Company which was the first African American owned company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Parks Sausage Company, was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Parks Sausage was successful because of its founder, Henry Parks. Parks started the company in 1951 with only two employees. Under his supervision, the company grew into a multimillion dollar business with almost 300 employees. Parks trained black and white workers. In his factory, he helped advance racial integration in the workplace. As an African American businessman, Parks knew he would be under increased scrutiny. Inside his factory he kept close watch over the sausage recipe that he had created. Parks would taste his sausage mixture everyday himself and he could tell if the mixture is off by a tiny fraction. Parks wanted to create and maintain a quality product so he introduced sell-by dates to his meat products. In addition, he invited federal inspectors to tour his plant at a time when only state inspectors were required. He did this for two reasons. First, to show how good his products were. Second, to show the community-at-large that African American owned businesses could maintain the same strict standards as white businesses. Baltimoreans didn't just love Parks Sausage, they loved Henry Parks. In 1963, city residents showed their love for Parks by electing him to the Baltimore City Council for two consecutive terms. During his time on the council, Parks pushed for laws that opened public accommodations to African Americans. He also worked to help ease bail requirements. Parks was a lifetime member of the NAACP.  On a local and national level, Henry Parks was recognized for his role as a pioneering African American entrepreneur and civil rights advocate. In 1982, Parks was given the honor of being designated a Distinguished American by the United States Congress. Today, employees at the Parks Sausage Plant, now re-named the Dietz & Watson Plant, no longer make Parks sausage.  But that does not mean that Henry Park's impact as a pioneer in the sausage industry has been forgotten. Everyday, as employees enter and exit work they drive along Henry Parks Jr. Drive and are reminded of Baltimore's original sausage king. NOTE: I want to acknowledge the not for profit Baltimore Heritage Organization for the information I learned about Parks Sausage and Henry Parks who was an important figure in the business community and in history.

Such a cool organization! We booked their tour of Westminster Burial Grounds which explores the…read moregrounds and the catacombs underneath. Our tour guide was amazing! I feel terrible I do not remember her name (she did our tour on 4/26/25). She gave so much information and was happy to answer questions. We learned a lot and enjoyed the tour very much. I see they have other tours including upcoming boat tours, so I will definitely be booking more tours with them!

** 5 Year Review Update **…read more Fells Point continues to be great for the most part. Quality restaurants and boutiques, gorge water views, some of the coolest folks you'd ever meet. Some establishments have left, some have joined. The crowds stay heavy. Sadly lately, the crime has increased making it sometimes difficult to enjoy. Parking is gawd awful, but worth the hustle. I pray this area improves as Baltimore City deserves this.

Historic waterfront neighborhood [Baltimore MD]…read more Did some research while looking for places to visit in Baltimore and bookmarked this neighborhood. Fell's Point is located along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and just less than 10 miles from our hotel... we made our way here on MLK Day. Surprisingly, not all the businesses were closed on a holiday. We arrived around 10:30a and found parking. There are a few options for parking including metered parking and convenient lots and garages. We found an open spot on Thames Street. Fell's Point is beautiful as it was once a bustling shipbuilding port. We walked the snowy sidewalks and enjoyed the views of the wharf. Fell's Point is a historic waterfront and one of the oldest neighborhoods in Baltimore. It has served as the home to jazz singer Billie Holiday and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. I loved the cobblestone streets with many waterfront restaurants and bars and the local cute boutiques shops. We had brunch at Barcocina and did some window shopping at the cozy shops. We also shared a pastry purchased from Pitango Bakery Cafe located right there at the waterfront. Review #3664

This is just a wonderful way to spend an hour in Fells Point. If you believe in ghosts, you'll…read morehave fun. If you don't believe in ghosts, you'll have fun. Rob does a tremendous job regaling his visitors with tales of the more mysterious and sordid history of Fells Point, all while sprinkling in so many humorous lines that keep it all light and fun despite the "dark" history he describes. And if you're not too ambulatory or have been enjoying the countless bars in the area, don't fret, it's not a lot of walking at all. Really glad we spent such a delightful hour with this engaging, professional guide who has his great delivery down pat. Thanks for the fun hour, Rob!

Our ghost tour guide gave the BEST tour imaginable! Spooky…read morestories with emotional twists and turns were enhanced by our tour guide!

Very cool museum. There is plenty of parking which is great, and it's a reappropriated old canning…read morefactory, which makes the space very big and well-lit and directly referencing the content of the museum. It is a shame Baltimore is past some of its old industry successes, but the exhibits are engaging and beautifully designed. There's a lot of information on canning, fishing, steel, automotive, and manufacturing industries and why they rose and fell. You can see the water from the back of the building and the Domino's sugar factory which is still around producing. There are even smaller immersive exhibits on clothing, pharmacies, bakeries, and bars thrived in the city. The employee at the front was very knowledgeable about our questions. They also give some free tours throughout the day. There was a small movie about a fisherman's experience in contemporary times trying to find work. There was a fairly new exhibit on the men who lost their lives with the Dali boat crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Overall, a bunch of great content worth a couple of hours to look through. Visual exhibits are also good for children. The price of admission is reasonable and this is a great introduction to what build Baltimore and how it continues to endure.

This was on our radar as a possible stop when in the area. Given the cold and rainy weather we…read moredecided to give this a try after our visit to the excellent American Visionary Art Museum down the street. With our reciprocal museum membership the admission was free. Otherwise it would have $8-$10 each. Parking is free and easily available which is not common in downtown Baltimore. The worker at the front desk was super energetic and helpful. This museum is housed in an old canning factory. The displays are all well done and we learned alot about industry in the Baltimore area and local history. Lots of hands on displays. Worth an hour or so of your time. Thumbs up!

Wonderful Hosts!!! A relaxing and fun way to spend a day. From start to finish Captain Tom took…read moregood care of us, regaling us with history and tales of the Chesapeake area. He really knows these waters.

Tom was an absolute pleasure! I just needed to get out on the water and enjoy the scenery and…read morethat's exactly what happened. Tom was very hospitable and gave some great history lessons. I'll definitely return!

We took my family visiting from out of town on the harbor tour. My family members visiting have…read moremobility issues after recent surgeries, so this was a low impact option for them. The tour we took was $25 per person. Picking up the tickets I preordered was easy. With boarding, no one told us when it was time to board though we were sitting at the dock, but we saw a group going and went along with them. Seating on the boat included an upper deck to enjoy the air; my family preferred the lower deck which was booth style. We found a booth together easily. There were large windows to look outside, but the narration was prerecorded and kind of quiet. Occasionally a crew member would chime in. The narration was always pointing out things on the starboard side, so keep that in mind. The interior seemed kind of outdated overall and most of the other people on the tour were on the elderly side, so it might cater more towards that audience. Overall, this was an okay tour of the harbor. The price was fine for what it was, but I wouldn't personally choose to do this tour again. I know there are other options that might be better through the company, so only speaking from my experience with what I described.

This was supposed to be a sunset cruise, and it barely was. The boat should have left an hour…read moreearlier. There really weren't any open areas to see the sunset, and the sun was already below the skyline when we were out on the water....The crew was great , but you get only 2 stars because, the sunset which was supposed to be the star of the show was really just a no show, and this was not because of the weather, it was because of the scheduling and the simple fact that where the boat traveled, there really was not an acceptable place to even view the sunset......

This is a national heritage site and museum because Mr Douglass and Isaac Myers founded the first…read moreAfrican American shipyard, Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company. It was night and the museum was closed while the large bust 5/5 is on the pier. There's so much history and so little time during my visit to see it all. While in Baltimore for dinner, it was important that I visited.

Calling the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park a "museum" might be a bit of a…read morestretch--it's small and more of an exhibit--but it's absolutely worth a visit. For just $5, you get to learn about an important and often overlooked piece of Baltimore's history, especially the lives of Frederick Douglass and Isaac Meyer, two African-American men who settled in Baltimore and made huge contributions to their communities. You also have a chance to learn more about maritime workers and the scourge of slavery in America. It won't take a lot of time to go through, but it leaves a lasting impression and helps you see the city in a new light. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.