WTMB First Thursday's festivals has been on my bucket list all summer. It happens during the first…read moreThursday of each month during the summer months. Located in the Canton waterfront park, you can enjoy local bands performing and local food trucks. Each month a few different bands are always featured. You can also enjoy bars that have been set up throughout the park, sponsored by Mother's bar and Grill. Some of my favorite food that is always featured, is Jimmy's Famous Seafood and Underground Pizza. Don't forget to also enjoy some ice cream from the ice cream trucks. Prices are reasonably priced and expected from the restaurants. You can always expect great quality food, great service, and fast service, especially as the night goes on and the park gets more crowded. Parking is best available on Boston Street or walking to the festival if you live in Canton is a perfect option. Don't forget to bring chairs and a blanket for sitting on the lawn, or if you get there early enough, you may be lucky enough to get a park bench where you can sit all night.

WTMB's summer festival series is a great family-friendly place to spend a summer evening. Its free,…read morehas a great crowd and friendly neighborhood vibe, and the cost can't be beat. Vendors have tons of food options--from fried chicken to veggie options, and local breweries and bars set up booths for drinks. It's heals rain or shine on the first Thursday of hot months, starting at 5:30. Oh, you you're so inclined, boat parking is provided.

Christmas Village in Baltimore - A Chilly, Charming Detour with a Few Caveats…read more The Christmas Village in Baltimore is, quite literally, cool, both in atmosphere and in temperature. On a brisk winter evening, the open-air market delivers exactly what it promises: twinkling lights, the hum of seasonal music, the scent of spiced wine in the air, and a festive energy that makes for an easy, if brief, holiday escape. One of the more curious aspects of the experience is its sponsorship and structure. Chase Bank sponsored a secluded, interior section of the village, an enclosed, tent-like space that requires a $5 per person admission fee. Inside, shoppers find higher-end, European-style goods such as wooden nutcrackers and specialty imports not available in the main village. While one could argue the intent is to manage crowd flow or provide warmth and exclusivity, the execution feels more transactional than magical. I spoke with several families exiting the space, groups that had paid admission for multiple people, only to leave empty-handed. Their consensus was candid: the section is worthwhile if you already know exactly what you're looking for, but therein lies the problem, you can't preview the offerings without paying to enter. For most, including myself, the value proposition didn't quite justify the cost, and I opted to move along. What does deliver unequivocally is the food and drink. The Glühwein is well-executed, warming, and flavorful, served in a souvenir mug (pictured). While carrying it around the rest of the evening is mildly inconvenient, the practical upside is that refills drop to $8, compared to the $14 initial purchase, making it a solid value for those lingering longer. In scale, the village is modest certainly not a full immersion into a European Christmas market, but it succeeds as a curated, bite-sized experience. Numerous small stalls offer enough food and drink options to comfortably sustain a visit, and the area around the Christmas trees provides a particularly pleasant focal point. That's also where I stumbled upon the standout of the evening: a toffee vendor. The Italian cappuccino toffee, in particular, deserves special mention. Rich, balanced, deeply flavorful, and not cloyingly sweet, it was without exaggeration one of the best toffees I've ever had. And that's coming from someone with both a pronounced sweet tooth and a well-earned reputation as a food connoisseur. It alone nearly justifies the visit. Bottom line: The Christmas Village in Baltimore may not fully replicate the charm of its European counterparts, and some elements feel more commercial than festive, but it remains a pleasant seasonal diversion. Come for the atmosphere, stay for the Glühwein, and absolutely do not leave without the cappuccino toffee. All in all, a solid holiday experience with a few memorable highlights.

Charming little Christmas Village along the water in Baltimore. Went on a Saturday evening, it was…read morepredictably packed with people. But the holiday music and the twinkling lights made it feel like I was living Silver Bells. Wandering among the stalls of thw outdoor market, there are a disproportionate number selling jewelry, but there are cool things to be found, like Bigfoot socks, and cool hats. To enter the indoor sale tent, you have to buy a $5 "season ticket," which seems odd. But inside that tent is the large Kathe Wolfhardt store with cute German Christmas decor. I bought ornaments and a blown glass tree. My biggest issue was that the signage for the village food options were not well lit. We went with the intent of eating giant soft pretzels and apparently the entire festival was sold out. I did greatly enjoy my raclette sandwich, hot chocolate with Bailey's in an adorable boot mug, and some grilled sausage. The process of ordering abd paying, them waiting a while to get my food order was frustrating but expected. This was a nice way to be filled with some holiday spirit.

Sowebohemian Festival is a topsy-turvy romp of fun including 3 stages for dozens of Baltimore's…read morebest bands, awesome regional visual art, interactive events for kids (and the kid in all of us), plus good eats and drinks. And... not for the faint of heart, a non-juried salon-style Art Show in the Bullseye of Sowebo.

This place was a last min event that I found the day before... something to do that was outside and…read moreto enjoy the sunny day. It was located in an unsavory neighborhood but the people were all very friendly. Not a lot of people all together but a decent amount of vendors and a fair amount of fair-type food vendors to which I did not indulge due to my daily calorie intake maximum. :) This event had several different live bands playing at once at different corners of the event. My daughters loved the Reggae band there and found themselves dancing in the sts... so cute to watch btw. They also had a Bud Light truck that were selling a small plastic cup full for $4 but a few ft away a small bar/restaurant was selling beer for half the price and vocalizing it loudly to anyone that would listen. Haha I could see the potential of this event being more popular if they advertised it more efficiently.

Overall: great museum, super inclusive restrooms, lots to do and learn for all ages, lots of indoor…read moreand outdoor spaces, worth the price, kind employees My 1 year old was free. We went on a day with a Lego event and paid $20 per adult and $12 for our 4 year old and I found there was plenty to do for a morning and it felt worth the cost. We had been to a Trolley Museum and the B&O Museum in old Ellicott City and this was way better than either of those. There was plenty to explore for at least half of a day. For super young kids there was a kids indoor area and a small outdoor playground. There were tons of model trains, small and medium, indoor and outdoor. I would definitely go to this museum on days where it isn't raining because there is just as much to do outside as there is inside. They have tons of full size trains. You can explore the inside of some of them and they have different themes and things you can learn about. The Lego event we went to was super simple and run really well. All the kids were being super creative and persistent and having a blast building cars and racing them down a large ramp. We will definitely be back at some point.

The museum itself was really amazing. I thought the inside of the museum was beautifully maintained…read morewith great attention to detail. The admission price was very reasonable, and my young kids really enjoyed the time we spent there. This museum is connected to the Smithsonian, though you wouldn't know it. It's very quietly stated on one of their signs, but not many other places. Some things that weren't as positive were that the website is out of date. The website said there were rides outside for kids. Which there was technically one ride. But it hasn't been in operation for quite some time. The other ride wasn't there. The other bummer was that I left an item behind at the museum. Even though I called the museum the week after our visit 3 times, left voicemails every time, and emailed, no one has ever gotten back to me. It really disappointed me that they have no one to help customers. Even when we were there, staff was minimal. Museum cutbacks I assume. Still, I would go back.

The Rawlings Conservatory and Botanical Garden is a hidden gem in Baltimore! The fact that visitors…read morecan enjoy these incredible displays of plants for free from around the globe is such a treat. They accept donations though! If able, I suggest donating to help them continue their amazing programming. In addition to free entrance, there is free street parking directly outside. If you're a nature lover, artist, educator, and/or parent, I think you'll really enjoy your visit. It is directly up the road from the Baltimore Zoo if you want to hit up two great Baltimore attractions!

A couple of weekends ago the weather wasn't that great so we were looking for something inside to…read moredo and came here. Admission is free but they do take donations (cash or by Venmo). We wandered around for a little over an hour reading about different plants and taking pictures of them. If you're looking for something inexpensive and different to do - I'd give this place a shot.

Great spot for a free indoor adventure…read more Right in the heart of OEC this museum is a great spot for a quick dose of history. The displays are great and who can beat the model train garden! You can also get inside a train car and experience what it was like to ride the oldest continuously running rail line.

Want a nice distraction from reality, one that is free? Then make yourself a detour and come to…read morethis nice little museum in historic Ellicot City. I had no idea that this museum existed until I was already in town. I parked my car near the top of town in one of the many free parking lots and started down the hill. I figured if I started at the bottom and made my way up, it would feel less of a tiring task heading back up. By heading to the bottom of the hill I found this gem. Like I said at the beginning, this is a free museum to attend (donations are welcome to help maintain the place). When you visit, you are transported back in time to when the railroads ruled the country. What you will come to find out is that this is the oldest railroad station still standing in the nation (that is how they bill it). When you start to traverse the museum you learn more and more about the history of this particular train station. You learn that it was first used with horse and carriage, then converted into a freight train station, and finally to a freight/passenger station before it was essentially decommissioned. Making your way through the museum you discover that you can see the working parts of it all. You go through the room that was the living quarters of the man that ran the station. You make your way upstairs and through the areas that was basically the central nervous system of the building. You pass by the ticket booth which tells you that back then there was separate entrances for men and women. Showing you that back then the railroad was a male dominated industry. You even get a glimpse of some very old graffiti. Make your way through what was the freight house and continue out into where they used to work on the trains. Once you are finished inside you can head outside onto what was once the passenger platform. Hang a right and head past the turntable to the external exhibit spaces. In what I am guessing is another freight house you will find a model of the railroad of the immediate and nearby area. Take a seat in here and you can watch a short documentary detailing the railroad in the area. After, or even before, the show, you can interact with the railroad model. Push a button and you will see how the railroad worked. Look closely and you will see the detail of each area. All the intricate little pieces of this model comes to life. Once you have fulfilled your inner child, you can then head outside once again and see the last piece of this museum. A caboose. You get to actually climb up into the caboose and see how one was used. Take a seat and take it in. You can take as much time as you want here, or run through it and get it completely out the way quickly. I'm sure you could even revisit this place and discover something new you overlooked on your prior visit.

We visited the Heritage Society of Essex Museum for the first time and were blown away. I was…read moreexpecting a room or two of things, but it turns out it's a full museum of surprises about our little community of Essex. Some favorites included military artifacts, a jail cell with a haunted past, and an area like an old fashioned Main Street. I've passed this place my entire life and am sad I never stopped. It's open Saturdays and the cost is FREE. They will open for special tours for local organizations (i.e.; Cub scouts). I forget the name of our sweet tour guide, but she made our trip special.

We came here in April after looking at the blooming tulips and azaleas in Sherwood Gardens, and it…read morewas pretty underwhelming in comparison. We checked in at the visitor's center, then walked the grounds where all we could see were shrubs and trees, with very few flowers in bloom. The mansion is only open if there are events. The nature center is very well done, and perfect for children. My favorite part was definitely the lion statues. The other, incidental, part we really enjoyed is that there were various painters scattered about the property, so it was fun to see what they were painting and chat with them.

Baltimore's Best Kept Secret always a refreshing and peaceful time at the Arboretum…read more Many volunteers and activities make this a great place to spend time or to visit. The landscaping is magnificent and the flowers always seem to be in bloom. Truly this is one of Baltimore's hidden gems.