Fort McHenry is a serene open park at the end of Locust Point in Baltimore…read more It has walking paths and great open vistas of the Patapsco river, busy with shipping and transiting boats. In early April it's decorated with cherry blossoms. The Fort is open, and you can also purchase guided tours. We are often one of the dog walkers here. One unexpected feature is a 39-ft tall bronze and marble rather-naked 1922 statue of "Orpheus with the awkward foot", named by the sculpture, Charles Henry Niehaus, for the deliberate balanced pose. Musician and poet Orpheus playing a tortoise-shell lyre symbolizes Francis Scott Key composing The Star-Spangled Banner at this site. The pedestal is decorated by a relief of The Muses, as well as a portrait of Francis Scott Key.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine…read more Location: 2400 E Fort Ave, Baltimore, MD 21230 Hours: daily 9AM - 5PM (summer schedule) Restrooms : inside the building Accessibility: strollers and wheelchairs accessible, limited path trails around the fort. Parking : parking lot free in front of the building No pets allowed within the historic site. Information: nps.gov Fort McHenry National Monument, an iconic fort located in Baltimore, MD, is the only Historic Shrine in the US, well known as the birthplace of US National Anthem. Fort McHenry is the first site to receive a presidential proclimation requiring that the site fly a flag 24/7, 365 days a year. Flag change programs occur daily. In the morning, the park raises a larger replica of a historic flag, and in the evening, it is replaced with an all-weather flag that flies overnight above the fort. Check the flag change schedule on nps.gov for more information. We were fortunate to be there during the flag retreat demonstration, and it was an amazing experience. A musical performance took place beforehand, adding to the ceremony's atmosphere. After the flag was lowered, visitors were invited to help fold the large flag into the traditional triangular shape. It was a memorable and meaningful way to take part in the park's daily tradition. *Flag changes are weather dependent. If there is precipitation, or of if the wind is below 5 mph/above 10 mph, the large garrison flag (30x42 feet) and storm flag (17x25 feet) cannot be flown.  To visit the park: it's free to explore the 42-acres of park areas from walking trails to have picnic or scenic walks. There's a fee to enter the fort area, tickets cost $15 for age 16 and up, and free for age 15 and younger. The ticket is valid for 7 consecutive days! Check out nps.gov for more information. It's a beautiful historic site and seeing everything in live version, it is an amazing in-person experience! #fortmchenry #fortmchenrynationalmonument #fortmchenryhistoricshrine #baltimoremd #preservefootprints

We visited the Hampton National Historic Site in Towson this past weekend. This estate was owned by…read morethe Ridgely family for 7 generations from 1745 to 1948. The Georgia mansion home was the largest private home in America when it was completed in 1790. The estate was a plantation, one of the largest in Maryland, and hundreds of people were enslaved at the plantation until the end of the Civil War. The property is operated by the National Park Service, so a park ranger gives guided tours of the property. Our ranger guide was really friendly and did a wonderful job guiding us through the house. She taught us about the history of the area, the family, and the estate. She taught us about the architecture of the house and the artifacts visible throughout the house (many of which are original to the home). She also highlighted the lives and stories of enslaved persons who spent part or the entirety of their lives at Ridgely. There is some important Maryland history here at Hampton, and I really appreciated our experience. The house is undergoing some renovations right now and we were a bit tight on time, so we weren't able to explore the grounds (I think you can visit the slave quarters, cemetery, and more on the grounds), so I'd like to go back and explore more of the site's history. As an NPS property, it's free to visit and tour and definitely worth checking out. It's history hidden in plain sight - you've probably driven past it many times without stopping by!

We went on the 1 hour tour inside the house and were amazed by the renovation and details of the…read moreestate. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and answered our questions. I would recommend getting tickets to tour the house. We went last year and were only able to walk the grounds. Tickets are only $1 at recreation.gov.

Definitely a cool bit of history in Monument City!…read more The Washington Monument is the first major monument dedicated to this country's first president. Inside the building, there is a little area with interactive screens explaining the history of the monument in Baltimore city. This is free to peruse. For a modest price, you can reserve a time to go up the tower portion of the monument. It is clearly old, with stone steps spiraling up clockwise until reaching an observation spot at the top. It is tight and you may have to wait in the odd window well while someone else goes up or down past you. There are four windows each labeled "North," "South," "East," and "West" with different vistas of the city. My kids are rather enjoyed it; even Child #3 climbed up over half the steps on his own at just shy of 2 years old. The surrounding area of "Mount Vernon Place" is covered with nice areas for sitting, looking at statues of contemporaries of George Washington (e.g. the Marquis de Lafayette). Highly recommend coming out during Flower Fest in early May!

This is a great monument and little detour walking around the wonderful city of Baltimore. We were…read moreon a walk and saw it peeking through one of the side streets and had to walk up and get a closer look. The pathway up the street was serene and there were a couple of statues along the way. The monument is surrounded by a roundabout and stands tall and proud smack in the middle of it. Great representation for the OG President!

There are often festivals of one sort or another among the many shops, bars, and restaurants around…read moreMain Street in downtown Ellicott City. This is the first time we've made it to SpringFest (Apr 2025). It was amazing! SpringFest took over the entirety of Parking Lot D, south of Main Street behind the old Post Office building, plus several other locations around town, with walkable nearby satellite parking and a free shuttle all day. We skipped the kids'-activities towards the west end of downtown, but we did see the cute results of face-painting :-). Onstage by The Wine Bin, we enjoyed a 45-min set by a favorite local rock band, Gary and the Groove, always laying down great dancing music and well-crafted vocals. Their stage had live performances noon to 8pm! We heard an excellent Red Hot Chili Peppers rendition as we took a free shuttle to the east end of Main Street. We saw art and a dj in a small park, and, across the river, found a cute little courtyard we hadn't noticed before at Old Mill Cafe! It was a short uphill walk back up to Lot D, full-to-bursting with artisans and food vendors and shops. Amid throngs of people, we tasted Asian, Mexican, juice, and some snacks among eight or ten food vendors, and a few tables around the edges. We checked out cool merch from around 15 artists, flower sellers, ceramics, soft crafts, herbs, candles, and more. We heard live music from two more stages, with a wide range of tribute-bands and some cool musicians from Columbia's Soundcheck Academy. We loved the true-to-life Grateful Dead. The Band was a fun groove. Classics by Cure, Black Sabbath, Van Halen. Every song you ever heard, which means Billy Idol :-). We had to leave as The Talking Heads started up. Darn. We missed Bowie and Santana, too. Music here was also noon to 8pm, with slightly shorter hours on the student stage. A long lovely day, which reminds us to watch for more events in downtown Ellicott City!

Great place to walk and explore. Lots of fun stores and places to eat. There is a large free…read moreparking lot. Traffic can be congested, but this place is definitely worth the stroll. I like the bridge over the water and the local coffee shops.

This is my favorite area in Patapsco state park, I've brought many friends and family here over the…read moreyears. It's beautiful, you can find the ruins of an old mining camp and religious boarding school here. There's even a decent spot to jump off the train tracks into the water below, although take care because the water can be shallow in spots.

Probably one of the more interesting hikes that I have done in awhile. The hike will be quite…read moreshort, but you got hills and steps to get your work out on. I think the feel of the place is supposed to be spooky, unfortunately, I picked a spring break day to do it and there were enough teenagers running around here like savages (just kidding, they were all really sweet) it doesn't really have a scary feel to it at all. To explain the ruins, it was Roman Catholic school in Ilchester, Maryland. The ruins are near Ilchester and Bonnie Branch roads (so the Yelp location is pretty straight on). It was called hell house in the 70s after it was abandoned and vandalized and rumors have it a strange cult started living there. It also had an over zealous caretaker who had a gun and some dogs and would assault vandals. He was displaced after the school was set ablaze by arsonists. Hell House altar structure that most people take pictures of is at the top of a very steep hill, about a mile in. It used to have a large metal cross, and it is a very unique place for a photoshoot. For easy access, park in the lot for patapsco state park (right past the train tracks) where the trailhead is and start coming up to the left of the train tracks.

Always a nice scenic walk when I want to catch cardio throughout the work day…read more Each way leads to great food options, activities, and great sun catching. I look forward to continuing to spend my most active part of the day strolling the Charm'tastic Mile.

If, by circumstance, you only have a few hours in Baltimore and want to see something, taking this…read moredowntown area tour will give you the most postcard worthy photos for your buck.

I didn't take photos, I just forgot. I didn't even know this memorial existed. I was visiting the…read moreBaltimore Aquarium with my family, and we walked around the area and came upon this. We did pay the modest admission fee to go to the top and see the views. This is a very moving and meaningful memorial. I learned a lot, and I'm very glad I visited. I would recommend a visit. It's so important that we remember and honor the lives that were lost on that terrible day.

If you've walked along Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore (along the harbor), you might have walked…read morepast the 9/11 Memorial of Maryland, but it's worth an intentional visit. Located in front of Baltimore's World Trade Center, this memorial is a site to remember 9/11 and the 69 Marylanders who lost their lives that day. The memorial is unique to Maryland, well designed, moving, and should be a part of your tour of the Inner Harbor!

This is an art center in PG county where they have periodic art exhibitions and area for artists to…read morecreate art. We were here for the Twelfth Annual Artists on the Rise: Juried Teen Exhibition. There's a garden and the exhibition was on the first floor and could be accessed using a boardwalk. The gardens look nice for a walk. The facility is very neat and well maintained.

I have driven past the sign for Montpelier Mansion numerous times and finally decided to explore…read morethis historical landmark. The grounds are beautiful, with a lovely garden filled with wildflowers. I visited the ironworks exhibit, the carriage house, and the main office/gift shop. The staff are friendly, and there is plenty of parking.