Baltimore Attractions
Baltimore Attractions
 | B&O Railroad Museum 901 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD • 410-752-2490 Bring your little conductors to the B&O for more than 40 acres of railroad history and the country's most comprehensive train collections. Watch for special seasonal train rides and Day Out with Thomas events. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Ed Kane's Water Taxis 1735 Lancaster Street Baltimore, MD • 410-563-3901 One of the best ways to see Baltimore is riding through its Inner Harbor aboard the dozens of water taxis connecting the Inner Harbor, Fell's Point, Fort McHenry, Federal Hill and more. Purchase a daylong ticket and hop on and off at any time to connect to more than 30 attractions. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Fort McHenry National Monument 2400 East Fort Avenue Baltimore, MD • 410-962-4290 As the rocket's red glare lit up the Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote our country's "Star Spangled Banner." This historic fort defended the harbor during the 18th century and is one of the few remaining northern forts. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Historic Ships in Baltimore Baltimore, MD Choose one or all four ships located on the harbor to explore. The USS Constellation, built in 1854, was the last all-sail ship built by the US Navy and the last still afloat since serving active duty in the Civil War. The USS Torsk, a submarine commissioned in 1944, made more than 10,000 dives during World War II combat. The Chesapeake Lightship, built in 1930, was a lighthouse service boat. The USCGC Taney is the last warship afloat from the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that also saw active duty during the Vietnam War. Finally, tour the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, the oldest surviving screw-pile lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay, first lit in 1856. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Maryland Science Center 601 Light Street Baltimore, MD • 410-545-5225 This great science museum is all about hands-on discovery, including a chance for kids to be paleontologists unearthing fossils beneath towering dinosaur fossils and a discovery area that is just as much fun to explore for the adults as it is for the kids. (Don't feel silly lying down on the table to experience a "lift" on a bed of nails.) A planetarium features hourly shows included in the price (a nice touch), and an IMAX theater features educational shows for an additional fee. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | National Aquarium, Baltimore 501 Pratt Street Baltimore, MD • 401-576-3800 Get there early to avoid the long lines that eventually form for a visit to one of the harbor's largest attractions. The new "Our Ocean Planet: the New Dolphin Show" is no SeaWorld dolphin show but still entertaining and splash-worthy. The aquarium's around-the-world attractions include Animal Planet Australia to the Open Ocean, and are home to more than 14,000 animals. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Port Discovery Children's Museum 35 Market Place Baltimore, MD • 410-727-8120 A number of discovery rooms spread out across multiple floors were completely ignored by my children who joined with the majority of the tot-sized visitors who climbed in, around and through the multi-story central atrium playground featuring rope bridges, ladders, zip lines, dead ends, tunnels and slides. OK, so maybe after two hours they had enough and my daughter got involved with the arts and crafts while my son played a pickup game of indoor soccer. Although I was concerned by the number of young teens running through the museum, I loved that we got matching wristbands and had to be checked when exiting to be sure my kids belonged with me -- especially because the play area was so large, loud and confusing that I just had to park myself in a corner and trust my kids to return to me when done playing. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Top of the World Observation Level 401 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD • 410-837-8439 You'll have to pass by the World Trade Center to get to many of the harbor attractions so stop in and ride to the 26th floor for the best 360-degree views of the city. The observation level is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is under $5 per person. Visit the information desk for a kids' scavenger hunt. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Urban Pirates South Ann Street Baltimore, MD • 410-327-8378 Give the kids a chance to become pirates for a day on this interactive pirate adventure aboard an old-fashioned wooden ship. Departing from Fell's Point, a quaint cobblestone-lined shopping and dining neighborhood in Baltimore, the adventure takes the kids around the Inner Harbor on a search for treasure and a chance to blast enemies with water cannons. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
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