While so many travel articles recommend seeing a place like a native, I’ve always believed we should see a place like a tourist, filled with interest for the wonders that surround us.
Baltimore can be a fun city that offers a lot to see and do for natives and tourists alike — there’s a lot to do in this historic city, from exploring important sites related to the War of 1812 and the birth of our national anthem to enjoying art at three excellent art museums, this city has it all!
There is so much to see and do in Baltimore! Take the “24 in 24 Challenge,” below. 24 hours… can you do them all?
- Say hello to a Baltimore icon, Mr. Trash Wheel
- Fight a dragon in a pirate ship
- Take a selfie with a shark in the National Aquarium
- Enjoy Irish Nachos at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub overlooking the Inner Harbor
- Survey Baltimore from the top of the World Trade Center
- Learn how to can an oyster at the Baltimore Museum of Industry
- Enjoy the largest collection of Matisse’ works at the Baltimore Museum of Art
- Remember the Maryland victims at the 9-11 Memorial
- Hear Zoltar speak at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium
- Get a different view of the Inner Harbor from the water taxi
- Learn why Francis Scott Key wrote the National Anthem at Fort McHenry
- Stroll the Waterfront Promenade
- Develop your own vision of art at the American Visionary Art Museum
- Cruise the harbor in a pirate ship
- Learn about the Baltimore Ravens’ connection to a great American author at the Poe House Museum
- Instagram the blue crab along the Waterfront Promenade
- Leave a Lincoln penny on John Wilks Booth’s grave at Greenmont Cemetery
- Pay homage to the Mary Pickersgill’s work at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
- Learn about Soogie’s adventures aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney
- Pay your respects to the Union dead at Loudon Park National Cemetery
- Survey the waterfront from the Watch Floor of the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
- Get your science on at the Maryland Science Center
- Leave a rose for Edgar Allen Poe at the Westminster Burying Grounds
- Get steamed up at the B&O Railroad Museum
- Say “hi” to mummy at the Walters Art Gallery
Know before you go: A number of these places are along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where there are a number of public and private parking lots and garages. You can even find free spots in Canton Park, but it’s a bit of a walk to Harbor Place. The least expensive parking garage we found was $20 per day, next to the Baltimore Regency Hyatt across the street from Harbor Place, and that’s where we usually ended up parking. However, check out Parking Locations in Baltimore for more options.