There is so much to do in Baltimore for kids — from the serious (touring Fort McHenry) to the almost ridiculous (Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium) — and Urban Pirates fits in, more in the latter category, offering an hour of crazy fun for families. Think Pirates of the Caribbean rather than Blackbeard — […]
Baltimore
Discover Baltimore with the MidAtlantic DayTrip 24-in-24 Challenge
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 […]
American Visionary Art Museum Revisited
Bluebird of Happiness, Dick Brown. The American Visionary Art Museum is an unusual art museum. There are no Picassos, no Monets, no Chagalls to be found within its walls, but don’t let that stop you. Black Icarus, Andrew Logan. Instead, you’ll find art made by “every day folk” but these artists didn’t go to school […]
Why the Walters Art Museum Is Best Visited in Sneakers
On the Desert, Jean-Leon Gerome, before 1867 The Walters Art Museum — usually just referred to as “The Walters” — is a public art museum in Baltimore founded and opened in 1934. Its collections were gathered in the mid-1800s and include masterworks of ancient Egypt, Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi, medieval ivories, illuminated manuscripts, Renaissance […]
Learn about Baltmore’s Industrial Past at the Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore was never a one-industry town. If you think of Pittsburgh, you naturally think of steel. If you think Detroit, cars. But Baltimore? Think straw hats and umbrellas. And boots, space capsules, and schooners. And Linotype machines. And cigars, seaplanes, and refined sugar. And radios and sail cloth and toilets…. the list goes on. Baltimore […]
How Kids Can Science at the Maryland Science Center!
I kinda wished I was a kid again. Or had young kids again (my kids are all grown). Because the Maryland Science Center is all about kids and science and teaching kids things by simply making it fun to explore ideas and concepts. Yes, I visited the Maryland Science Center as an adult. And without […]
The Simple Joy of a Christmas Train Garden
Trains and Christmas seem to go together. The first model trains appeared in 1891 and 13 years later, a group of English hobbyists began building little worlds to go along with these wonderful trains. Electric model trains appeared just before WWI, and the 1920s saw an explosion of these as toys for the wealthy. By […]
Something Fishy at the National Aquarium!
There’s something fishy at the National Aquarium in Baltimore! Over the years, the National Aquarium has changed its focus from entertainment to conservation. An emphasis on the importance of water, and the earth as a water system, is a core message throughout the exhibits. Water isn’t just a habitat for the animals displayed. It’s integral […]
Explore the Odd and Creepy at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium
3D masks that look as if they’re looking at you. You have permission to stare. This T-Rex sculpture is made out of Pop-Tart foil…believe it or not! Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium has the weird, bizarre and just plain odd. Looking for a life-sized T-Rex made out of pop-tart foil? Then look no further, […]
Largest Collection of Matisse Paintings at the Baltimore Museum of Art
Interior with Dog, Henri Matisse, 1934, oil on canvas There’s a hidden gem in Baltimore that we either take for granted or tend to overlook: the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). With more than 95,000 works of art, the BMA has a massive collection. Madonna Adoring the Child with Five Angels, Sandro Botticelli and Studio, […]
Nine-Eleven Memorials
There is America pre-9/11 and America post-9/11, and a world of difference in between. The targets of the 9/11 terrorist attacks were the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC and, most likely, the Capitol Building — symbols of America’s financial, military and political influence on the world. The magnitude […]
Baltimore’s Historic Ships: A Lightship, a Coast Guard Cutter and a Lighthouse
This article looks at the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney, the Lightship 116 Chesapeake, and the 7 Foot Knoll Lighthouse, all part of the Historic Ships of Baltimore maritime museum, which is located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. These ships serve as a reminder that the Inner Harbor for 200 years was — and still is — a […]
Baltimore’s’ Historic Ships: A Sloop of War and a Submarine
Historic Ships of Baltimore is a maritime museum located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor — and is a good way to remember that the Inner Harbor for 200 years was — and still is — a major east coast port. There is so much to cover in this museum that it required two separate articles. This […]
Pennies for Poe at the Westminster Burying Ground
You can often learn who’s important in a region by going to an historic city cemetery, and no where is this more true than at the Westminster Burying Ground in Baltimore. Established in 1787, a who’s who of Maryland and Baltimore are, or at least, WERE (several seem to be missing) buried there. For 60 […]
A Month of Summer Daytrips for Kids
It’s that time again — when school ends for the year and kids cheer and parents groan (just a little, because, you know, we really love our kids). If you’re looking for some great ideas for day trips with your little cherubs — the kind of daytrips that will keep their imaginations active and expand […]