Featured Destinations
Baltimore
Those who like to keep a busy schedule will absolutely love Baltimore and its abundant opportunities for the inquisitive to explore. Known by many monikers, including Charm City, The City That Reads, and The City of Firsts; this destination is richly varied in its character, its characters and its attractions — and its residents would have it no other way. Indeed, there is so much to do here, whether with a family or on your own, that even with a week to kill you’ll barely make a dent. Museums, music, sports, history, performing arts, diverse neighborhoods and culinary exploration — they’re all here and within walking or water-taxi distance of the first-class marinas that have sprouted in and around the Inner Harbor over the last few decades.
A stream of improvements continues to flow through Baltimore, enhancing the options for recreational boaters. New investments in the area west of Fort McHenry and in Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, among the country’s most ambitious developments, are following the multimillion-dollar renovation of the iconic waterfront amphitheater in the Inner Harbor and the restoration of The Recreation Pier at Fells Point into Sagamore Pendry Baltimore.
This is all in a city that has had its share of ups and downs over the centuries. The Great Fire in 1904 destroyed more than 1,500 buildings. After rebuilding, the city returned to its glory days as a shipbuilding and supply center but slumped again until the 1970s and 1980s.
Enter the Rouse Company, which built Baltimore’s Inner Harbor complex to revitalize the area. Bracketed by the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center, with the USS Constellation on its doorstep, it draws millions of visitors annually.
Now comes “Baltimore Peninsula,” formerly known as Port Covington, which is located west of the South Locust Point Marine Terminal on your chart. The $5.5 billion waterfront venture promises more than 14 million square feet of new construction upon its completion. The multi-block project includes re-configuration of roads and a mushrooming of commercial, retail, residential and spaces, all in a historically underutilized, industrial port area. This ambitious project reflects the spirit of the city going back centuries.
Baltimore harbor is the very birthplace of the U.S. national anthem — a buoy marks the spot where Francis Scott Key penned the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” While the port here was founded in 1706, the town named for Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore) was founded in 1729. Some of the first ships of the fledgling U.S. Navy were built here, as were the Pride of Baltimore and Pride of Baltimore II, replicas of the sleek clipper ships whose speed garnered much of the coastal and Caribbean trade in the 1800s.
The blend that has been created since is often referred to as “quirky,” an identity that Baltimoreans embrace. Once you pass the red-white-and-blue, star-studded buoy, you have a choice of dockage in distinct waterfront locations that run all the way into the Inner Harbor. After docking don’t get too settled in, for there is no shortage of exploring and activities. Baltimore’s neighborhoods weave into a broadly diverse urban tapestry. Little Korea Town, Little Italy and Greektown offer an engaging diversity in food, music, art and culture — and only hint at the ethnic mix in this historic port city.
You will notice that Baltimore is a big sports town, from horse racing (The Preakness, run each May at Pimlico Race Course, is the second jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown) to football, soccer, baseball and lacrosse. The Orioles (the beloved “O’s”), named for the state bird, play at Camden Yards near the harbor. Football fans cheer on the Ravens in nearby M&T Bank Stadium after “purpling up” everything from themselves to their homes and cars. The team’s name is drawn from Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous poem. Other favorite sons include Babe Ruth, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, composer Eubie Blake, filmmaker John Waters and novelist Tom Clancy.
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Things to See and Do
There are a number of options for getting around Baltimore. The Water Taxi (410-563-3900) has color-based trails that will take you from the Inner Harbor all the way to the national park at Fort McHenry (410-962-4290). Ferry tickets are valid for the entire day they are purchased. (There is also a free commuter taxi that jumps straight across the harbor.) The free Charm City Circulator (410-545-1956) buses travel four routes in the central business district. You can get all the information you need from Visit Baltimore (877-BALTIMORE), which sells discounted passes to some of the city’s most popular attractions.
The Inner Harbor is a good place to start. The National Aquarium (501 E. Pratt St.; 410-576-3800) is always a pleasure — from its tropical rainforest to its Australia Wild Extremes exhibit. The children (and you) can touch jellyfish and stingray at the Living Seashore exhibit and come face to face with sharks and other Pacific sea life in the Blacktip Reef exhibit. All aquarium tickets are timed; buy them online before your visit to save a lot of time and hassle.
The Maryland Science Center (601 Light St.; 410-685-2370) is another great family attraction. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the Davis Planetarium and the IMAX Theater for 3D features or take part in some of the exhibits designed for the kids in your crew.
Nearby is the USS Constellation. Built in 1854, the 186-foot ship was the U.S. Navy’s last all-sail vessel. Historic Ships in Baltimore (410-539-1797), which owns Constellation, also sells tickets to the World War II submarine USS Torsk, the lightship Chesapeake, and the Coast Guard cutter Taney (pronounced “tay-nie”), named for 19th-century U.S. Chief Justice Roger Taney (inexplicably pronounced “tawny”), as well as the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, a screwpile-style navigation aid built in 1855 that for 133 years stood at the harbor’s mouth.
Baltimore is a music town — jazz, classical, funk, rock, hip-hop, whatever — and you can hear it all over the place, including at the iconic amphitheater Pier Six Pavilion (731 Eastern Ave.; 410-547-7200). If you’re young, like rowdy crowds and want to dance all night, head to Power Plant Live! (34 Market Place; 410-908-0650). The huge building has a slew of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. The Rams Head Live! (20 Market Place; 410-244-1131) is the big-act musical venue.
Baseball fans should be sure to check out the Orioles’ schedule to see if there’s a game at Camden Yards (333 W. Camden St.; 410-685-9800), a 15-minute walk from Inner Harbor.
South of Inner Harbor at the base of Federal Hill you’ll see the fabulous American Visionary Art Museum (800 Key Highway; 410-244-1900); look for the four-story whirligig in the center of its outdoor Sculpture Plaza. This nationally acclaimed museum is dedicated to artists with no formal training, who create extraordinary works that are wild, joyful and thought-provoking. Federal Hill itself is a destination, with plenty of local shops, eateries, pubs and musical venues. Stroll through the neighborhood of tree-lined streets and restored, Federal-style townhouses.
Just south of the Inner Harbor near Harborview Marina, the Baltimore Museum of Industry (1415 Key Highway; 410-727-4808), located in an old cannery with hands-on exhibits, lets you explore the businesses that made Baltimore an industrial giant. Exhibits include a print shop (an eye-opener for the digital-age generation), a garment loft with rows of treadle-sewing machines and a machine tool shop.
Baltimore has many other museums, such as the B&O Railroad Museum (901 W. Pratt St.; 410-752-2490) near Pigtown, the Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive; 443-573-1700) with Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen (410-889-3399) over near Johns Hopkins University (3400 N. Charles St.; 410-516-8000), and The Walters Art Museum (600 N. Charles St.; 410-547-9000). Both have free general admission, although some exhibits may have an entry fee. You’ll want to call a taxi to get to these places.
If you tire of the well-trodden tourist paths, head to the intriguing neighborhood at Fells Point, a National Historic District east of the Inner Harbor founded in 1763. Between 1784 and 1821, some 800 ships were built here. Broadway Market opened in the 1700s. Today, it’s a refurbished vendors’ hall boasting fresh fish and produce, Polish specialties and other local culinary offerings. Prized for its pubs and pints, Fells Point is a funky blend of restaurants, shops and homes set among cobblestone streets.
You can also pull into Port Covington Marina (410-775-8856) to be near the evolving Baltimore Peninsula neighborhood that we mentioned earlier. Stimulating the revival is Sagamore Spirit Distillery (301 E. Cromwell St.; (410-624-7488), where you can take a tour and sample some fantastic whiskey. Ask the marina staff what’s new and what can’t be missed in the area.
Restaurants and Provisions
It’s a good thing you’ll do lots of walking, because there’s plenty of great eating to be had (and maybe plenty of drinking on tap). Your first step: Pick a neighborhood.
Let’s start at Fells Point, where the choices are many. For a pub that serves breakfast with a bottomless drink option and considers soccer a religion, the place to go is Sláinte Irish Pub & Restaurant (1700 Thames St.; 410-563-6600). Next door is Kooper’s Tavern (410-563-5423) with a harbor view and classic American dishes. Across the street in the impressive Sagamore Pendry, the Rec Pier Chop House (443-552-1300) serves classic Italian fare.
Duda’s Tavern (1600 Thames St.; 410-276-9719), the oldest family establishment in Fells Point, is a good beer pub that was established by the owner’s grandparents. Max’s Taphouse (737 S. Broadway; 410-675-6297), meanwhile, takes it to extremes with over 1,500 different brews, more than 100 on draft. They also have a huge selection of bourbons, plus a full bar.
Pub crawlers love Fells Point’s Thames Street. From west to east: The Horse You Came In On Saloon (1626 Thames St.; 410-327-8111), The Waterfront Hotel (1710 Thames St.; 410-537-5055), Cat’s Eye Pub (1730 Thames St.; 410-276-9866) and The Point in Fells (1738 Thames St.; 410-327-7264). All are within stumbling distance of each other.
You can’t talk food in Baltimore without mentioning Little Italy, which sits cozily between Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. Amongst the two-and three-story red brick homes you’ll find more than two dozen classic Italian restaurants and bakeries, most along Albemarle and High streets, between Fleet and Pratt. Amicci's of Little Italy (231 S. High St.; 410-528-1096) is a must-see landmark with interesting paintings and posters spread throughout its multiple dining rooms — and a wooden Baltimore Orioles baseball scoreboard at the bar. Alluringly colorful, the vibrant Cafe Gia Ristorante (410 High St.; 410-685-6727) beckons at the corner of Eastern and High streets. A two-level establishment with outdoor seating on the upper balcony — rare for this area — it features dishes from both Northern and Southern Italy. Perhaps the best-known restaurant in the neighborhood is Sabatino’s (901 Fawn St.; 410-727-2667). Back in the day when Andre the Giant and Bruno Sammartino ruled the wrestling ring at the old Baltimore Arena, they would end up here after their bouts, and it’s not unusual to find today’s pro athletes from the Orioles and Ravens dropping by.
In Federal Hill, you have loads of eateries and bars to check out around Charles, Cross and Light streets — Thai, Japanese, contemporary American, modern Southern and more. For example, trek to Blue Agave (1032 Light St.; 410-576-3938) for diverse Mexican cuisine. Over near Harborview Marina, don’t miss Little Havana (1325 Key Highway; 410-837-9903) on the water with outstanding Cuban specialties. The Cross Street Market, running the entire block between Light and Charles streets, is a provisioning mecca where the vendors include butchers, bakers, fishmongers and fromagers. We did not see a candlestick maker ... rub-a-dub-dub.
If you want to stay within the Inner Harbor, try Phillips Seafood Restaurant (601 E. Pratt St.; 410-685-6600), famed for more than 30 years for all things crab. It’s right at the City of Baltimore’s Pier 4. A half-mile to the west, Pratt Street Ale House (206 W. Pratt St.; 410-244-8900) is known for its excellent selection of beers as well as its food. The Rusty Scupper (402 Key Highway; 410-727-3678) is a solid waterfront standby at Inner Harbor Marina.
For charts and marine gifts, navigate over to Maryland Nautical Sales (1400 E. Clement St.; 410-752-4268), which is in the Locust Point neighborhood southeast of the Inner Harbor. It’s basically on the land route to and from Fort McHenry. This local resource is one of the country’s largest chart suppliers. Be sure to ask them for the Maptech discount.
