10 Family Friendly Things to do in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
On a whim we decided to take a family road trip yesterday up to Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is one of our favorite day trip options because there are so many family-friendly things to do while you are there!
Our favorite things to do in Baltimore include:
- National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – kids of all ages love it and you can go back over and over. I love the spiral descent from the rainforest down through the giant shark tanks the best. The kids always love the dolphin show, too.
- Maryland Science Center – we visited the science center yesterday to see the very cool Bodyworlds exhibit (not great for little ones or the easily queasy) since my 9 year old is fascinated by the body and wants to study medicine. The science center has an IMAX theater and tons of hands on science stations for the kids to experience.
- Port Discovery Children’s Museum – our kids are getting a bit old for the childrens’ museum now, but when they were younger we had to visit every time.
- Water taxi to Fort McHenry – the water taxi is a fun way to see the harbor and at Ft. McHenry kids can learn about the Battle of Baltimore and the role it played in our nation’s history.
- Plenty of museums! From Babe Ruth, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, the Baltimore Maritime Museum, Baltimore Public Works Museum, Fire Museum of Maryland, Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame, National Museum of Dentistry, Baltimore Museum of Art, to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, there is something for EVERYONE!
- Ride the Ducks – this fun, amphibious tour is the best way to get a family friendly overview of the Baltimore city and harbor.
- Take in a Baltimore Orioles or Baltimore Ravens game.
- Rent a pedal boat in the shape of a dragon and cruise around the Inner Harbor.
- There is a fabulous variety of great restaurants – many with outdoor seating. Our personal favorites – Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, Phillips Seafood, and the Cheesecake Factory.
- People watch and street entertainers. Just have a seat on the steps or have a picnic in one of the many grassy areas around the harbor and watch the people go by. There is an outdoor pavilion where you can usually find bands, comedians and group performances – especially on the weekends.
There is certainly more there to do, especially if you make it a 2-3 day trip rather than just a day like we usually do. If you have a favorite spot or family activity in Baltimore – let me know – I’ll add it to our list for next time.
Photo: my own
Get hands-on with pop culture at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum! A new exhibition is currently taking place until December 7 to take an up-close look at the characters that are popular today with toys that you can actually touch and play with in their Special Edition gallery. The future of pop culture collecting is out of the box and in your hands at GEM! If you are coming for a visit, take advantage of the limited time book a two night stay in one of Baltimore’s fabulous hotels, bed and breakfasts or inns and receive the third night FREE, between July 1 and September 1, 2008. Visit http://www.baltimore.org for details.
My best friend lives in Maryland and she loves it there. She says there is so much to do and much of it is free or of little cost.
Baltimore is running a cool promotion. Go to the site (http://baltimore.org/fall-deals), enter your location and average MPG into the site and you’ll receive free offers from restaurants, shops and attractions that will match what you’ll have to pay in gas to drive there.
For example, driving from NYC to Baltimore is about $49 round trip with an average MPG of 28. The site returned $48 in free coupons and offers.
There’s also some hotel packages that offer free perks like chocolates and roses or parking or even an extra free night.