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Highlights of Baltimore
501 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-576-3800; TTY/TDD: 410-625-0720
Aquarium Website
Stroll past sharks just a few feet away in the Open Ocean exhibit. Amble through an Atlantic Coral Reef. Behold the exotic birds like yellow-headed Amazon parrots in the steamy Amazon River Forest. The aquarium, housed in two triangular, glass-topped buildings, is Maryland’s top attraction, drawing 1.6 million visitors a year – and with good reason: It’s among the best aquariums in the nation. Here, you’ll find more than 14,000 creatures like dolphins, seals, rays, tropical fish, seahorses, monkeys, piranhas and, of course, plenty of sharks. Follow the water cycle from a freshwater pond in Western Maryland through the tidal marsh, into the coastal beach and out into the deep of the Atlantic. Cross the covered bridge to the Marine Mammal Pavilion and watch the dolphins leap into the air and dazzle you with their antics at dolphin shows. The aquarium draws huge crowds, especially in summer, and sells tickets with timed entries. You can buy advance tickets at the aquarium or online.
Hours: Vary seasonally. April-October, Sun.-Thurs., Sat., entries 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri., entries 9-7
Admission: Adults, $17.50; children 3 to 11, $9.50; seniors (60 and over), $14.50 ; children under 3, free
 | | The Pratt Street pavilion overlooks the harbor. |
Pratt and Light Streets
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-332-4191
Harborplace Website
The twin glass pavilions of this festival marketplace helped transform downtown Baltimore into a model of urban renaissance more than two decades ago. Today, Harborplace remains the centerpiece of the bustling Inner Harbor. Each two-level pavilion features a vast array of shops and restaurants, from national chains to mom-and-pop kiosks selling handmade pottery to jewelry. Whatever your tastes, you'll find plenty to please your palate at the numerous restaurants, including the homegrown Phillips Seafood, and food stalls. Grab a place on the breezy balcony overlooking the harbor and the brick promenades. Just east of Harborplace, beneath a huge neon guitar on the roof, the Power Plant beckons with an ESPN Zone, a Barnes & Noble and a Hard Rock Café -- all inside a converted, steam-generating plant dating back more than a century. Power Plant Live, across Pratt Street, features restaurants and night spots.
 | | Gleeful children frolic at Port Discovery's KidWorks. |
35 Market Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-727-8120
Port Discovery Website
At this "kid-powered" museum just northeast of the Inner Harbor, kids climb, crawl, jump and slide through the three-story "urban treehouse." They travel back to the land of the Pyramids in "Adventure Expeditions," create their own digital music and movies at the "Kid Club" and use tools to invent all sorts of neat stuff at "R&D Dreamlab." The museum, inside an 80,000-square-foot former fish market, features exhibits created with help from Walt Disney Co. designers. Outside, the "HiFlyer" helium balloon with an enclosed gondola carries 20 to 25 passengers 450 up in the downtown sky, offering a panoramic view of the city.
Hours: Memorial Day-Labor Day, Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon-5
July and August, open Fridays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
October-May: Tues.-Sat., 10-5, Sunday, Noon-5.
Admission: Adults, $11; seniors, $10; children 3-12, $8.50; children under 3, free
 | | A visitor looks through the Clark Telescope. |
601 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-685-5225; TDD: 410-962-0223
Science Center Website
Explorers of all ages will find plenty to enchant them here. The Science Center boasts three floors of hands-on exhibits offering glimpses of everything from the workings of the human body to the far reaches of the universe. The 4,000-square-foot Outer Space Place, home to the Hubble Space Telescope National Visitor Center, features new discoveries from Hubble, including more than 120 high-resolution images. Do some star-gazing at the Crosby Ramsey Memorial Observatory, and check out "Asteroids in the Atrium," featuring models of a satellite and a giant stimulated asteroid. Beneath the 50-foot dome of the Davis Planetarium, hundreds of images and special effects blend with more than 8,500 starts in a journey deep into space. The popular IMAX Theater offers a wide-variety of shows with a you-are-there feel.
Hours: Sun., Noon-5 p.m.; Mon.-Fri., 10-5; Saturday, 10-6
(IMAX Theater open after regular hours for evening shows.)
Admission: Adults, $12, children 3-12, $8; seniors (60 and over), $11
(IMAX Theater tickets sold separately; prices vary.)
 | | Fort McHenry: birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner. |
East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-962-4290
Fort McHenry Website
The historic, star-shaped fort is best-known as the birthplace of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Marylander Francis Scott Key wrote the National Anthem as he watched the American flag still flying after British bombardment during the War of 1812. The fort has been restored to its pre-Civil War appearance, offers visitors close-up looks at the soldiers' barracks, powder magazine and quarters for officers and commanders as well as exhibits of historical and military memorabilia and an electric battle map. The fort also has served as a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and a U.S. Army General Hospital for returning veterans of World War I. Stop at the Visitor Center and watch the orientation film on the history of the fort.
Hours: May 31-Sept. 1, 8 a.m.-7:45 p.m. daily; Sept. 2-May 30, 8 a.m.-4:45 daily
Admission: Adults (17 and over), $5 (for seven-day pass); children 16 and under, free
 | | A sculpture reflects the sunlight in the BMA Garden. |
10 Art Museum Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218-3898
410/396-7100
BMA Website
The BMA is famous for its Cone Collection, assembled by two Baltimore sisters, and the museum's newly renovated Cone Wing displays more of the art than ever before. The collection showcases works by Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, van Gogh and Renoir as well as textiles, furniture, jewelry and African, Asian and Near Eastern art. Spanning three floors, the BMA's historic John Russell Pope Building features elegant installations of 18th- through 20th-century American painting and sculpture, decorative arts and period rooms from six Maryland historic houses. The West Wing for Contemporary Art includes works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. On nice days, stroll through the impressive outdoor sculpture garden.
Hours: Museum: Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m - 5 p.m.; Sat., Sun., 11 a.m - 6 p.m. (First Thursday of each month, 11-8)
The BMA Shop: Sunday, 11-6; Tues., Wed., 11-5; Thurs.- Sat., 11-8
Closed Monday, Tuesday, New Year's Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
Admission: Adults (19 and over), $7, seniors (65 and over), $5; college students, $7
(Admission is free the first Thursday of each month when the BMA features live performances, tours and talks, 5-8
 | | The Walters showcases 5,000 years of history. |
600 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-547-9000
Walters Website
The Walters Art Museum takes its name from two collectors, William and Henry Walters, who amassed most of the internationally renowned, 30,000-piece collection of world art that spans pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe and Asia. The museum shows civilization unfolding through the eyes of artists, showcasing treasures such as Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi, medieval ivories, Old Master paintings and Art Deco jewelry, illuminated manuscripts and rare books. Visitors are led through 5,000 years of history, through galleries designed to offer a glimpse of how the works would have been used and originally interpreted. The Walters is considered to have among the best collections in the nation of Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Byzantine, Ethiopian, and western medieval pieces. Highlights of the Ancient World section include mammoth statues of the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, Greek vases and sculpture and alabaster reliefs from the palace of Ashrnasirpal II, while the Baroque and Renaissance period sections beckon with masterpiece works by Lippi, Hugo Van der Goes, Raphael, , El Greco, Reni, Panini, plus decorative arts such as furniture and ceramics. European and American painters and sculptors enchant and enlighten, including Delacroix, Monet, Pissarro, Manet, and Alfred Jacob Miller. Other treasures include Limoges enamels, Sevres porcelains and Baroque ivories, Faberge Easter Eggs and jewelry by Tiffany and Lalique in the European art area. The Walters' largest building was renovated in 2001.
HoursTues.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed New Year's Day, July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.
Admission: Adults over 25, $8; adults under 25, $5; seniors, $6; college students, $5; children under 18, free
 | | The BMI print shop shows how it used to be done. |
1415 Key Highway
Inner Harbor South
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-727-4808
BMI Website
The Baltimore Museum of Industry offers a fascinating, hands-on journey through the heyday of the Industrial Revolution. The museum just south of the city's harbor highlights Maryland and Baltimore's roles in changing industry forever during the 21st Century. Exhibits transport visitors to the days when Baltimore thrived as one of the most important and busiest ports on the East Coast and in the nation. The museum houses the original 1865 Platt Oyster Cannery, the only surviving cannery building, and just outside, the coal-fired S.S. Baltimore, a National historic landmark. The steam tugboat has been restored by museum volunteers to become the last operating steam tugboat on the East Coast. Other transportation innovations include the 1937 Mini-Mariner, a flying prototype of the World War II flying boat bomber, restored by some of the same Baltimore-area workers who built it, a 1922 steam roller and a 1914 moving van. Turn back time with walks through recreations of an early dock and dockmaster's shed, an 1886 bank building, the 1910 Bunting Pharmacy, where Noxema was invented and the country's first gas company. Workshops have been recreated to show visitors the machining, printing, garment making and metalworking shops of yesteryear. The Maryland Milestone Wall features local innovations with worldwide reach, the world's first disposable bottle cap, the nation's first umbrella company, inventions of typesetting machines and modern radar.
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
(Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
Admission: Adults, $7; seniors(60 and over),$3.50; students, $5; family (two adults, three children), $23
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