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For Family Fun with Kids, Head to Baltimore, Hon
 | | courtesy of National Aquarium | | The National Aquarium lights up the Inner Harbor. |
Charm City. What a fitting moniker for Baltimore (or Bawlmer, if you're a native). The place that birthed Babe Ruth, H.L. Mencken and Cal Ripken is home to the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Orioles baseball and the Preakness (part of the Triple Crown). The flag that became the Star-Spangled Banner was stitched here. And, mid cannon fire in the harbor, Francis Scott Key penned a poem that would become our national anthem. One of the nation's busiest ports, Baltimore has world-class museums, a top symphony orchestra and a thriving theater scene. Colorful ethnic neighborhoods, immortalized in film by Barry Levinson, help to give Baltimore its unique character and charm. And let's not forget the city's reputation for fine dining, waterside crab houses and the best corned beef south of New York. Charm, indeed!
But Baltimore is not just for grown-ups. The city's charm rubs off on youngsters too. Sightseeing, shopping and dining opportunities (with kids' menus in most eateries), cruises and maritime tours, museums and ongoing entertainment cluster around a natural harbor on the Patapsco River. Known as the Inner Harbor, the area is extremely kid-friendly. One can park, then hoof it or board a water taxi to many attractions and neighborhoods, including colorful Fells Point and Little Italy. Further afield are two top kids attractions: the Baltimore Zoo and American Visionary Art Museum.
As a family destination, Baltimore is tough to beat. You could easily spend a week here with kids in tow. Lacking that luxury, you can cover a lot of ground in a day. To help you plan and make the most of your visit, I offer a sampling of Baltimore's top family attractions.
American Visionary Art Museum You have to see this place to believe the art in various media by those on society's fringe. The museum is curiously appealing to kids, probably because it is so unorthodox and irreverent. There's a "Big Kaboom!" celebration on July 4th and numerous other wacky, family activities throughout the year. The Joy America Cafe atop the museum has a kids' menu. (800 Key Highway, 410/244-1900. www.avam.org.)
Baltimore Maritime Museum A guided tour of the lightship Chesapeake and submarine USS Torsk gives kids an idea of how sailors live at sea. On the other side of Pier 5 and the National Aquarium is the 327-foot Coast Guard cutter Taney and 7-foot Knoll Lighthouse, which once marked the mouth of the Patapsco River.
(Pier 3, Inner Harbor, Pratt and Gay streets. 410/396-3453. www.baltimore.org.)
Baltimore Museum of Industry Youngsters learn by doing in this hands-on museum dedicated to the city's industrial history. A scaled-down cannery and assembly line in the former Platt Oyster Cannery invite kids to work hard for the money— brass tokens they can spend in the company store. (1415 Key Highway. 410/727-4808. www.charm.net/~bmi.).
 | | courtesy of National Aquarium | | Dolphin cavorts at Aquarium. |
Baltimore Zoo Kids come face to face with the natural world in this zoo dedicated to spreading the word about the interdependence of all living things. In the children's zoo, explore Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay by riding a pony, sliding down a silo, watching a cow-milking demonstration or climbing into an oriole's nest. A ride on the antique carousel or train is a must. Ask about special family activities and weekend events. (Druid Park Lake Drive, 410/366-LION. www.baltimorezoo.org.).
Ducks of Baltimore Board a pontoon-like vessel with wheels for a half-hour land tour of local sights, including Inner Harbor attractions and the other Washington Monument, then take the plunge for a 20-minute cruise (worth the price of admission, in my opinion.) for a duck's-eye view of the Inner Harbor. A licensed U.S.C.G. captain steers a steady course while imparting info about local history and points of interest. Ducks operates April through October. If the tour doesn't quack you up, let me know. (Corner of Conway and Light streets. 410-727-DUCK. www.baltimoreducks.com.)
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine On September 11, 1814, with the British firing on Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key penned what would become our national anthem. An orientation film and tour of the underground dungeons and gun collection cap a visit to this park-fortress with its spectacular setting on the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay. (End of East Fort Avenue. 410/563-3524. www.nps.gov/fomc).
Harborplace Baltimore’s top tourist draw at the Inner Harbor consists of the Light Street Pavilion (Food Hall, restaurants and shops), Pratt Street Pavilion (retail stores and more sit-down restaurants), and the Gallery (multi-story mall). Entertainment is free on the waterfront promenade. When you tire of shopping and eating, rent a paddle boat or embark on a harbor cruise. Find out about special events—rowing regattas, band concerts, crab races and such—at the Light Street information kiosk. (Pratt, Light and Calvert streets. 410/332-4191. www.harborplace.org.)
Maryland Science Center Learning is strictly hands-on with scores of exhibits kids can touch in their exploration of technology, physics, geology, biology and botany. They can let off steam on the jungle gym and slide in the Kids’ Room on the third floor. Allow time to catch a movie about the natural world on the five-story-high Imax screen. Or maybe you'd prefer to leave Earth completely behind in the Davis Planetarium. The carousel next to the center goes 'round weekends. (Inner Harbor, 601 Light St., at Key Highway. 410/685-5225. www.mdsci.org.)
National Aquarium The main Aquarium Pavilion has ring tanks full of tropical fish, rays and sharks and a spectacular re-creation of a South American Rain Forest. The Marine Mammal Pavilion features half-hour shows by Altlantic bottlenose dolphins—a must see! Even big kids like to get their hands wet in the Children's Cove touch pool. Ask about seal and shark feeding times. I urge you to visit early or late in the day. Weekends, weekdays between 11am and 3pm, and school holidays this place is packed. (Pier 3, 501 E. Pratt St., adjacent to Harborplace. 410/576-3800. www.aqua.org).
PassPort: Voyages of Discovery And now for something different. Part movie, part time travel, part history lesson, part thrill ride, this phenomenon (the first in the U.S.) was a hit from the get-go. Moving seats heighten the sensation of traveling through American history in "Time Travel America" and the world's oceans in "Oceanarium 2," with stops at the Great Barrier Reed and the Bermuda Triangle. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for an exciting ride. (Ernst & Young Building, Pier 4, 621 E. Pratt St. 410-468-0700. www.passportvoyages.com.)
 | | Courtesy Port Discovery | | Kids create art in Port Discovery studio. |
Port Discovery Drop your kids here, return a week later and they will not have missed you. (Tempting as it may sound, the museum is not in the childcare business.) Opportunities abound for toddlers to pre-teens to climb, jump, and explore at this high-tech kids' playhouse. Journey through the Peanuts gang's world in Good Grief! (through May 12, 2004). I urge you to arrive when it opens or two hours before it closes. A McDonald's is off the first-floor atrium. Step outside to a handful of restaurants at Market Place. (35 Market Place, at Lombard Street. 410/727-8120. www.portdiscovery.org.)
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and Museum
In this 1793 row house and a nearby malt house, Mary Pickersgill (not exactly a household name) pieced together the 30-by-42-foot flag that inspired Francis Scot Key to put pen to paper. Stroll down Pratt Street from the Inner Harbor to learn more about Miss Pickersgill and the flag in the adjacent museum with its Hands-On Children's Gallery. The flag window is the same size and colors as the original in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in D.C. (844 E. Pratt St., at Albemarle Street. 410/837-1793. www.flaghouse.org.)
U.S.S. Constellation The last navy ship powered entirely by sail, the U.S.S. Constellation was built in 1854 and retired in 1945. Cannon fire (all friendly) heralded its return to the Inner Harbor in 1999 after 3 years of rehab. The crew invites landlubbers to tour the majestic sloop of war and take part in special weekend activities. (Pier 1, Pratt and Light streets. 410-539-1797. www.natihistoricseaport.org.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Baltimore Convention and Visitor Association, 100 Light St 1-888-BALTIMORE. www.baltimore.org.
Special Events: 410/837-4636; www.baltimoreevents.org.
Water taxi: 410/536-3901 or 1/800-658-8947; www.thewatertaxi.com.
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Beth Rubin was spotted recently at Port Discovery with her grandchildren, Joshua and Jaymie. A 40-year Maryland resident, she is the author of Frommer's Washington, D.C. With Kids and Split Ends, a novel.
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