Joker Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Dds, 13 and 15, and I will have two days to spend in Baltimore in a few months while with dh on a business trip. We need things to do while he is working (8am-6pm). We will do DC together for a few days before we head to Baltimore. So, I'm looking for any recommendations on things to see and do with two teenage girls. Also, I'm looking for recommendations on things for us to see and do together in the evening. Places to eat, too? We will be staying in the Inner Harbor area. TIA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 We drove to the beach, nearby in Delaware. Rehoboth was its unusual name. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 The Maryland Science Center and Visionary Art Museum are cool. The National Aquarium is nice, if pricey (well, by my standards, anyway lol). Fell's Point is a cool neighborhood to walk around, and has plenty of restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Lots to do in the Inner Harbor area. The Science Center and the Aquarium are there. Lots of restaurants. Little Italy is within walking distance. You can take a water taxi to Fells Point - more restaurants there and cute area to walk around in - Sleepless in Seatle was filmed there where Megan whatsherface lived. There's an art museum - Walters Art Gallery with a child-size mummy there. That room also has interesting things for kids to see. The Baltimore Museum of Art also has kid activities. Ft. McHenry is close by (where the view inspired the Star Spangled Banner). Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Definitely hit the Walters and Baltimore Museum of Art as they are free. Check for times before you go as the Walters right now is only open ot hte public Wed-Sun. I second the recommendation for the American Visionary Art Museum (you can walk from Inner Harbor area). It is all art made by untrained artists and has some very interesting, unusual, and frankly weird and occasionally even disturbing art, but the great majority is really wonderful and not disturbing. IMO, the science center doesn't have much for kids in your age group. Aquarium is interesting, but very pricey. There are water taxis and foot paddle boats in the inner harbor itself. Yes to Fort McHenry. And BMA is not in downtown, it's next to the Hopkins undergraduate campus. Taxi or car needed. Sports fans? Camden Yards and Ravens stadium are right in downtown. Federal Hill is the neighborhood just south of inner harbor and has some interesting shops. Places of historical interest: Frederick Douglas house (in Fells Point), Poe gravesite near University of Maryland Hospital, Washington Monument. Consider: PUblic Works Museum (really-it is very interesting!), seeing Hopkins Hospital (like a city itself). One thing I am doing with my 13 yo soon is a buddy read of The Immortal Life of Henietta Lacks, then a tour of the places noted in the book like the huge statue of Jesus in the old front entry of Hopkins Hospital, Sparrows Point, and Turner Station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'd say the value of the aquarium would depend entirely whether or not you can easily visit any other aquarium, and what other aquariums you've visited. It is very expensive, IMO, and I'd only rank it as "OK". But I'm a bit of an aquarium snob, having had - previous to living near the National Aquarium - an annual membership at the Georgia Aquarium, which is easily the best aquarium in the US and often ranks 1st on world lists too... Depending on the time of year, the National Aquarium can be VERY crowded, and the design of the it doesn't really help with that. Also the "watch the dolphins swim in circles while listening to Enya-esqe music" exhibit is disappointing. There's the Historic Ships. Pricing is by the # of ships you want to visit. Sometimes you can get Groupons or similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 My family has enjoyed historic ships aquarium (no it's not the GA aquarium, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it) public works museum (I agree with the pp--interesting) Maryland Science center (I also agree with a pp--your girls are not the target audience and might not like this at all) We haven't done Fort McHenry, but are planning to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 For the ships (which we love to visit) the Constellation is in drydock until Feb. I would double check that closer to when you go to be sure that it's really in the harbor. http://www.historicships.org/dry-dock.html I believe you get to tour the submarine as part of the ships. I don't know about girls but my boys love touring the ships. The aquarium is pricey (unless you get a membership and use it a lot), but the boys love going there. It may not be the best in the world, but it's not bad. It can hold its own. We also love going to Walter's Art Museum and go there a few times a year. I'm not sure that it's in walking distance of the harbor. I think it might be a bit of a trek. I've only ever driven. It's near the harbor, but not directly at the harbor. We love it there because there are so many things from history in there. It's not just paintings. It's all artifacts from Egypt forward. Every era is represented. ETA: We were at the science center last month and it's iffy as to whether kids your daughter's ages would enjoy it. If it was free, sure, but I don't think I'd pay to take them there. There are other things that are more interesting to that age in Baltimore. Unless you want to go in the planetarium or see an IMAX show. That might change things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 i would have your dh check with whoever he is doing business with in Baltimore to see if they have passes to some of the places such as the Aquarium and Science Center. Where I used to work, and where dh works, they have passes for clients to use for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 One other thought: Baltimore has an excellent museum of African-American history, the Reginald Lewis Museum. Food in no particular order: -Attman's Deli-the real thing -Samos-excellent, fresh Greek food, not expensive -also Ikaros-nicer Greek restaurant -Joe Squared-great pizza -Go to the public market (Cross Street Market) in Federal Hill or Lexington market for yummy food from stalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftymama Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 The Maryland Science Center. My kids want to move back there just so we can go back. Fort McHenry is right there if you have any interest in it. My kids enjoyed it. Everyone seems to rave about the aquarium but we never went. I found it to be expensive and we couldn't take a stroller so there was no way for me to do it at the time. The boats. My kids especially loved the submarine. I think there are four total you can tour. I know Baltimore has more to offer for slightly older kids like yours, but I didn't look into those as we weren't there yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Agreeing with the great ideas above. Did anyone mention the Betsy Ross house? it is s short walk from inner harbor. The World Trade Center Has great views and is right at inner harbor. We also enjoyed the cathedral, nice intro to MD history as a Catholic colony. Concerts at night if you like classical music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 We also love going to Walter's Art Museum and go there a few times a year. I'm not sure that it's in walking distance of the harbor. I think it might be a bit of a trek. I've only ever driven. It's near the harbor, but not directly at the harbor. We love it there because there are so many things from history in there. It's not just paintings. It's all artifacts from Egypt forward. Every era is represented. We love the Walters and have often parked near there and walked to the harbor -- it's not far at all. Near the Walters are the Maryland Historical Society, which has a museum that sometimes has interesting exhibits (it has a GREAT children's room, but your kids are too old for that) and the Peabody Library -- the Hopkins rare book library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 The science center will not interest a 13 and 15 year old, imo. We have a membership- the 2 year old loves it. The 10 year old is starting to get bored. I think it's kind of a joke compared to other science centers I have been to. The aquarium is nice (we always go for free though). I think I would be ok paying for it, for 3 people. The new reef exhibit is pretty and we love watching the archerfish demo in the Australia exhibit. Definitely go to Walters Art Museum- and maybe walk down to Enoch Pratt Library. The flag house is neat. Take the water taxi over to Ft. McHenry, and then to Fells Point. *PLEASE* listen to me when I tell you- you WANT to eat at The Blue Moon Cafe and the Thames St. Oyster House. At the Blue Moon- someone needs to order the captain crunch french toast. Trust me. If your girls like trains, the B&O train museum is cool- if not, don't bother. They might enjoy seeing the Baltimore Museum of Industry. ETA- the public works museum has been closed for 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Agreeing with the great ideas above. Did anyone mention the Betsy Ross house? it is s short walk from inner harbor. The World Trade Center Has great views and is right at inner harbor. We also enjoyed the cathedral, nice intro to MD history as a Catholic colony. Concerts at night if you like classical music. The Betsy Ross house is in Philadelphia. Betsy Ross is thought to have made the first American flag, ever. The Flag House (of Star Spangled Banner fame) is in Baltimore, and it is associated with Mary Pickersgill who made the giant flag that flew over Ft. McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 (end of War of 1812) that was seen by Francis Scott Key, who then penned the poem that became our national anthem :) Not to sound like a know it all, but we just celebrated the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and went to all these places, and learned a lot :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Agreeing with the great ideas above. Did anyone mention the Betsy Ross house? it is s short walk from inner harbor. The World Trade Center Has great views and is right at inner harbor. We also enjoyed the cathedral, nice intro to MD history as a Catholic colony. Concerts at night if you like classical music. Ah yes! This cathedral http://americasfirstcathedral.org We went there and it was really nice. Not the biggest you'll ever see, but the tour guide was chock full of information and clearly loved his cathedral. It's the first cathedral built, it was started relatively shortly after America became a nation. Until that time Catholics were not given full freedom of religion, so building a cathedral in the New World at that time was a HUGE testament to the faith they put in our nation to allow freedom of religion. We all got little chills when he explained it to us like that. (We're not Catholic, but we are firm believers in freedom of religion! Go America!) It's in easy walking distance from the Walter's Art Gallery and is directly across from Pratt library which is NOT the peabody library someone else mentioned above. The day we went to the Pratt library it was cold and rainy and a lot of people were using the library as a shelter so it was actually kind of sad to us. My kids aren't used to homeless people (we live an hour from Baltimore) and when one guy who clearly had some mental issues started loudly calling to me across the lobby and asking me questions and started to follow us, it scared them. I rolled with it because I'm used to it from growing up near Baltimore, but they were a little freaked out. The peabody library looks amazing, though I've never been. http://peabodyevents.library.jhu.edu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 The Betsy Ross house is in Philadelphia. Betsy Ross is thought to have made the first American flag, ever. The Flag House (of Star Spangled Banner fame) is in Baltimore, and it is associated with Mary Pickersgill who made the giant flag that flew over Ft. McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 (end of War of 1812) that was seen by Francis Scott Key, who then penned the poem that became our national anthem :) Not to sound like a know it all, but we just celebrated the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and went to all these places, and learned a lot :) Thank you for the correction. We have actually been to both the Betsy Ross House in Philly and the Flag House in Baltimore. In fact we stayed in an unbelievably fabulous bed and breakfast on the same block as the Flag House. Clearly, I need help, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 O's game Aquarium Zoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 It's in easy walking distance from the Walter's Art Gallery and is directly across from Pratt library which is NOT the peabody library someone else mentioned above. The day we went to the Pratt library it was cold and rainy and a lot of people were using the library as a shelter so it was actually kind of sad to us. My kids aren't used to homeless people (we live an hour from Baltimore) and when one guy who clearly had some mental issues started loudly calling to me across the lobby and asking me questions and started to follow us, it scared them. I rolled with it because I'm used to it from growing up near Baltimore, but they were a little freaked out. The peabody library looks amazing, though I've never been. http://peabodyevents.library.jhu.edu The Peabody Library isn't directly across the street from the Walters, but it's not far. It's across the square and maybe half a block down. I went to JHU and we'd take the shuttle down from Homewood and walk around that area all the time. Everything is close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Ah yes! This cathedral http://americasfirstcathedral.org We went there and it was really nice. Not the biggest you'll ever see, but the tour guide was chock full of information and clearly loved his cathedral. It's the first cathedral built, it was started relatively shortly after America became a nation. Until that time Catholics were not given full freedom of religion, so building a cathedral in the New World at that time was a HUGE testament to the faith they put in our nation to allow freedom of religion. We all got little chills when he explained it to us like that. (We're not Catholic, but we are firm believers in freedom of religion! Go America!) It's in easy walking distance from the Walter's Art Gallery and is directly across from Pratt library which is NOT the peabody library someone else mentioned above. The day we went to the Pratt library it was cold and rainy and a lot of people were using the library as a shelter so it was actually kind of sad to us. My kids aren't used to homeless people (we live an hour from Baltimore) and when one guy who clearly had some mental issues started loudly calling to me across the lobby and asking me questions and started to follow us, it scared them. I rolled with it because I'm used to it from growing up near Baltimore, but they were a little freaked out. The peabody library looks amazing, though I've never been. http://peabodyevents.library.jhu.edu A bit off topic. This is interesting and is going to cause me to Google for a bit in a minute. I thought the St. Augustine cathedral was the oldest? Also, thank you everyone for the suggestions! I'm getting excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Don't come. We're having an ice age. Save yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 A bit off topic. This is interesting and is going to cause me to Google for a bit in a minute. I thought the St. Augustine cathedral was the oldest? Also, thank you everyone for the suggestions! I'm getting excited! Hmm...now I have to look, too! Ok--it says here that the one in Balto is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral. Maybe that's the key? That it's a Roman Catholic one? Baltimore cited as the oldest here: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_National_Shrine_of_the_Assumption_of_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary But the St Augustine one sure looks pretty old according to this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Basilica_of_St._Augustine It tells us St. Augustine was the oldest parish. Perhaps it's a matter of when each cathedral was finished? Or started? Or maybe one wasn't a "cathedral" until later than the other? Isn't a church called a cathedral if a bishop is stationed there? It's not necessarily the size of the building, but who is the leader of the church, if memory from the tour serves me right. Well, either way it's a nice church building and the tour guy certainly loved his cathedral. He's a member of the congregation. It was painted a sunny yellow inside and I thought, "Oh, what a shame that they painted it this modern color," but he said that the color that it is now is the original color. Not the original paint, because it had been painted over, but they restored it to the original color. I guess I picture the past as being more grey and black and white than nowadays. They sure had a sunny, happy cathedral in Baltimore back in the 1800s. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 You're coming in a few months? Too bad you won't be here on March 12. Some of us WTMers are going to meet in person about an hour north of Balto. You could have come to see us! Your daughters would have been bored out of their minds meeting us, of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 In fact we stayed in an unbelievably fabulous bed and breakfast on the same block as the Flag House. Clearly, I need help, lol. Oh, no you don't. We must know the name of said B & B. Please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My ds (15) could not be kept away from Camden Yards. If I were staying close enough, I couldn't either. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Don't come. We're having an ice age. Save yourself. It sure was a terrific month to go south, no? We lucked out! And if we're "lucky" we might get an extended trip as it seems there's yet another storm next weekend. We do have to be back by the 12th though. I can't miss that! And if we don't make it back by the 7th, I'll need to enlist someone to pick up middle son at BWI... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Best, most fantastic site for families who are traveling: FamilyVacationCritic.com. Just click in Baltimore, MD and great info. will come up! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Not to sound like a know it all, but we just celebrated the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and went to all these places, and learned a lot :) I think you should reread all your posts on this thread and consider changing your screen name to "buzzkill." "Lifeoftheparty" would sent them to the Papermoon Diner anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I think you should reread all your posts on this thread and consider changing your screen name to "buzzkill." "Lifeoftheparty" would sent them to the Papermoon Diner anyway. Sorry :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Sorry :( Bring wine and chocolate and this whole scandal goes away. Shhhhh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Oh, no you don't. We must know the name of said B & B. Please? Oh, happy to share. We stayed at the 1840's Carrollton Inn, just a few blocks from the Inner Harbor. One of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at. The owners have a complex of buildings, once owned by John Carroll, longest surviving signer of the Declaration of Indepencence. The B & B has wonderful rooms and suites -- the pictures on the website are accurate. Sumptuous fabrics, antique furniture, beds with mattresses so thick you needed a stool to climb up, bathrooms with spa style toiletries. Breakfast was ordered the night before, iirc, and cooked to order. Delicious food, served on a white table-clothed table in a pretty dining room. There were also courtyards and gardens. The complex is also used for weddings, but between weddings, it is quiet. The staff was super friendly and helpful. The prices are high, but if you check your dates, you can go when they have specials. We got the John Carroll suite for the same price as a room in one of the big hotels on the Harbor, when we went during the week in summer. We had a king sized canopy bed in the bedroom and a double whirlpool tub in the bathroom. Imo, it is worth planning a trip to coincide with the special rates. Oh, parking in an empty lot next door is free, or you can go a block away to an inexpensive garage, which is what we did. http://www.1840scarrolltoninn.com/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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