Explore Baltimore

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a pioneer heart of port activity and the city itself, became a circa ‘70s stretch of decay as post-war shipping declined. Then came salvation with Harborplace, a three-acre retail and entertainment complex, restoring the Inner Harbor as an anchor for all things Baltimore. Touring often starts here with attractions including the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium, the U.S.S. Constellation, and the Pier Six Concert Pavilion. Nor has this tourist draw been lost on locals, who flock here for warm weather fun. In 1729, more than a half century after colonists first settled, Charles Street and Baltimore Street were laid out just above the Inner Harbor to form a business district intersection. Charles Street has great restaurants and several art galleries. About 10 blocks from downtown, the neighborhood of Mount Vernon has the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Walters Art Gallery, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and more good restaurants. Just above Mount Vernon is Bolton Hill, where novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald lived when Tender is the Night was published. The area is now home to the Maryland Institute College of Art, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and the University of Baltimore. Farther up Charles Street lies Charles Village, home of Johns Hopkins University. South of downtown, on the Inner Harbor’s other side, is Federal Hill, with restaurants, 19th century row homes, and the Cross Street Market. East of downtown is the restaurant haven of Little Italy, settled in the 1840s by immigrants seeking railroad work. Past Little Italy is Fells Point, where frigates known as Baltimore Clippers were launched, and where antique shops, restaurants, bars and coffeehouses now are big attractions. Just above Fells Point is Butchers Hill, farther north is Old Town, settled by German and Irish immigrants, and to the east is the revitalized Canton. North of Canton is Greek Town, also a restaurant haven. West of the Inner Harbor is Pigtown, originally a stockyard area and also home to the B & O Railroad Museum.

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