Baltimore, MD Road Trips

Baltimore's long and rich history traces its earliest roots back to 1661, when David Jones became the first white person to settle within its city limits, but begins in earnest in 1729, when the colonial government joined the patchwork of small hamlets together into the Town of Baltimore. Quickly after incorporation, Baltimore grew into one of the largest cities and most important ports in what is now the United States, and during the American Revolution also briefly served as national capital. Perhaps the most well-known episode in the city's history is the historic Battle of Baltimore, which occurred during the War of 1812. Over the course of the battle, the British bombed Fort McHenry with rockets in a furious but ultimately futile attempt to invade, with a tattered but proud American flag flying defiantly over the fort all the while: a scene that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem he called "The Star-Spangled Banner", which would later be set to music as the U.S. national anthem. Baltimore's industrial importance took center stage as the 19th century wore on, thanks not only to the buzzing port but also the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the first one in the United States, an immensely important trade route to the American West that ran between Baltimore and the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. Baltimore's large black population has also played an important role in its history.

The Inner Harbor is the center of the city not only in the geographic but also in the tourist sense: it's a baffling, boisterous scene with plenty of eating and shopping, and often also live music by jazz groups, crooners, and the like. You'll hear Baltimoreans themselves scorn the Inner Harbor as a hypercommercialized tourist trap that's devoid of true local culture. While they have a point, the local perception is a bit of an exaggeration: prefab ambience or no, the harbor is a must-see attraction for visitors to Baltimore, not least because of the excellent museums and other attractions it offers. Highlights range from the Historic Ships in Baltimore (including the USS Constellation), the kid-friendly Maryland Science Center, the crowded and enormous National Aquarium, and the radically eccentric American Visionary Arts Museum. If you are into rail travel, be sure to visit the B&O Railroad Museum and the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. For being smack-dab in the middle of one of the most historic cities in the U.S., the Inner Harbor itself is oddly devoid of history. However, the one exception to that rule is a big one indeed: Fort McHenry, which lies across the harbor at the tip of Locust Point. It gained an iconic status in American history by successfully defending the Baltimore harbor from the British naval bombardment in the War of 1812, at which time Francis Scott Key was inspired by the tattered but still waving American flag on the fort to write the poem that would later become the national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner".

If there's one thing Baltimoreans love, it's sports — their tenacious loyalty to their local teams is remarkable even in the high-intensity world of American sports fanhood. That's especially true when it comes to Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles and the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Charm City's representatives in the big four leagues of U.S. pro sports. Both of these teams' home stadiums are situated within a few blocks of each other in South Baltimore, just a stone's throw from the Inner Harbor: Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, respectively. Baltimore has teams playing in a number of smaller sports leagues, as well: the aging CFG Bank Arena downtown plays host to both the Major Indoor Soccer League's Baltimore Blast and the Arena Football League's Baltimore Brigade, while the Baltimore Nighthawks play women's football at Art Modell Field, at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in East Baltimore. While college sports generally aren't anywhere near as big a deal on the East Coast as in the heartland, one major exception is worth noting: college lacrosse, which is more popular in Baltimore than perhaps any other American city. The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (one of the most successful, oldest, and best-known college lacrosse teams in the United States, with nine divisional championships to their name) and the Loyola Greyhounds (famous for their string of successful seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s) are the two big draws. Outside of team sports, Pimlico Race Course in West Baltimore is famous as the home of the Preakness Stakes.

A wide variety of dining options can be found in Baltimore, but no visit to Maryland is complete without a sampling of the local favorite: steamed crabs! During the summer harvest season (May to September), picking crabs or indulging in a crab feast is a popular way to spend the afternoon with family and friends. However, offseason, crab may be imported from as far away as Texas. Steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, and beer are popular side dishes. If steamed crabs are too adventurous, you should at least sample a crab cake, crab bisque, or vegetable crab soup. Then again, if crabs aren't adventurous enough, there is an impressive range of unique and offbeat local foods that most visitors never hear about, the preeminent among which is the Baltimore pit beef sandwich. An odd tradition born of the intersection of the American barbecue tradition with the culinary tastes of Baltimore's Polish immigrants, pit beef is slowly barbecued all day and night in a deep pit, then put on a kaiser roll with toppings of onions and horseradish to your liking (don't wuss out on the horseradish — it's an integral part of the experience). It's best served very rare. Unfortunately, pit beef can be hard to come by within the city limits. Your best best is probably Chaps, located next to an industrial area on the extreme east of the city. Vying for local fast-food preeminence is Baltimore lake trout. It's a bit of a misnomer: neither is it trout (it's whitefish) not does it come from a lake.

The two neighborhoods with the largest concentrations of drinking establishments and clubs are Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. Fells Point is the city's most popular district for both eating and drinking, located about a 15 minute walk or a short cab ride from downtown. Many bars in this area feature live music and most have excellent selections of Maryland and imported craft beers. Meanwhile, the Inner Harbor nightlife scene is centered on Powerplant Live!, a two-block area of nothing but bars, clubs and restaurants. It has an outdoor area featuring music and other events during good weather. This is the Inner Harbor at its most tourist-trappy — drinks and food are low-quality and overpriced — but even the hippest Baltimore hipsters will find themselves here every now and then for the free concerts. Other fine wining (or boozing) and dining neighborhoods include Canton Square, Mount Vernon, Federal Hill, Hampden, and the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. National Bohemian (affectionately known as "Natty Boh") is the popular local cheap beer. They are generally no more than $2-3 anywhere in Baltimore, and most places serve them in cans. The ever-rising wave of craft brewing has not passed by Baltimore. The city boasts dozens of local craft beers that can be found throughout the city (especially in Fells Point). Most craft breweries also operate their own tap rooms, welcoming visitors for a fresh pint and often a brewery tour.

The vast majority of visitors stay in the Inner Harbor, right by the main attractions. Few cities have such a well-defined tourist district, and it is therefore no surprise that nearly all the major hotels in the city are located there. Business travelers can certainly stay in the Inner Harbor and remain close to the central business district, and thus get better views from their rooms. But the most convenient business hotels, chain hotels all, are located downtown. The business district is not a very good location if you are looking for nightlife — after being duly creeped out by the emptiness of the downtown streets after dark, you'll only give up and head to the Harbor or Midtown anyway. Now if you prefer to stay in a quieter area, with more local character and better dining and nightlife options, you should look to Fells Point as the natural option. However, even further off the beaten path, you can find lovely bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels in Federal Hill, Midtown, or Canton. The Midtown hotels in particular benefit from good public transportation (a rarity in the city) to Downtown and the Inner Harbor. For those on a tighter budget, there's an HI hostel downtown, and several of the bed and breakfasts can also be a bargain.

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI IATA) is located about 10 miles from the city center and offers non-stop flights from just about every major airport in the United States, plus a handful of international flights. Car rental facilities are all centrally located together, away from the airport. To get there, take a free airport shuttle bus between the facility and the terminals. Plan an extra 10 to 15 minutes to get out of the airport. You have two options for getting from the airport to the city by public transit. Free shuttle to the BWI Amtrak/MARC station, where you can take either an Amtrak ($7–35 one way) or MARC commuter train ($6 one way) to Penn Station, a 15-minute ride. Light rail which departs directly from the terminal. The ride to the Inner Harbor is about 30 minutes and the fare is $2.00. Alternative airports in the region include Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA IATA), Washington Dulles International (IAD IATA), and Philadelphia International (PHL IATA). These are all significantly further from Baltimore than BWI, but may offer more flights or better fares. Baltimore is served by several Interstate highways: I-83 from Harrisburg and points north; I-70 from Pittsburgh and points west; and I-95, which parallels the coast from Maine to Florida, passing through most of the major Eastern Seaboard cities along the way. If arriving from the south, the I-395 spur from I-95 will take you right into the harbor area.

Public transportation in Baltimore is nothing spectacular. Fares to ride light rail, buses and subway are $2.00 each way, and $4.60 buys you a day pass that gets you unlimited rides on all three. You can buy a physical pass from any bus operator or vending machine at subway/light rail stations, or using the CharmPass app on your smartphone. As a general rule, the light rail system is far more useful for getting to the city than getting around within it. You may wish to park outside the city (for free!) and take the light rail in. The one useful section runs from Camden Yards up past Lexington Market to the Station North Arts District. There is a single-line subway which runs from Johns Hopkins Hospital, through downtown, and out to the northwest suburbs of Pikesville and Owings Mills. The subway does not pass many tourist destinations and is mostly used by commuters. To get around Baltimore on the cheap by public transport, especially outside of the harbor area, the MTA buses are the way to go (though you will sacrifice convenience). MTA puts out very handy interactive maps of the downtown and regional bus routes, so you can plan ahead. Buses, like all of Baltimore's public transit, are well patrolled and safe. Unlike the above three options, the Charm City Circulator is a city-run service. And unlike the above three options, the Circulator is free! Funded by parking taxes, several routes are now online: The Orange Route runs east-west between Harbor East and Hollins Market. The Purple Route runs north-south between Penn Station and Federal Hill.

Baltimore's reputation as a dangerous city was cemented internationally by the HBO series The Wire — a reputation that's not entirely unwarranted, but with which the average traveler should not get overly concerned. Most crime occurs between individuals that know each other, or in impoverished areas of the city, where tourists will have little reason to go. Few if any travelers will have any encounters with that isolated culture of drug and gang-related activity. Muggings are the crime for tourists to be concerned with. The areas of Baltimore that attract tourists are safe. You shouldn't worry when going to the opera, museums, aquarium, etc. The popular Inner Harbor area in particular is saturated with police day and night, as the city government relies heavily on this area to bring in locals and tourists and to generate tax revenue. Some areas just north of the waterfront (downtown above the Inner Harbor around Lexington Market, and around the big public housing projects just northeast of Little Italy) can get a little dodgy after dark, and even during the day sometimes. If you're parking your car on-street in the Charles Street entertainment district or even in Fells Point, don't leave anything — even trash — visible in your car, in order to deter smash-and-grab robberies. Generally, the worst annoyance for tourists and residents around downtown are the homeless and/or drug addicts, who ask for money. Most will leave you alone if they do or don't receive anything from you.