Get To Know Baltimore's Inner Harbor

America's Charm City

One of the best-kept secrets of the Washington DC area is its proximity to Baltimore and all that Charm City has to offer. Sure, you know about DC's Smithsonian museums, government establishments, and restaurants, but what's just a few short miles up 95? Here are some suggestions for a great day in the home of the Orioles and Ravens.

As long ago as the early eighteenth century, Baltimore's Inner Harbor was a bustling center of port trade and commerce. For the last 20 years, it has turned it's downtown area into a veritable feast for tourists. Start eating and shopping at Harborplace and The Gallery (www.harborplace.com) , which house 150 shops and stores, over 40 eateries, and a dozen sit down restaurants, including Phillip's Seafood and the Cheesecake Factory. Just a block away is the Power Plant complex, an entertainment center sporting the (first-ever) ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café, and Barnes and Noble. From every angle, you get a great view of the harbor itself. Docked along the promenade is the U.S.S. Constellation (www.constellation.org), originally launched from Baltimore in 1797. Tourists can get an insider's view of this historic ship, including the living quarters and battle decks.

You can't really go the Inner Harbor without paying a visit to the sea life at the National Aquarium in Baltimore (www.aqua.org). It's a good idea on a weekend to call ahead for tickets to avoid some of the lines. You'll be greeted even before you board the escalator up to the entrance by the seals, fed in their water home at regular intervals. In addition to the 10,000 creatures in their naturalistic exhibits, you can view a dolphin show and walk through the living rain forest.

On the other side of Harborplace is the Maryland Science Center (www.mdsci.org), a great place for kids and adults alike. Many of the exhibits are hands on, and temporary exhibits complement the Davis Planetarium and IMAX 3D five-story theater. The kids will also love Port Discovery, The Kid-Powered Museum (www.portdiscovery.org). It's a short tow-block walk from the Harbor, and was designed in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering. Kids can lay their hands on almost everything the three floors have to offer.

Although that's enough to exhaust even the most energetic visitor in one day, that's merely the tip of the iceberg of what Baltimore has to offer. Take a water taxi ($4.50 per day for unlimited riding www.thewatertaxi.com) over to historic Fells Point, the oldest maritime community in the country. (also consider starting in Fells Point, where there is an abundance of free street parking, and jump on the water taxi to the Harbor). Quaint shops and restaurants line the cobblestone streets, and a majority of the buildings are original structures, some dating back to the early 1700's. For a great crab cake, try John Steven, LTD (corner of Thames and Ann Streets www.johnstevenltd.com), or grab some authentic Mexican Food at Lista's (Brown's Wharf) and sit on the outside deck overlooking the water. If you like antiques, peruse the smaller dealers or head over to Fleet Street and Broadway to Another Period In Time, which houses over 40 antique dealers. On your way, take a walk through historic Broadway Market, which divides the east side of the street from the west. If you aren't full from lunch, grab a quick bite from one of the many local food vendors.

If art is your thing, there are plenty of small galleries in Fells Point featuring the work of local talents. You can also take the water taxi from either Fells Point or the Inner Harbor across to Key Highway and take in the exhibits at the American Visionary Arts Museum (www.avam.org). Nationally acclaimed, these six galleries offer works from intuitive and self-taught artists. The building itself is worth seeing: new architecture within a historic, elliptically-shaped industrial structure.

A little further uptown are the Walters Art Museum (www.thewalters.org) and Baltimore Museum of Art (www.artbma.org), both offering world-class permanent exhibits as well shows traveling from the likes of the Met and Museum of Modern Art in New York. Next to the Walters is the Contemporary Museum (www.contemporary.org). This is a relatively new home for the former "museum without walls," exhibits of contemporary art which showed at various locations.

If you'd like to combine some history with your aesthetic pleasures, check out the Maryland Historical Society, just a few blocks west of the Walters (www.mdhs.org). Here tourists can view, among other artifacts, the original Star Spangled Banner manuscript, penned by Francis Scott Key, and one of the East Coast's finest decorative arts collections.

Also next to the Walters, as you step out onto the original cobblestone street, is Mount Vernon Square, home of the Washington Monument (www.wam.umd.edu/~jlehnert/welcome.html). No, not the one spiking the DC skyline, but the first U.S. Heroic and Civic Monument. For just $2 you can climb to the top, but this isn't for the claustrophobic…it's one long continuous, narrow marble staircase. Once at the top, however, the 360-degree view of Charm City is well worth it. (just remember, you also have to go back down the staircase!) If you've seen the movie "Washington Square," you may recognize this quaint historic area where many of the scenes of the title neighborhood in New York were filmed.

In these times of fierce patriotism, even those that don't tout themselves as history buffs will want to take a short drive from the Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (www.nps.gov/fomc). This brick structure is not only the location where Francis Scott Key created the Star Spangled Banner, it's the fort that defended Baltimore harbor during the war of 1812. You can get a tour from Park Rangers, or just explore on your own. To round out your visit to this landmark, be sure to stop by the Star Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum, just a few blocks east of Harborplace. This was the late-eighteenth-century home of Mary Pickersgill, who crafted the flag which flew over Ft. McHenry and inspired Mr. Key to pen his famous tune.

If your appetite is calling, just a few blocks away is Little Italy, which has a authentic Italian restaurants for every palate and wallet. Sabatino's is a favorite of locals and tourists alike, and serves traditional food in a traditional setting. Down the block is Amici's, a more contemporary and casual joint, with both lighter food and lighter prices. Don't forget dessert: around the corner is Vaccaro's, which boasts monstrous portions of napoleon, eclaires, and gelato. You're likely to hear Old Blue Eyes singing out of the speakers, which makes you feel like you're really going out Italian.

There are many more sights to be seen in our fair city, including taking in an Oriole's game at Camden Yards, and seeing the museum set at the birthplace of Babe Ruth. On the other end of the spectrum, you can visit the grave of Edgar Allen Poe (hence the Super Bowl Champs Baltimore Ravens name www.eapoe.org). We have theaters featuring local and national shows, an art house showing up to eight movies in any given week (www.thecharles.com) , and restaurants of both local ethnic flavor and national acclaim. You are guaranteed to leave Baltimore happy and not hungry, and wanting to come back again soon! *for more tourist information, visit Baltimore.org*