Family vacation in/around Baltimore MD?

[busy mom]

Our family is looking for a new vacation spot in the Baltimore area? Any ideas? We would be flying into Baltimore and renting a car, but don't want to drive more than an hour or so to our destination.

 

[gwtw428]

My sister lives in Baltimore. She said the Aquarium there is amazing. Also close to DC and Smithsonian Institute. You can take Metro from Baltimore into DC. And museums are mostly free! Also close to National Zoo which is free too!
Lots of great restaurants too! And basic ones...Cracker BArrel, Bob Evans, Dennys etc!

 

[dgbg100106]

@Busy Mom there are a bunch of things to do near Baltimore.

The Star Spangled Banner was written right in the harbor out from Ft. McHenry, it is a beautiful fort with TONS of history and you can go all through the fort.

There is the Babe Ruth Museum, right down from Camden Yards baseball park, M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens play. (both stadiums offer tours of the parks).

Fells point and Little Italy are great places to visit.

There is a ton of civil war trails around. There is also a free bus that will take you all around Baltimore.

Then you can also go to Port Discovery, it is a huge indoor play/learning area for kids (and grownups) They have a 4 story jungle gym inside with rope bridges and slides, the adults play on this also.

As was also mentioned there is a metro system to DC, a world of things in DC.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm a HUGE fan of National Parks, especially when it comes to budget-friendly vacation ideas!

Fort McHenry is close to Baltimore http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
I think it could be a great addition to fun things to visit in Baltimore.

Baltimore also has a great Science museum
http://www.mdsci.org/ and a Children's museum (I haven't personally been there yet! Planning on it soon!) http://www.portdiscovery.org/#home

Also, Baltimore isn't terribly far from Philadelphia, tons of stuff there!

 

[vicki_c]

Annapolis! (since I live there). Only about 40 minutes away, depending on traffic, but it's not usually too bad unless there's a big event in Annapolis (like the boat show).

You can take a tour of the Naval Academy, among numerous other tours. It's a great place to sightsee and shop.

 

[kandt]

Just wanted to clarify... You cannot take the Metro from Baltimore to DC. You can use a train system called MARC from Baltimore (and BWI), and that connects to DC's Metro. Just keep in mind that MARC doesn't run on the weekends. My kids love Port Discovery in Baltimore!

 

[dgbg100106]

Annapolis is a beautiful city built all around the water, there are some great shops and eats. The naval academy is wonderful and don't forget John Paul's tomb.

Try the baltimorefunguide.com for some ideas.

 

[dgbg100106]

If you will be here around April 10th this is always fun...
http://www.fellspointdevelopment.com/privateerday.html

 

[Tiana]

.