Baltimore: Travel Tips for Families With Kids

Walking by the water

Also a big hit in the summer is the Inner Harbor. This vibrant retail and tourist area features a modern visitor center by the water, where you can plot the activities for your family. Watermark Cruises have several options including ‘Kids Cruise Free on Mondays" if your kids are eleven or under. This forty-five minute cruise is a great way to orient you to the harbor area and its attractions. They also have a ninety minute cruise or dinner cruise options that might fit your needs. Next up, walk the Inner Harbor shops and restaurants all the way to the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, where the whole family can climb the stairs into a real lighthouse for free! Inside learn what a lighthouse keeper’s life was like when this and other lighthouses dotted the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay before the advent of modern beacons took over.

A seafaring history

Historic Ships of Baltimore is another maritime attraction that is popular with families. Here you have a choice of four historic ships: USCG Taney, which is the last surviving ship from Pearl Harbor, USS Constellation, which is a historic sailing sloop, USS Torsk, a submarine and the LV116 Chesapeake, which is a floating lighthouse. All four have a story to tell and they offer a discount if you visit all four. For admittance prices for both adults and children see the website link below. If you and your little sailors want to get in on the nautical action, Urban Pirates is one of the goofiest, fun and wet activities in the area. This description is from their website to give you an idea of the fun:

‘With our lively crew, you will learn to talk, dance, and play games like a pirate, blast enemies with water cannons and navigate treacherous waters to discover vast treasures.’

Their season starts in April and runs into late October. Try the ‘Family Adventure Cruise’ where you sing songs, play games, and dress up like a pirate for a jolly good time. The cruise lasts for an hour and a half. Prices and more information can be found on their website listed below.

Where to eat near the aquarium

The National Aquarium is one of the most popular activities in Baltimore and is suitable for the whole family. Here you will find more fish, birds, reptiles and frogs than you can imagine. It’s easy to spend one to two hours going from tree to sea learning about this mind-blowing collection of finned, feathered and slimy critters. Kids love this place! When it is time to leave the aquarium you will find several dining options within a very short walk, including Dick’s Last Resort, Phillip’s Seafood in the Power Plant Building, or chef Bryan Voltaggio’s Family Meal, where items like shrimp and grits, meatloaf, fried chicken and more will soothe your empty bellies with down home cooking. There is also the Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gump Shrimp, McCormicks and Schmicks if you want a national chain-type option.

So many choices

Other notable attractions in the Charm City are Fort McHenry, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, B&O Railroad Museum, Visionary Art Museum, Washington Monument, Geppi’s, which is a tour through 250 years of American pop culture, Port Discovery Children’s Museum, and a walk through Patterson Park around the Pagoda and lakes. Kids like seeing the old canons and fortress walls of Fort McHenry and it’s a good place to let them run. Be advised they charge only if you go into the fort, while watching the video and walking the grounds are free. At the Visionary Art Museum there are several hands-on displays including the fart display, thoughtfully placed outside the men’s and women’s restrooms downstairs. If you want a place with a view, climb the 227 stairs to the top of the Washington Monument (for 6.65 USD). Here you will get a great view of the Mt Vernon neighborhood and the city of Baltimore.