Outdoors
In 2008, Mayor Sheila Dixon founded Be Fit Baltimore, a citywide initiative offering a host of health and fitness events. Events include free line-dancing classes and hiking with a professional instructor. The Department of Recreation and Parks also sponsors a variety of free or low-cost events (many events cost only $1-3), like dance performances, nature center lectures, beauty pageants, and ice skating at the Mt. Pleasant Ice Arena. Check the website for event details.
Stroll along N. Howard Street, home to the oldest antique district in the United States. Some must-sees include the Anne Smith Antique and Toy Museum, with children's toys dating from 1800-1940, and the Imperial Half Bushel, which specializes in antique Maryland silver.
Escape the city and explore the 100-acre Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary, located just outside the city and home to 1,000-year-old bald cypress trees. The 100-acre nature sanctuary has a free nature center (which sometimes hosts events for a small fee) and picnic tables, so pack a picnic and some binoculars to look out for bluebirds or orioles, the Maryland state bird. The park is closed on Mondays.
Wander among Japanese maples, wildflowers, and lilies at the 207-acre Cylburn Arboretum. The arboretum's mansion, built in 1863, also houses original 19th-century tapestries and furnishings. The mansion is closed on weekends, though the grounds remain open from dawn to dusk year-round. The Arboretum also hosts free concerts and fairs, including Market Day each May, with plant sales, arts and crafts, and plenty of food.
Go on a ghost hunt at the Druid Hill Park, Baltimore's first large municipal park. In 1652, the Susquehannock Indians ceded the land to Lord Baltimore, and today the area features "the three sisters" (a trio of man-made ponds), fountains, and the "stairs to nowhere." If ghost hunts aren't your thing, explore some of the many monuments that exist throughout the park, including George Washington, Christopher Columbus, and Scottsman William Wallace. On a clear day, climb to the top of the Turkish Tower (located on the southeastern edge of the park's reservoir) for some of the best views of Baltimore.
For fantastic views of Charm City, head to Federal Hill Park. The Park—opened in 1879 and free to visitors—is named for the celebration of the ratification of the Constitution.
Discover where the Battle of Baltimore (1814) took place at Fort McHenry, often called the "birthplace of the National Anthem." It was this battle and the 1,000 men who defended the city that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the "Star-Spangled Banner." Watch the daily flag change at 9:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.; listen to living history interpreters; stop by the visitors center to pick up an activity worksheet for kids. Fort McHenry is open until 4:45 p.m. every day (7:45 p.m. in summer). Visiting the grounds is free to the public, but there is an admission charge to enter the fort.
Baltimore has several historic public markets that have been operating for over 100 years. Stroll Broadway Market for fresh seafood and pastries. Established in 1786, it's the oldest of the still-existing markets in the city. Or, walk from the Inner Harbor to Cross Street Market (1846) and admire the 19th-century homes in the Federal Hill neighborhood.
Patapsco Valley State Park offers 14,000 acres of recreational area along 32 miles of the Patapsco River. Go hiking, canoeing, camping, or take a picnic. Walk along a 300-foot suspension bridge, hike to Bloede's Dam (the world's first internally housed hydroelectric dam), and visit the Thomas Viaduct, the world's longest multiple-arched stone railroad bridge. Kids will also enjoy the two-acre tire playground. Stop by the visitors center—located in a 19th-century stone dwelling—which details 300 years of Patapsco River history and includes a replica of a 1930s forest warden's office.
