Admire the 10.5m (35ft) waterfall adorning the entrance and then marvel at marine and freshwater wildlife as well as crocodiles, poison dart frogs, puffins and lizards. You can touch stingrays, crabs and jellyfish, and come face to face with sharks. It can get busy so booking tickets online is recommended.
Things to see in Baltimore
Tourist offices
Address: 401 Light Street, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, 21202
Tel: +1 877 225 8466
Opening Hours:
Daily 0900-1800.
www.baltimore.orgThe city’s modern tourist office offers reservations, ticketing services and a wide selection of maps and brochures. It also has phone-charging points.
The Harbor Pass provides admission to the National Aquarium and the Top of the World Observation Level plus two additional attractions (various pass combinations are available covering different sights). It’s valid for four consecutive days. You can buy it from the Baltimore Visitor Centre, either in person, online or by phone.
The Main Building, with its shining mosaic walls, is acclaimed as an architectural jewel. The Tall Sculpture Barn accommodates towering sculptures, rotated on a regular basis. Popular permanent exhibits include a model of the Lusitania ship created from more than 193,000 toothpicks. The Giant Whirligig is a 17m (55ft) wind-powered outdoor installation.
A trail of 60 painted baseballs on the sidewalk leads from the Babe Ruth statue at Oriole Park to the home where baseball legend George Herman 'Babe' Ruth was born. Filled with baseball memorabilia (including his catcher's mitt, jersey and schooldays hymn book), it's a fitting tribute to the 'Sultan of Swat'.
The museum's vast collection includes the largest holding of Henri Matisse in the world. Masterpieces by Picasso, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Botticelli, Rembrandt and Van Dyck are also on show alongside examples of abstract expressionism and pop art. Sisters Etta and Claribel Cone's collection of textiles, jewellery, furniture and art has its own wing.
During the Battle of Baltimore, this star-shaped fort, built in 1803, was valiantly defended against the British, inspiring Frances Scott Key to pen the words of the US national anthem. The sprawling grounds still play host to military ceremonies and drills during the summer. Exhibits include historical and military artefacts, an electronic battle map and recreations of different historical buildings.
The museum chronicles slaves' ironwork, sail making, tobacco and caulking skills and goes on to look at sporting and entertainment achievements in modern times. The museum takes its name from Maryland-born and Harvard-educated lawyer Reginald F Lewis, who went on to become one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs.
This museum is on the site of the USA's first railway depot and station. You can spend all day perusing the huge assortment of locomotives and models, as well as railroad china and silver. From April to December (Thursday to Sunday) and on weekends in January, take a ride on the miniature steam locomotive.
Scientists of all ages can discover the ins and outs of dinosaurs, the human body, and life beyond earth through hands-on exhibits. A display on Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem features a gigantic mechanical blue crab, live terrapins and fish. The centre also contains an IMAX cinema and a planetarium, with presentations introducing you to the night sky.
Kids go wild for this fun and educational museum. Youngsters can burn off energy in 'Kidworks', a three-storey tree house built for climbing, crawling and swinging. 'Adventure Expeditions' offers a spooky recreation of ancient Egypt, where kids can search for a lost Pharaoh's tomb. Tot Trails lets toddlers dig for fossils, play with puppets and listen to stories.
Spanning 55 centuries of art, the Walters houses everything from Greek, Roman, Islamic and Egyptian artefacts to European Renaissance art and medieval armour. The sculpture court is designed as a copy of an Italian Genoan palace and the main entrance features a dramatic hanging staircase within a soaring glass atrium. Exhibits change regularly.
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