Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

I'm going the weekend of August 21-24 and I was wondering what is good to do/places to eat, etc. The Yankees are in town that weekend and I haven't been to Camden Yards, so that may be something for a Friday night.

We are staying in the Marriott at the Inner Harbor, which overlooks both Ravens Stadium and Camden Yards.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

Been to Camden Yards for a game when I was staying in Washington DC. You really need to go to see an Orioles game to experience the park. Really cool park with the "train station" building beyond RF. They also have little plaques beyond RF marking where the farthest HRs hit there have landed. Also brought chills to me while there when thinking of the 2,131 game by Cal Ripken Jr. and seeing the building where the game number was located.

There is also a Babe Ruth museum near the ballpark that is supposedly located near the spot where the Babe was born or raised.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

If you enjoy great BBQ, you have to get to Boog's which is near the RF corner of Camden Yards. I can't remember if it's in the park, or just outside. Regardless, if you enjoy great BBQ and don't go, that's a criminal act.

Plenty of great places to eat in the Inner Harbor.

Also, if you're into aquariums, Baltimore has a great one.

That's it off the top of my head.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

Baltimore is known as "Monumental City".

I would want to go see as many of the Bronze statues that they have, including that of Francis Scott Keyes, who wrote the "Star Spangled Banner".

It keeps you outdoors, you see the City, and you get entrenched with History.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

No trip to Baltimore is complete without visiting Ft. McHenry.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

If you like trains and railroads the B & O Museum is well worth your time. IIRC it's close to the Inner Harbor.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

I have family that lives near Baltimore so I'm pretty familar with the Inner Harbor.

If you like seafood or more specifically crabs, Baltimore is known for their crabcakes. You can find multiple places at the Inner Harbor that makes them.

I would also recommend going to the National Aquarium too. It's tremendous! The dolphin show is worth it but be prepared to spend a few hours there.

The Inner Harbor is also home to an ESPNZone. I've only visited the gift shop so I can't give any insight on the food or atmosphere.

Here's a link to a list of more attractions in Baltimore - http://baltimore.org/attractions/

More specifically:

Babe Ruth Museum
B&O Railroad
Fort McHenry
HarborPlace
Maryland Science Center
National Aquarium
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

I went to Baltimore last fall and it was one of the most fun trips I've taken in a while. I really enjoyed the city and would love to go back! :) Definitely go down to the Inner Harbor right along the water because there are tons of shops and places to visit there. The Aquarium is also there along with the Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone (the food is really good and the atmosphere in there is perfect for sports fans), and other restaurants. We also ate at a really good place that had pizza and stuff like that but I'm drawing a blank on the name of the place. It was in the Harbor. If you have time I would try to do the tour of Camden Yards because you get to see the ballpark in a very different way and you also learn a lot about the history of the stadium and the Orioles (and it's only like $7). We did that when we were there and it was a lot of fun. Camden Yards is such a beautiful ballpark (I think Great American was modeled after it) and I hope you're able to take in a game there because it's a LOT of fun. They just got new HD screens for the ballpark too which look pretty cool, especially compared to the old ones I saw last year which looked like they were older than me, LOL :laugh:

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

If you like seafood, The Rusty Scupper is a real nice place to eat. It is on the Inner Harbor and has great food and great views. If you are into Italian food, go to Little Italy. When we lived in Virginia, we always loved going to Baltimore to take in a game, go to the Aquarium, which I recommend highly, and just hanging out at the Inner Harbor. Great place to visit. Camden Yards is top notch.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

Spent my freshman year at Georgetown in DC and went to Camden a few times to watch the Os. One of my favorite ballparks around. As mentioned, hit up Boogs in right field just amazing barbeque. Just a beautiful ballpark. Look for the plaque on the warehouse where Griffey hit in home run derby some years back and take in the scene.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

There's a guy who rides the bus with me who has earned a place in that museum.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

I went there to visit friends last year. The coolest thing we did was get a big order of crabs. They cook them whole in Old Bay or some similar crab boil seasoning and you get a hammer to help you with the claws. You have to crack them open yourself and get all the good stuff out. There's a real technique to it, but it's a lot of fun. It's definitely one of those dinners where, if you have time on your hands, you can just sit and drink beer and eat crabs all evening.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

It's a short drive for us, and we're looking at potentially moving there this fall, so I know a bit about the city.

90% of what you'll want to do is in the Inner Harbor/central city area. Plenty of good restaurants in the Harbor, but for my money I'd head down to Fells Point, Federal Hill or Canton Square and take in some Baltimore culture that is a bit less contrived.

For tourist-type things, they have (IMO) the best aquarium in the country down at the Inner Harbor. Also down there you can tour the USS Constitution, and the kids love the Maryland Science Center (also Port Discovery, a hands-on kids museum a few blocks away). The already mentioned B&O Railroad Museum is surprisingly interesting, but the National Museum of Dentistry is not for the squeemish.

Fort McHenry is worth touring, although aside from a few neighborhood places in Locust point there isn't much around it. Baltimore also has two fabulous art museums: the BMA and the Walters. Both are free, and both have wonderful collections.

For shopping and dining, the aformentioned Inner Harbor, Federal Hill (particularly around the Cross Street Market area), Fells Point and Canton are all top-notch. Mt. Vernon is older but has some wonderful (slightly more upscale) establishments and restaurants such as The Brewer's Art (highly recommended). Little Italy is an honest-to-God Italian enclave, with many Italian restaurants that range from "pretty good" to "mediocre".

Hope you enjoy your trip.

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

If you're up for a little drive, I recommend Mike's Crab House out by Annapolis.

http://www.mikescrabhouse.com/

Re: Anybody been to Baltimore?
 

Ahhh, yes. Pickin' crabs is great. One thing is for sure. You'll get drunk before you get full.