Baltimore City Heritage Area

 

No city has played the many unique roles of Baltimore—it is a brave defender of the new nation in the War of 1812; a diverse mixing bowl which supported the rise in freedom and prosperity of generations of African-Americans and nurtured giants like Frederick Douglass and Thurgood Marshall; a bustling port of immigration, industrialization, and gateway to the American west on the National Pike and the B&O, the nation’s first railroad; and a bold inventor and re-inventor of new solutions to living, working, and playing on the shores of the Chesapeake, from charming rowhouse neighborhoods arrayed on gentle hills, to the “speedy deviltry” of the Baltimore Clipper, to icons of urban reinvention such as Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor. The distinctive inheritance from the past is evident in the city’s remarkable historic neighborhoods and buildings, more than 50,000 of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places  and mapped —far more than any other city in the country.

 

Authentic Baltimore experiences range from the finest “high culture” institutions and living environments in the world—like those in the Mount Vernon Cultural District-- to some of the most authentically engaging everyday neighborhoods and homegrown traditions—like those to be found in raffish Fells Point. The Authentic Baltimore logo will help you identify the sites, services, and events that authentically convey the city’s rich cultural heritage.

 

Best of all, the attractions of the Baltimore City Heritage Area are linked and accessible by foot, bicycle, car, water-taxi, numerous tour guide operators, land-based public transportation system, and a growing system of marked, interpreted trails. Visit the website of the Baltimore Area and Convention and Visitors Association or the Visitor Center at 401 Light Street at the Inner Harbor to learn all about Baltimore’s cultural heritage attractions and how to experience them.

 

Journey through four centuries of American history along Baltimore’s Star-Spangled Trails. The story of Baltimore is an American story, at the center of pivotal conflicts, movements for freedom, and the rise of a national identity. As a port city and a gateway to the continent for millions of Americans, Baltimore provided a starting point for the nation, taking full advantage of its Chesapeake location.

Daily guided walking tours by uniformed guides are available to lead visitors along Baltimore’s heritage trail system from a new trail head, adjacent to the Visitor Center. More than 14 walking, biking, driving, and water-based trails that tell Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay stories intersect at the Inner Harbor trail head, including the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, the Gwynn’s Falls Trail, Heritage Walk, the Historic National Road All-American Road, the Inner Harbor Promenade, the Baltimore segment of Maryland Civil War Trails, two Maryland Scenic Byways, and the Star-Spangled Banner Trail. Wayfinding signs help you get from the BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport, Penn and Camden Railroad Stations, and the Interstate Highways, to our city streets, our Visitor Center, and to all of the cultural heritage attractions of the Inner Harbor and beyond. 

 

For up-to-the-minute ticketing information on all of the cultural heritage happenings in Baltimore, visit The Baltimore Fun Guide .   For the latest news about the cultural festivals and events that keep Baltimore and its neighborhoods among America’s most animated cities, visit Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts . For links to the more than 40 cultural heritage museums go to the Greater Baltimore History Alliance . And if your visit to Baltimore inspires you to want to explore opportunities to live in our one-of-a-kind town, log on to Live Baltimore .   

 

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