Visiting Baltimore with kids (Annapolis, Eden: hotel, taxi, live)

[rizzo0904]

I always like to post on city-data before my trips. I get some of my best advice from locals. So here goes!

My family is visiting next month. We have two young boys...ages 4 and 5. Staying at the Inner Harbor. Here are the plans right now.

Day one: Museum of Industry, lunch at Baba's, Urban Pirate cruise
Day two: Aquarium, maybe Science Center (free admission), dinner at Amicci's
Day three: train into DC for the day
Day four: Breakfast at Miss Shirleys and then??

What are some fun local things to add in? How about dining? Any cuisine is fine.

Skipping B&O Railroad Museum..it's Thomas weekend and I just can't deal with that.

[BaltItaly]

Port Discovery

good place for kids



For the train to DC, take a MARC and not Amtrak---save lots of money

[Tinawina]

Originally Posted by BaltItaly

Port Discovery

good place for kids



For the train to DC, take a MARC and not Amtrak---save lots of money

I would second this. I think it is the very best museum for kids around here.

As for food... I can't think of anything specifically kid friendly, though a place like Paper Moon might be fun because the kids might like the decor. Ditto Cafe Hon (not crazy about the food, but they might gt a kick out of the experience). Maybe an ice cream shop? There is a gelato place in Fells that's pretty good.

[picardlx]

C'mon Thomas looks so cool! I wish I could go, but I'm 30 ... time to grow-up.

Besides what you already mentioned and Port Discovery, I can't really think of anything. If you're up for it (and they haven't already been), I would go down to DC and get some nice photos of the kids with the Capitol in the background. Those can last a lifetime.

There are also lunch cruises in the Harbor, if you're up for a boat ride. You might also want to check to see if Pratt library has anything going-on.

[james777]

On day four after breakfast, you might want to take the water taxi from the Inner Harbor down to Fort McHenry and take a tour. I think the kids would like both the boat ride and the fort. Or you could just leave early and spend the entire day in Annapolis, a charming town with lots of history. It should be a good time of year to do a lot of walking there, not too hot and humid and not too cold.

[mpheels]

I really like the USS Constellation. I can almost guarantee your kids will want to tour it when they see it in the harbor. They do special kid-friendly tours most days. There are several other ships open for tours, but the Constellation is the most popular. It's also worth checking Sail Baltimore Schedule - there are frequently ships from around the world in the harbor and open for free tours. The schedule updates frequently, so check right before your trip.

[J_Lurk]

I would make sure you reserve a full day for the Science Museum; my kids can spend 7-8 hours there, especially if you do the Planetarium and the IMAX. It would be too much to do it on the same day as the Aquarium as that is also a full day experience. I would probably take the Museum of Industry off your list; it is set up more for demos for field trips, is more interesting for older kids and we got a whole lot of DON'T TOUCH THAT from the staff to the point that my kids got uncomfortable. I can understand wanting to avoid Thomas, but if one of your days falls on a day when Thomas is not at the B&O I would really prioritize going there. It is very hands on and fun for that age and you'll never see a collection of train engines like that anywhere else. I agree with doing the Water Taxi and Ft. McHenry. My kids are very mixed on Port Discovery. There is not a lot there that that can't be found in that type of children's museum through the country (play shopping area, hands on activities) and sometimes the competition with other kids can be rough. They do, however, have a really nice climbing net that goes for a couple of stories (and is lots of fun to fish kids out of).

Walters Art Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art are free and have free crafts for kids on weekends, but those may be better if you are just looking to fill an hour or two.

We really like Isabella's for pizza, though it is tiny the food is very good. No kid can resist desserts at Vaccaro's.

[rizzo0904]

Thanks!

I planned Museum of Industry because we will arrive too early for hotel check in and they have free parking

Lots of info to go over....will check out the Constellation and consider B&O on a weekday when Thomas is gone. I just can't take all those people and lines.

And Isabella's will be on our dinner list. I find it easiest to do casual dinners while on vacation...the kids are usually pretty tired by then and it's not worth trying to sit thru a nice dinner.

[J_Lurk]

Originally Posted by rizzo0904

Thanks!

I planned Museum of Industry because we will arrive too early for hotel check in and they have free parking

Are you arriving on a weekend? You can park in two of the Little Italy garages for $3 a day on weekends (a locals tip that I didn't learn until I'd lived here for more than a year). 805 South Caroline Street or 501 South Eden Street. We've done that with the kids on weekends and then walked to the closest Water Taxi stop and taken it around.

[rizzo0904]

Thanks jlurk! We arrive on Sunday. Time to rearrange.