Cool stuff in Baltimore

March 13, 2018 2:10 PM

My wife and I will be in Baltimore from midday on Friday to midday on Sunday celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. We are staying at the Inn at Henderson Wharf. What cool stuff should we do?

Thanks, everyone.

posted by 4ster to Travel & Transportation around Baltimore, MD (16 answers total)

Best answer: If you're mobile, I enjoyed the Naval Academy museum last time I was there, and Annapolis has a nice historic downtown/waterfront as well. There is the Poe house, the American Visionary Museum, and you could get some ice cream or chocolate (and maybe some shoes).
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 2:22 PM on March 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Run don't walk to the American Visionary Art Museum!
posted by mccxxiii at 2:24 PM on March 13, 2018 [13 favorites]

Best answer: Go on a driving tour of locations in The Wire
posted by JonB at 2:37 PM on March 13, 2018

Best answer: Seconding AVAM. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum and the Great Blacks in Wax museums are fantastic overviews of African American History. Ft. McHenry, site of the penning of the Star Spangled Banner, offers some really nice views of the city and a nice overview of the history of the War of 1812.

For food, Attman's is one of the best Jewish delis you will ever, ever find anywhere. For crabcakes, Faidley's is a must.
posted by goggie at 2:43 PM on March 13, 2018 [6 favorites]

Best answer: The harbor in Baltimore houses several historic warships and a submarine that all can be toured.
posted by COD at 3:11 PM on March 13, 2018

Best answer:

Run don't walk to the American Visionary Art Museum!

This is VERY VERY VERY good advice.
posted by uberchet at 3:23 PM on March 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: American Visionary Art Museum

This this this this this this this this

Also, you should go to Lexington Market and hit up Faidley's for the world's best crab cake. And Attman's for a sandwich the side of your noggin.

Oh, I see that's already been suggested. Consider this a second and carry on.
posted by General Malaise at 3:43 PM on March 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Oh, and if either of you are into beer, the Alewife is a fantastic beer bar. Oh, and Brewer's Art brewery as well.
posted by General Malaise at 3:44 PM on March 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Ahem. Friday is St. Patricks Day Eve and Saturday is St. Patricks Day. You are staying in Fells Point and the neighborhood will be a drunken green clad mosh pit on both nights. So you will want to plan a bit more carefully than a usual off season weekend. Take heart, Canton and Federal Hill will be worse.

See if you can get window seats at the Cats Eye Pub on Thames Street for drinks and the best people watching in town. You will have to squeeze in between gusts of St Pats partiers.

nthing the Water Taxi and the American Visionary Art Museum. AVAM has a great weird gift shop.

Vicki's in the south market shed just north of Broadway Square for diner counter breakfast. Bertha's at Broadway & Lancaster for a snug pub drink and live music. Again, gusts of St. Pats partiers.

Sound Garden on the west end of Thames Street is a real old fashioned record store with vinyl & CDs.

Walk the promenade around the harbor. You can pick it up right at the Inn.

Have a glass of wine at Vino on Ann Street Wharf, it's right on the water not far from the Inn. The fancy Sagamore Pendry hotel is nearby aka the old Rec Pier aka the Homicide TV series police station facade. Have a drink, it's a beautiful reuse of the probably was going to fall into the water sooner than later Rec Pier but it feels like a bit of Los Angeles misplaced in Baltimore.
posted by jointhedance at 3:46 PM on March 13, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: In case you didn’t hear ANERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM. The Museum of Industry and the Publuc works museum are both surprising interesting. See if there’s something cool at Theatre Project and the Creative Alliance.
posted by songs_about_rainbows at 3:52 PM on March 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you happen to be flying into BWI, the National Electronics Museum is 1/2 mile away and has some nifty Edison artifacts on temporary exhibit from a private collection. (Personal affiliation disclosure)
posted by AliceBlue at 5:52 PM on March 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: National Aquarium is a bit pricey but worth a visit, if that's the sort of thing you're into. But the Visionary Art Museum is definitely great.

Atomic Books is a must and the Hampden neighborhood is also fun. (We all love Golden West Cafe for food, which is right there.)

In the Fells Point area, there's the record store Sound Garden, which is good, but it depends on if you like shopping for records.

I have not been to The Brewer's Art nor Of Love & Regret but they are both places I hope to go to soon. (Both are better if fancy beer is a think you're into.)

Mass transit is not great in Baltimore, so if you're not driving, it's going to be cabs/Lyft/Uber, mostly.
posted by darksong at 6:50 PM on March 13, 2018

Best answer: Get brunch at Miss Shirley’s .
posted by rodlymight at 7:08 PM on March 13, 2018

Best answer: Come see my band at The Ottobar Saturday, if you like indie pop.

Or if opera is more your speed, the Peabody student productions are top notch and cheap. They are doing Jules Massenet's Chérubin Friday.
posted by jetsetsc at 10:56 AM on March 14, 2018

Best answer: Late suggestion Krakus Deli on Fleet Street for the porkiest smoked pork aroma ever. You just want to dab a little behind your ears. Half the people in there will be speaking Polish.
posted by jointhedance at 11:14 AM on March 17, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks, friends. We just got back from a wonderful trip. Fell's Point is beautiful, the American Visionary Art Museum was worth the trip by itself, and Mezze is my new favorite restaurant (went there twice and ate the same thing both times!). Jetsetsc, sorry we missed your band

Thanks to everyone for making our 20th anniversary so special.
posted by 4ster at 6:11 PM on March 18, 2018 [1 favorite]