Charm City Community
Welcome to Baltimore!
Spending your summer here is a fantastic opportunity to experience this vibrant city—from its lively arts, music and restaurant scene, to its sports venues, shopping, and more.
The largest city in Maryland, Baltimore is the center of a metropolitan area. With an abundance of businesses, hospitals, colleges and universities that draw people from a variety of backgrounds, the city and its surrounding area have a melting pot vitality that’s reflected in its medley of restaurants, shops, festivals, religious institutions, and cultural offerings.
Explore Central Baltimore
Enjoy Your Summer in Charm City
History
Venture almost anywhere in Baltimore and you’ll find historical traces large and small. The city, established in 1729 as a shipping port serving Maryland farmers, played a crucial role in the War of 1812 when soldiers at Fort McHenry successfully held off a British attack on Baltimore. That victory for Baltimore was commemorated in a poem by Francis Scott Key and is now our national anthem. You can learn more about those events at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and get an extensive view of that and other Baltimore events at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, a museum devoted to the telling of Maryland’s past. Hungry for more history? Be sure to check out the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Civil War Museum, and the B&O Railroad Museum.
Arts and Culture
Baltimore has all the amenities of a major urban center, which means you’ll have access to an exciting array of arts and culture offerings. Take advantage of free events such as Artscape, the largest free public arts festival in the U.S. Listen to a free Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert, catch a jazz performance, or bop along to the sounds of a local band. Take a quick walk to the Baltimore Museum of Art (on the south end of campus), with its outstanding collection of art and artifacts from around the world, or venture a little farther to the Walters Art Museum or South Baltimore’s fun and funky American Visionary Arts Museum.
Entertainment
Dine with friends in Baltimore’s countless neighborhood restaurants, take in a free outdoor movie in Little Italy, or enjoy free outdoor concerts and performers at the Inner Harbor. Catch an Orioles game at Camden Yards or commune with sea creatures at the National Aquarium.
Outdoor Activities
Head to the waterfront neighborhoods of Canton or Fells Point and walk along the cobblestone streets lined with restaurants and eclectic shops. Not far away you can explore Maryland’s gently rolling hills (great for biking!) and mountains, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Add Civil War battlefields, rivers perfect for tubing or kayaking, hiking trails and fishing spots—you might find you need an extra summer to do it all.