Baltimore Family Vacation Recommendations

[diva0045]

Hello all!

It looks like our baseball travels will be taking us to Baltimore at the end of June for our family vacation. We will be staying a few days in the area. Our kids are 11 and 7. We will be flying and renting a car.

I am looking for hotel recommendations and any activity suggestions you may have for around Baltimore. We were not planning on visiting Washington D.C. this trip, however that could change.

Must eat at restaurant suggestions are also welcome!

Thank you so much for the help! I haven’t had much inspiration for planning this trip so I’m hoping for a jump start with some suggestions.

[mccallister84]

The aquarium and science center (both in the Inner Harbor) are both great! I think the zoo isn’t worth it but I grew up going to the Bronx Zoo so I admit my expectations are skewed.

If the O’s are in town Camden Yards is great. And if they’re not in town you can probably schedule a stadium tour which I was surprised by how much I enjoyed.

[winemaker06]

If you’re flying into and out of BWI and want to grab a meal outside of the city, G&M is near the airport and known for their crabcakes!

I second the Science Center suggestion. Always a hit, even with locals.

[Deleted]

The American Visionary Art Museum is amazing. Truly one of the best museums I’ve ever been to.

[sdlaura]

The Guinness factory/restaurant is very close to BWI and if weather is nice, there’s a big kid-friendly lawn for play while grown ups have a drink at the outdoor bars.

[jennistarr1]

Feb 20, 2020 23:39:30 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

The Guinness factory/restaurant is very close to BWI and if weather is nice, there’s a big kid-friendly lawn for play while grown ups have a drink at the outdoor bars.

Along with this, are you guys drinkers? I can make some more recommendations to this regards.

do you know about what area you'll be in for the baseball so I can tailor hotel and restaurant suggestions

other interests to tap into?

[ECB]

If you’ll be downtown, mt Vernon marketplace is cool. Lots of food stalls - good food and a variety of options.

[HoneySpider]

Definitely go to Camden Yards if you can! I've been to 32 major league stadiums and it's my favorite.

We love the crab dip at Pratt Street Ale House right down the street. We did brunch at Spoons a few years back which was great.

[wildrice]

If your kids like trains, the B&O Railroad museum is really cool. We are adults and don't have any particular interest in trains, but still found it very interesting. It's not a kid museum but there is lots of neat stuff to look at so kids would enjoy it.

There are also some ships in the Inner Harbor that are interesting. They are set up more or less like a museum, but you can tour 4 of them (one is a submarine) and one has a cannon that gets fired. They are neat for adults to learn but I think kids would get a kick out of seeing them too.

Fells point is really neat neighborhood. It's on the water and has cobblestone streets. There are lots of restaurants there, and Broadway market has a bunch of food stalls as well.

The aquarium is a must-do, it's one of the best in the world. And Camden Yards is great. The Orioles tend to be poor performers but the games are fun anyway.

The best restaurants aren't going to be near the harbor, though there are several nicer chains and they are probably a little more kid friendly than some of the others (there is a PF changs, Cheesecake factory, Dicks Last resort, that kind of stuff). Most of the more popular local restaurants are in Mt Vernon, Fells Point, Canton, Federal Hill, and Hampden, though certainly there are other good ones around.

We have a ton of breweries. In addition to Guiness, Union is very family friendly. Most/all allow kids though.

[diva0045]

Feb 20, 2020 23:58:59 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

Feb 20, 2020 23:39:30 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

The Guinness factory/restaurant is very close to BWI and if weather is nice, there’s a big kid-friendly lawn for play while grown ups have a drink at the outdoor bars.

Along with this, are you guys drinkers? I can make some more recommendations to this regards.

do you know about what area you'll be in for the baseball so I can tailor hotel and restaurant suggestions

other interests to tap into?

We will be traveling to see the Detroit Tigers play at Camden Yard so we’d be looking for a hotel in that area. My husband and daughter are big seafood fans.

[diva0045]

Wow. Thank you all for the suggestions! I now feel a lot better about starting to plan this trip! Please keep the suggestions coming if you remember more!

[jennistarr1]

part of me is thinking that renting a car then paying for downtown parking vs. just ubering/lyfting might be worth considering

I believe this line of hotels (maybe many others) also offer complimentary shuttles
www.harbormagic.com/

Breakfast: Ms. Shirley's and Iron Rooster
Seafood: Thames Street Oyster house is amazing, in an area called fells point which is walkable from the harbor or water taxi.
Fells Point has lots of restaurants and bars, a newer one is called the Choptank. Barcocina is non-divey Mexican

Another hotel consideration could be The Pendry but that's pretty top of the line

There are several chains around the harbor so you'll have some options that are familiar. I feel like the better restaurants are in close by neighborhoods such as Fells Point, Harbor East, LIttle Italy (Joe Benny's is a foccaceria there and is hands down just so freakin good), or Federal Hill. I really like Canton myself, but I think the only reason you would go out there would be for a restaurant. If you do, I love Mamas on the Half Shell (Seafood), Nacho Mamas (fun Mexican) and dangerously delicious pies

The aquarium, science center, and American visionary arts museum are good suggestions. I think Fort McHenry is also fun if you like history at all. If you go there, LP Steamers is a local seafood place that is top notch

I live here so feel free to reach out

[wildrice]

Depending on what you want to do, you may not even need a car. Camden yards is about a 20 minute drive from BWI and a Lyft will cost you $20-25. There is also a light rail that goes from the airport to Camden yards. There are a bunch of hotels within walking distance, though i havent stayed in any so I can't recommend anything. The aquarium, inner harbor, the science museum, railroad museum, and ships are all within walking distance (15 minutes or so). The Visionary arts museum is technically walkable too though a bit farther.

Public transit in general isnt recommended (though I think the light rail is fine, especially in daylight) but if you dont mind using Lyft or Uber I think you could easily get by without a car if you plan to mostly stick to the main sights near the harbor. Parking isnt cheap but i also dont think driving in Baltimore is too terrible compared to some other big cities (I literally do it daily!). We live really close to Camden and I would never drive to the harbor...we always walk.

[cosmowife]

If you make it out of the city, there is a really good family friendly restaurant just outside of the city called La Food Marketa. The chef is a well known Baltimore chef who has another restaurant in Hampden, but this one has easy parking and a great kids’ menu. It is Mexican food. Best fish tacos ever! It is less than 20 minutes from downtown.

[HitchedIn2006]

Feb 20, 2020 20:54:52 GMT -5 winemaker06 said:

If you’re flying into and out of BWI and want to grab a meal outside of the city, G&M is near the airport and known for their crabcakes!

I second the Science Center suggestion. Always a hit, even with locals.

Second the G & M!!! An Italian restaurant that is known for the crab cakes more than anything else. I get the double and overstuff myself- but they don’t make food like that in the Midwest. 🦀

[bronxgirl]

Definitely visit the aquarium and walk around the inner harbor. It's a fun area. If you have a car, take a side trip to Annapolis. It's a really cute town and fun to walk around, get lunch, etc. You can also check out the Naval Academy campus.

[jennistarr1]

Feb 21, 2020 21:13:15 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

If you make it out of the city, there is a really good family friendly restaurant just outside of the city called La Food Marketa. The chef is a well known Baltimore chef who has another restaurant in Hampden, but this one has easy parking and a great kids’ menu. It is Mexican food. Best fish tacos ever! It is less than 20 minutes from downtown.

That kid was a neighborhood and school friend of mine! He doesn't remember me

[cosmowife]

Feb 22, 2020 20:25:44 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

Feb 21, 2020 21:13:15 GMT -5 cosmowife said:

If you make it out of the city, there is a really good family friendly restaurant just outside of the city called La Food Marketa. The chef is a well known Baltimore chef who has another restaurant in Hampden, but this one has easy parking and a great kids’ menu. It is Mexican food. Best fish tacos ever! It is less than 20 minutes from downtown.

That kid was a neighborhood and school friend of mine! He doesn't remember me

That’s so cool! He’s an amazing chef. This is one of my favorite restaurants and so easy/family friendly!!