Top 10 Baltimore Museums
Visit one – or more – of these Baltimore museums and learn about one of the most thriving industrial cities that had a hand in the Civil War, combating the Slave Trade, ship-building, railroads, and more! These museums are sure not to disappoint, as Baltimore’s history is rich and its list of achievements is long. View Geppi’s Entertainment Museum’s comic book collection, or walk the deck of the U.S.S. Constellation at the Historic Ships Museum. Whatever your curiosity, these Baltimore museums are sure to satisfy it!
- Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- Baltimore Museum of Industry
- Geppi’s Entertainment Museum
- Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore
- Historic Ships in Baltimore
- American Visionary Art Museum
- National Great Blacks in Wax Museum
- B & O Railroad Museum
- Walters Art Museum
Visit Yankee great Babe Ruth’s birth home and tour the exhibits which include Babe: Husband, Father, Friend, a collection of memorabilia, and the 500 Home Run Club. Learn more about the great Bambino at this classic Baltimore museum. To see the museum’s homepage go to: www.BabeRuthMuseum.com
Take a gander at the exhibits of the museum that boasts the largest collection of Henry Matisse works in the world! Featuring over 90,000 pieces of 19th century, modern, and contemporary art, the BMA truly carries out its mission of “art for all!” Eat at Gertrude’s Restaurant – made famous by renowned chef John Shields – and bask in some summer jazz while taking in the magnificent art! To see one of the most cutting-edge, Baltimore museums go to: www.ArtBMA.org.
This museum recreates the hey-days of one of the most booming industrial cities on the Eastern Seaboard! Step back in time by touring a replica of an 1886 bank; watch a demonstration of turn-of-the-century metal-working or garment making. At the Baltimore Museum of Industry, you will feel what it was like to live in the days of the industrial revolution in a thriving port city! To learn more about one of the most treasured museums in Baltimore go to: www.TheBMI.org.
This museum is a one-stop-shop for a one of a kind pop culture experience! Housing collections of pop culture memorabilia dating back to 1776, the GEM takes visitors through a walk back in time and strives to shed some light on American history through an examination of the toys, comic books, and media icons we held – and hold – dear. To learn more about this most light-hearted and wacky of Baltimore museums go to: www.GeppisMuseum.com.
Load your kids in the car and head on down to Port Discovery where they can join a wildlife adventure, “cook” in a replica 1950s diner, and solve real-life mysteries in Miss Perception’s Mystery House. For toddlers and infants Port Discovery runs a “sensation station” where young children can interact with a variety of textures, shapes, and colors. Also, Port Discovery hosts “Maryland discovery days” which are designed for children with disabilities. Join the “studio workshop” and bring your kids home with their own one of a kind creations! To learn more about this cool children’s museum go to: www.PortDiscovery.org.
This museum is one of the most hands-on museums in Baltimore. Taking you inside several Civil War era ships, Historic Ships educates you on little known facts about nautical history. For example: did you know that tens of thousands of African Americans fought on navy ships in the Civil War? Or that the U.S.S. Constellation captured a slave ship in antebellum America and released 705 Africans? Learn these and more facts through guided tours, as well as learn the ropes – literally – of some of America’s most famous war ships. To find out more about Historic Ships’ tours and programs go to: www.HistoricShips.org.
Look no further if you are in search of the most unique, quirky, and inspiring museums in Baltimore: the American Visionary Art Museum is just the place. It hosts a variety of eclectic exhibits. At the entrance, the four-story metal whirligig announces that this is no ordinary museum. The Tall Sculpture Barn, the Sculpture Plaza, and the Wildflower Garden enhance the whimsy of the museum’s vision. Stroll through the American Visionary Art Museum and take in the beauty of creations made by Guantanamo Bay prisoners, Holocaust survivors, French revolutionaries, and more! Don’t miss this one-of- a-kind museum! To learn more about the exhibits at the American Visionary Art Museum go to: www.AVAM.org.
Baltimore is proud of its African American history and the contributions made to modern culture by black Americans. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum chronicles the lives of important – if little known – African Americans and memorializes them in life-size wax forms. Meet the key players in the Underground Railroad, or the slavery rebellion. Discover African American folk heroes and scientists. Don’t miss the Outstanding Marylanders exhibit! To learn more about this most important of Baltimore museums go to: www.NGBiWM.com.
Few remember that Baltimore was the geographical center for the railroading industry when America was first laying down tracks. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company operated out of Baltimore and the B & O Railroad Museum’s 40 acres is considered the original birthplace of American railroading! Housing the largest American railroading collection in the world, the B & O Railroad Museum is sure to impress! Visit this most historic of Baltimore museums today and take a train ride along the first railroad track in America! To learn more about the B & O Railroad Musuem go to: www.BORail.org.
Presenting an impressive collection of art from ancient Egypt to 1900s Europe, the Walters Art Museum is living history as well as an educational resource. Hosting various demonstrations, talks, and high-tech exhibits, this museum houses Roman sarcophagi, medieval ivories and manuscripts, Nubian amulets as well as paintings by the Old Masters of Europe. Visit today and tour the Walters’ immense, authentic collection. To learn more go to: TheWalters.org.