National Aquarium – Baltimore . WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA BALTIMORE DESTINATIONS RANGE FROM historic to hip, charming to trendy and world-famous to completely unexpected. It is a city built on distinctly different, fun-filled neighborhoods: visitors can dine at a quaint Little Italy eatery or Fells Point seafood restaurant before exploring the Inner Harbor area; stroll amid an array of unique stores in Harbor East; immerse themselves in cultural attractions throughout Mount Vernon; and become one with the “hons” who sport beehive hairdos and cat’s-eye glasses in kitschy Hampden. The Baltimore National Heritage Area, encompassing 18.2 square miles, highlights numerous historic and natural sites within 48 | nps.gov/stsp the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Guided walking tours are available, as well as War of 1812 boat tours on the waters around Fort McHenry. Baltimore’s grandest and best-known thoroughfare, Charles Street, is the star attraction of a 12-mile-long national scenic byway that incorporates impressive architecture, fine ethnic dining and world-renowned museums. Two acclaimed cultural destinations, The Walters Art Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art , offer free general admission. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption , which became America’s first Catholic cathedral when built in the early 1800s, stands nearby. Performing-arts venues featuring some of the nation’s hottest musical acts and coolest theatrical productions are also in the area. Water taxi service links boater-friendly Canton Waterfront Park to Fells Point, Fort McHenry and the Inner Harbor. Featured attractions alongside the harbor include the National Aquarium , Maryland Science Center , American Visionary Art Museum and Port Discovery Children’s Museum . The U.S. sloop-of-war Constellation , a Civil War-era vessel recognized as the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, is docked just around the corner from three other vintage vessels: a U.S. Coast Guard cutter that saw action during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, a submarine that sank three enemy ships and a “lightship” that once guided maritime traffic in and out of the Chesapeake Bay. All of these attractions and more are connected by Baltimore’s seven-NATIONAL AQUARIUM
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