Scenic Byways
Baltimore's Historic Charles Street
From the glittering Baltimore cityscape to lush rural landscapes, a getaway on Baltimore’s Historic Charles Street features inspiring historical, cultural, culinary, and recreational attractions.
Baltimore’s grandest and best-known artery, Charles Street, takes you on a journey through some of the city’s most fashionable cultural, residential and commercial areas. Its National Scenic Byway designation means it’s one of the best places in the country to explore urban culture. Stop to shop, dine, and seek out world-class entertainment and cultural institutions whose influence extends beyond Baltimore’s borders to the nation and the world.
The Washington Monument at Mt. Vernon Place was the first major monument to honor George Washington. Explore exhibits in the base of the monument and climb the stairway to the top.
Explore Maryland
INNER HARBOR TO CROSS STREET MARKET
Begin your Charles Street adventure in the heart of Charm City at the Inner Harbor, Baltimore’s main commercial center and a hub for dining, museums and waterfront attractions. Hop on a water taxi to see local favorites, The National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center. Make your way to the American Visionary Art Museum to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of self-taught and intuitive artistry at the museum CNN calls, “One of the most fantastic museums anywhere in America.”
While you are in the Inner Harbor, check out Visit Baltimore's BOP PASS for discounted entry to several local attractions. Visit the Top of the World Observation Level, a place to get a bird’s eye view of the harbor atop the world’s tallest pentagonal building, Baltimore’s World Trade Center.
Just south of the INNER HARBOR is Federal Hill, home to FEDERAL HILL PARK, where sweeping city views make it the perfect spot for your Baltimore selfie. Travel to Federal Hill’s iconic CROSS STREET MARKET to indulge in a mouth-watering array of culinary options ranging from classic seafood favorites at the Watershed, a restaurant and crab house, to local brew-purveyor The Market Ale House, and Maryland-made favorites like Ceremony Coffee Roasters and Taharka Brothers Ice Cream. At the market, you’ll find a diverse array of ethnic cuisines including Korean, Japanese, Bolivian, Mediterranean and Mexican. Step outside the market to explore many additional dining options, cozy pubs, shopping and a thriving nightlife scene.
Fans of professional sports will want to visit nearby Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, and M&T Bank Stadium, the roost of football’s Baltimore Ravens. Learn about Maryland’s proud athletic heritage at the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum.
INNER HARBOR TO BROMO ARTS DISTRICT
As you head north along the byway and away from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, you’ll pass the HOTEL MONACO, whose grand interior was once the B&O Railroad Headquarters. The boutique hotel and the B&O AMERICAN BRASSERIE reside within the ornate 1906 Beaux-Arts building.
As you continue your journey, other cultural attractions take center stage, including CFG Bank Arena specializing in concerts and performances, and the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, which presents Broadway shows and marquee-worthy music and entertainment acts amid early 20th-century grandeur.
Music and art enthusiasts will enjoy events at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center. A gallery, musical theater and other features help to tell the story of Baltimore’s creative community, with special emphasis on jazz great Eubie Blake and other artists such as Billie Holiday. These attractions are nestled in the BROMO ARTS DISTRICT, home to more than 30 galleries, music venues, theaters, and collectives.
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MOUNT VERNON PLACE NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT
As you continue north on Charles Street toward the MOUNT VERNON PLACE HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT, stop for a visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Completed in 1821, it is known as “America’s First Cathedral” and is considered one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in the world.
One block north you’ll find the FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF BALTIMORE. Designed by Maximilian Godefroy, who also designed Baltimore’s Battle Monument. Built in 1818, it was originally called “The First Independent Church of Baltimore.” Distinguished Baltimoreans who have been members of this congregation include Rembrandt Peale, George Peabody, Enoch Pratt, and Mary Richmond.
Traveling through the Mount Vernon Place National Historic Landmark District, you can’t miss the 178-foot-tall monument topped by a 16-foot statue of George Washington. See the monument’s beautifully restored marble interior, complete with a gallery and exhibits, then climb the tower to the lookout at the top.
Take a guided heritage tour of Mount Vernon, or use the Mount Vernon Tour app for a self-guided walking tour. Saunter around Mount Vernon Square to admire the park’s gardens and fountains, which are surrounded by the neighborhood’s gorgeous 19th-century mansions that were once home to Baltimore’s wealthy industrialists. Admire the gothic architecture of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and the elegant Garrett-Jacobs Mansion, now home to one of Baltimore's oldest private city clubs and well-known as The Engineers Club.
Plan your overnight stay at HOTEL REVIVAL on Mount Vernon Square or HOTEL ULYSSES, a few blocks north of the square. Dining options are within walking distance at MARIE LOUISE BISTRO, THE HELMAND, SOTTO SOPRA, and DARKER THAN BLUE GRILLE.
Nearby is the admission-free Walters Art Museum which has art and artifacts spanning more than 7,000 years, while across from the Walters, the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Peabody Institute contains an art gallery, public library and music academy, and hosts music and dance performances. Make time for a visit to the Maryland Center for History and Culture, which contains treasures such as an original manuscript of Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner” and powerful exhibits like “Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists.”
STATION NORTH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
Head north on Charles Street to the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Movie fans won’t want to miss catching a flick at the landmark CHARLES THEATER. Housed in a former streetcar barn and dancehall, this Baltimore standout offers independent films as well as Hollywood blockbusters. Nearby world-class restaurants like ALMA COCINA LATINA, FORAGED, and TAPAS TEATRO make for a perfect date
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Trip Tips
Watch for summertime festivals offering food, art and entertainment taking place on Charles Street. In February the Walters Art Museum celebrates the Lunar New Year with street performances and dance troupes that don colorful costumes representing the new year.
CHARLES VILLAGE, THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART AND JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
As you continue on the byway, venture just a few blocks east on St. Paul Street to find the Lovely Lane United Methodist Church, a Stanford White-designed building established in 1884 as a centennial monument to the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Baltimore Folk Music Society holds their Wednesday night American Contra and Square dances in the church hall. Join a dance lesson in the New England, Southern Appalachian and Celtic styles prior to the dance.
Next, you’ll pass through Charles Village, which was developed in the late 19th century as one of Baltimore’s first suburban neighborhoods. From here, you approach Johns Hopkins University, a 100-acre campus featuring Georgian-style buildings and the Federal-style HOMEWOOD HOUSE MUSEUM. An 1801 wedding gift from Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll to his son, Homewood offers award-winning tours that shed light on the intertwined lives of the free and enslaved inhabitants of the house.
Visit the admission-free Baltimore Museum of Art, adjacent to the Hopkins campus, and see the famous Cone Collection, which includes the world’s largest collection of works by Henri Matisse alongside art by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh and many others. The museum also has important collections from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands, a new contemporary wing, and a peaceful sculpture garden. GERTRUDE’S CHESAPEAKE KITCHEN, the museum’s award-winning restaurant, is the perfect place to unwind after enjoying a day of art.
ROLAND PARK TO LUTHERVILLE
Traveling further north, you’ll encounter the stately homes and lush lawns of Baltimore’s Roland Park and Guilford neighborhoods, where Sherwood Gardens produces a fabulous display of tulip blooms in multiple vibrant colors every April.
Once out of the city limits you’ll come to the Baltimore suburb and the Victorian neighborhood of Lutherville, a planned community dating to 1852. Lutherville was originally part of the Hampton Estate, owned by Charles Ridgely. For your final stop, explore Hampton National Historic Site with a tour of the 1790 Georgian Mansion to gain insight into the lives of the Ridgely family and the site’s enslaved and indentured workers with a visit to the historic slave quarters, overseer's house, dairy, ice house, and cemetery.
Extend your stay and make it a weekend getaway, so you can see it all! Sample the city’s culinary treats, see the city lights at night, and rest up for another day of exploring. Check out these architectural gems: Lord Baltimore Hotel, Kimpton Hotel Monaco, Hotel Revival, Hotel Ulysses, and The Ivy Hotel.
Ride the water taxi to the charming Fells Point National Historic District where pubs, eateries, inns, and eclectic specialty shops line the cobblestone streets.
Maryland Lore
Sideshow, the gift shop at the American Visionary Art Museum, has been dubbed “the best museum gift shop you’ve ever been to in your life” by filmmaker and artist John Waters. It’s jam-packed with novelties, books and original art, and considered a “kaleidoscopic closet of curiosities,” by The Washington Post.
