Baltimore

Baltimore’s history and attractions have made it a popular tourist destination on the East Coast. The city had 24.5 million tourists in 2014, who spent $5.2 billion. The Baltimore Visitor Center is situated on Light Street in the Inner Harbor and is run by Visit Baltimore. The National Aquarium is Maryland’s main tourist site, and most of the city’s tourism revolves around the Inner Harbor. The rehabilitation of Baltimore Harbor has transformed it into a “city of boats,” with numerous antique ships and other attractions on exhibit and available to the public. The USS Constellation, the last surviving Civil War-era vessel afloat, is docked at the Inner Harbor’s entrance; the USS Torsk, a submarine that holds the Navy’s record for dives (more than 10,000); and the Coast Guard cutter Taney, the last surviving U.S. warship that was in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and engaged Japanese Zero aircraft during the battle.

The lightship Chesapeake, which for decades marked the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, is also moored, as is the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, the Bay’s oldest surviving screw-pile lighthouse, which previously marked the mouth of the Patapsco River and the entry to Baltimore. The Historic Ships in Baltimore group owns and maintains all of these attractions. The Inner Harbor also serves as the home port for the Pride of Baltimore II, the state of Maryland’s “goodwill ambassador” ship, which is a replica of a renowned Baltimore Clipper ship.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Fort McHenry, the Mount Vernon and Fells Point areas, and museums such as the Walters Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and the B&O Railroad Museum are among major tourist sites across the city.

Baltimore is a famous tourist destination in Maryland, near Washington, D.C., in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States of America. It is arguably best known as the city where Francis Scott Key composed the words to the Star Spangled Banner, and it has since grown into a significant tourist and vacation destination.

It is located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. With a never-ending nightlife, a mild environment, and abundance of hospitality, any time of year is a terrific time to come.

Because Baltimore is a largely African-American city, there are several chances to learn about African-American history. The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, situated on East North Avenue in East Baltimore near Johns Hopkins University, is the most well-known. This museum uses art to tell the narrative of African Americans. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Black History, situated in the Harbor Area, may also be of interest.

The Baltimore Harbor is the city’s bustling core, a significant tourist destination, and a must-see, often offering live music by jazz ensembles and crooners, as well as lots of dining and shopping. While residents dismiss the Inner Harbor as a manufactured tourist destination devoid of authentic Baltimore culture, travelers should see it and, in particular, visit some of its superb museums and other attractions. The Historic Ships in Baltimore (including the USS Constellation), the kid-friendly Maryland Science Center, the busy and massive National Aquarium, and the wildly unusual American Visionary Arts Museum are all highlights.

The Inner Harbor tourism zone is a fantastic site where you will have a fantastic time. It is, however, strangely ahistoric amid one of America’s most historic cities. Fort McHenry, located at the top of Locust Point across the water, is the most notable historical site. It became famous in American history after successfully defending Baltimore harbor from British naval bombardment during the War of 1812, when Sir Francis Scott Key was inspired by the fort’s tattered but still waving American flag to write the poem that would later become the national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.

The second extremely satisfying historical site in Baltimore is immediately east of the Inner Harbor in Fells Point, which was previously a distinct town established in 1730 and grew affluent on shipbuilding and the marine commerce during the 18th and 19th centuries (and anti-British privateering). Little has changed architecturally in well over a century, and the cobblestone lanes, historic taverns, and charming port area are more than enough to entice tourists.

While there are plenty of activities near the Inner Harbor, there are a number of major attractions across the city that you should not miss. Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in downtown Baltimore, the Maryland Zoo in Druid Hill Park, the original Washington Monument and the Walters Art Museum in Mount Vernon, and the Baltimore Museum of Art at Johns Hopkins University are all worth a visit.

VISITOR INFORMATION

• Baltimore Visitor Center, 401 Light St (between Conway and Barre on the Inner Harbor),  +1 410 659-7300, toll-free: +1-877-225-8466, e-mail:vc@baltimore.org. 9AM-5PM daily.

Baltimore has a humid subtropical climate, and its weather is influenced mostly by three factors: its proximity to a warm marine estuary, its low height, and the wall of mountains to the west and northwest. Because of these variables, the climate in the region is milder and less severe than in other cities in the United States at this latitude. Summers are humid and hot, but not oppressively so, with highs in the high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit and lows in the 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit. Winters are pleasant to cool and humid, with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s and lows in the 30s and 40s. In the city itself, the temperature seldom falls below 10°F. Light snow may fall in the winter, while there is no considerable accumulation some years, and once every few years, a coastal storm may drop 8 inches to a foot of snow on the city. Spring and autumn provide comfortable temperatures in the 50s and 70s (°F) with gentle breezes from the south.

While the weather in the area varies, Baltimore is not subject to the extremes of weather change that occur farther north and inland. From around mid-March until late November, visitors will be able to go outside without a jacket. On many days, the hot, humid summers encourage the wearing of shorts. The Baltimore region has beautiful autumn foliage, which typically begins in mid-October and lasts until early December. Swimming pools are popular throughout the year due to the extended warm weather season.

Baltimore is located in north-central Maryland on the Patapsco River, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the city is positioned on the fall line between the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which separates Baltimore into “lower city” and “upper city.” The elevation of the city varies from sea level at the waterfront to 480 feet (150 meters) in the northwest corner near Pimlico.

The city has a total area of 92.1 square miles (239 km2), of which 80.9 square miles (210 km2) is land and 11.1 square miles (29 km2) is water, according to the 2010 Census. The whole area is made up of 12.1 percent water.

Baltimore County nearly totally surrounds it, yet it is politically independent of it. It is bounded to the south by Anne Arundel County.

Once a primarily industrial city with an economic basis centered on steel processing, shipping, car manufacture (General Motors Baltimore Assembly), and transportation, the city faced deindustrialization, which lost people tens of thousands of low-skill, high-wage jobs. The city today depends on a low-wage service sector, which accounts for 90% of the city’s employment. Baltimore was the major US maker of rye whiskey and straw hats at the turn of the century. It was also a pioneer in the refining of crude oil, which was delivered to the city by pipeline from Pennsylvania.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Baltimore’s unemployment rate is 8.1 percent as of March 2015, with one-quarter of Baltimore people (including 37 percent of Baltimore children) living in poverty. The closing of a large steel facility at Sparrows Point in 2012 is projected to have a further negative effect on jobs and the local economy. According to the Census Bureau, 207,000 employees travel into Baltimore city each day. With 29.1 million square feet of office space, downtown Baltimore is the city’s and region’s principal economic asset. The tech industry is quickly expanding, with the Baltimore metro region ranking eighth among 50 U.S. metro areas in terms of high growth rate and quantity of tech professionals in the CBRE Tech Talent Report. Baltimore was named fourth among America’s “new tech hot spots” by Forbes.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital is located in the city. Under Armour, Cordish Company, Legg Mason, McCormick & Company, T. Rowe Price, and Royal Farms are among the other major corporations in Baltimore. One of Baltimore’s cultural symbols is a sugar factory operated by American Sugar Refining. Lutheran Services in America and Catholic Relief Services are two Baltimore-based non-profits.

PORT

The World Trade Center Baltimore serves as the region’s international trade hub. It is home to the Maryland Port Administration as well as the headquarters of major shipping companies in the United States. Baltimore is rated 9th in total cargo dollar value and 13th in cargo tonnage among all U.S. ports. The overall cargo transiting through the port in 2014 was 29.5 million tons, a decrease from 30.3 million tons in 2013. The total value of goods passing through the port in 2014 was $52.5 billion, a decrease from $52.6 billion in 2013. The Port of Baltimore produces $3 billion in yearly wages and salaries in addition to sustaining 14,630 direct employment and 108,000 jobs related to port activities. In addition, the port collected more over $300 million in taxes in 2014. It serves approximately 50 ocean ships, with roughly 1,800 trips each year. Baltimore is the busiest port in the United States for vehicles, light trucks, agriculture and construction equipment, and imported forest products, aluminum, and sugar. In terms of coal exports, the port ranks second. The cruise business at the Port of Baltimore, which provides year-round voyages on multiple lines, employs over 500 people and contributes more than $90 million to the Maryland economy each year. The Maryland Port Administration aims to convert the southern extremity of the old steel mill into a marine terminal, mostly for car and truck cargoes, but also for projected new business coming to Baltimore when the Panama Canal extension project is completed.