Summary: while Doodlehatch is definitely not short of character, there are some key points that…read moremake it hard to love. A question I had prior to visiting Doodlehatch was "what is it?" The best answer I can think of is that it's an interactive art museum. There are tons of random sections throughout: a space area, a unicorn area, a tea party area, a giant bed, etc. Most are designed to be "interactive," but I don't know how much care + maintenance is going on. Parts of the exhibit don't feel sturdy and a lot of it doesn't feel clean. There are a lot of areas that have fabric that retain moisture/dirt like the giant bed (plush), bean bag chairs, and hammocks. Coming off a fresh pandemic, it didn't give the best feeling to "interact" with something like that. Conclusion: I think the concept is cute and the art is unique. The exhibit itself makes for a cute little outing. I'm just a bit more wishful as far as care/maintenance goes. I wouldn't describe myself as a germaphobe, but even so I didn't feel great about it.

Overall: Okay place to spend an hour or two with young kids, but it is very dirty and most exhibits…read morefeel like safety hazards and are close to breaking. They have multi-stall gendered restrooms. We went right when they opened on a Saturday morning and had the place pretty much to ourselves. We used a Groupon deal. My son just turned 3. His favorite exhibits were the mail station, the space station, and the room with the ukuleles and guitars. The mail station was really cute. It had instructions to write a letter to your younger self and you could put it in the mail box and organize the mail by year you wanted to send it back to. It really didn't look like this place had a cleaning regimen. I can't imagine who thought it was a good idea to put that many (very used) plush toys in a place where this many children visit. You sign a waiver saying you're liable for anything your kid breaks, but so much of this place is about to break and I'd be worried about my kid being hurt as much as I'd be worried about parts of these installments breaking.

For my first Baltimore review, I'm giving praise to a solid overall art museum experience. And it…read morewas also a museum experience that was completely FREE! When I was looking at Baltimore attractions closest to my Airbnb, I instantly made a note. And from the moment that I first walked through its outdoor sculpture garden before even entering the building, I knew I was in for a treat! It might not be as expansive as other art museums I've been to, like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and MOMA. But it's well curated with impressive Asian and African art wings, an awesome section devoted to local Baltimore artists, and works from artists spanning across the globe and centuries. I've touched on it in the opening, but the fact that its a free museum experience unless you choose to pay less than $10 to see the special featured exhibit is absolutely amazing and unfathomable! Since the current featured exhibit had the works of Matisse, whom I've seen plenty of times, I decided to take in everything else, and could have easily spent 5+ hours taking it all in! With features like this inside and out, and the incredible value, I'm honestly surprised that the BMA doesn't get mentioned in the conversation about must-visit art museums in the US!

I had the pleasure of attending the opening day of Flashback: Two Centuries of Baltimore…read morePhotography. This was such a dope curated experience with so many talented photographers. What blew me away most is the community these creatives have to support them in their endeavors. It warmed my heart to see the support and appreciation for the art. It was amazing to speak to people born and raised in the city sharing the memories of the photographs they had seen. The staff was amazing in handing such a busy day! Shout out to MICA students running a smooth photography area for people to capture special moments of the attendees. Please be sure to support this exhibition. Please visit the museum! There's something there for everyone!

This was apparently the Banneker-Douglass museum once, but has added Harriet Tubman as another…read morelocal figure of renown. A total of three rooms of exhibits were available, two for a rotating art exhibit, of which one was the interior of a historic church, while the other room is a locally focused history of the African American experience. The local aspect of the museum calls Maryland "Southern", a reminder that this is somewhat ambiguous historically. The museum is free to enter. It will not take long to get through, but in combination with other local sites this stop will give a different perspective.

This museum, housed in a former black church, is devoted to black Maryland history. The name honors…read moreBanneker, Douglas and Tubman, but it is not about them. Admission is free. I found it only moderately interesting, but then again I'm a white guy from Arizona.

I simply cannot believe that this lovely museum in Baltimore was FREE!! We spent about two hours…read moreexploring the 3 floors of art, artifacts and exhibits. We were lucky enough to see the Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture exhibit that showcased her various works and costumes that were made for The Black Panther, which was super cool. A great way to spend a morning or afternoon and cannot complain that it was free!!

Cost: Free (!) Neighborhood: Mount Vernon…read moreHow much time? 60-100 minutes, maybe. Depends on exhibits and how much you like certain time periods Baltimore Reviews 9/11: I went to this wonderful free museum, located in the historical Mount Vernon neighborhood, while traveling through the city with a couple of others, though apparently I had been there about 10 years earlier when I went to Baltimore for an Orioles game. The space was well air-conditioned, and there were several floors for us to explore. The special exhibit was about contemporary jewelry maker Douriean Fletcher and her exhibition, Jewelry of the Afrofuture, which showcased her modern designs and how she drew inspiration from her ancestry and other African countries. She's probably best known for Black Panther, and the exhibit did a good job of comparing while also including some other useful information. It was nice overall and well spaced. Otherwise, we went to the top and made our way down through the various floors, though we didn't take as much time as I would have liked, since we left at one point to go back to the hotel and get ready for the convention center. My favorite sections were probably on the Middle East and ancient Asia, as there was an impressive amount of antiques, ranging from bowls and jugs to statues and other items. The sections containing European artifacts were also nice, with a good hall to relax in, though I've never been the biggest fan of works from the Italian Renaissance. Some spaces felt a bit discombobulated, but there was a ton of stuff there to see, so it's hard to complain. Overall, we had an excellent time. If you want to see a wide variety of things and prefer more historical objects over modern art, I would heavily recommend this museum. It's hard not to, as it's free, though I did give them a small donation, as they definitely deserved it.

Not your typical art museum and that is why it is a Five Star experience. Funky and fun (and…read morepoignant) art work by those who are not typically featured in a museum. This strikes me as somewhat similar to the two excellent Kohler Art museums in Wisconsin. Super interesting and thought provoking especially the stories of many of the artists accompanying their work. The main museum building is a work of art itself. The gift shop is a riot. Hands down the best and craziest museum gift store. Thank goodness my friend recommended this stop. Heads up on parking - the meters on the street are way way cheaper then the Rusty Scupper lot across the street. This place is a gem. Don't miss it!

I've lived in the Baltimore area for quite some time now and I can't believe I've never been to the…read moreAmerican Visionary Art Museum. I mean how can you pass by the mirrored egg or the golden hand and not think to find out what type of dope art is hidden inside. With so many unique pieces to look at I took my time leisurely strolling through the two buildings for the museum. Welcomed by a half naked mannequin with wings floating in the center of the stairs, you can't help but be intrigued to learn more about the artists work. There was so much to take in with every turn. I especially liked the homage to the staples of Baltimore's culture in the second building. And we can't forget about the gift shop that I literally could've spent hours in just rummaging through all the eclectic finds. I'm happy I finally bit the bullet to visit the American Visionary Art Musuem, and I look forward to a return visit to see all the things I missed.

Ripley's was such a blast! I highly recommend buying the bundle that allows you to do the mirror…read moremaze (assuming they still offer this--my last visit was June 2025), as the mirror maze's staff was incredibly kind and fun, but this part was absolutely my favorite as you can tell by the many pictures I took. Despite how small it looks, there is plenty or stuff to do and it is quite interactive! I will say that there is a vertigo tunnel, but if I remember correctly there *should* be an alternative walkthrough into the next section for those with light sensitivity, epilepsy, vertigo, etc. Definitely address your concerns with the staff if need be. Overall, this is absolutely something fun to do with your group (or even by yourself) at any age, and is even quite informative!

Well, in all honesty, it seemed to us that their exhibits were crammed into a small building. While…read moreinteresting, we didn't see anything with a WOW factor. However, it was a good way to kill 90 minutes.

When I started planning my very first trip to St. Michaels, there was one attraction that made the…read moreitinerary before almost anything else: the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. I'd heard so many people rave about it that I figured it deserved a few hours of my vacation. Turns out...a few hours wasn't nearly enough! Admission was $22 for adults, and one of my favorite surprises was learning that your ticket is good for two consecutive days. A volunteer at the front desk gave me a wonderful overview of the property, explained how everything worked and made sure I knew I was welcome to come back the following day as long as I didn't lose my admission sticker. That's tremendous value for everything there is to see! The first thing I realized after walking through the doors? This isn't just a museum. It's an entire waterfront campus! The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum sits right on the Miles River and includes historic buildings, floating vessels, exhibitions, gardens, a working shipyard where traditional wooden boats are still restored and built, and enough history to keep you wandering for hours. Whether you're interested in Chesapeake Bay history, boats, lighthouses, watermen or simply beautiful places to explore, there's something here for just about everyone. Now...in true to me fashion...I headed straight for the gift shop before I looked at anything else. My philosophy is simple: shop first, think about it while I explore, and if I still love it by the time I leave, I already own it. Except...that didn't exactly happen this time. I found something I loved immediately, bought it right away and happily carried my purchase around the museum for the rest of my visit. RELATED SIDEQUEST & PRO TIP: While I was wandering through the gift shop, I overheard another visitor asking an employee if they sold U.S. Lighthouse Society Lighthouse Passport books. Wait...what passport?! Excuse me while I casually eavesdrop. A very quick Google search later, I had fallen headfirst into yet another travel rabbit hole. Apparently there's an entire Lighthouse Passport Program where visitors collect official lighthouse stamps from locations all over the country. Well...that sounds dangerously like something I would absolutely obsess over! The museum has an official lighthouse stamp available at the front desk, so even though I don't own the passport yet, I stamped a blank piece of paper to tuck safely away until I order one. I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be back to stamp the real thing someday! PRO TIP: Get your lighthouse passport before you go! I spent the next several hours wandering the campus completely at my own pace. One thing I really appreciated was that the museum lets you create your own experience. Some exhibits fascinated me, others I breezed through, and there was never any pressure to see things in a particular order. It felt more like exploring than touring. The museum itself was fantastic and easily worth the $22 admission. More than anything, I came away impressed by how much pride everyone there takes in preserving and sharing the history of the Chesapeake Bay. It's clear this isn't simply a collection of artifacts. It's a place that's actively keeping an important part of Maryland's history alive. Whether you're visiting St. Michaels for a weekend or just passing , I'd absolutely recommend making time for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. And while you're there...don't forget to get your lighthouse passport stamp!

What a treat to find this maritime museum when visiting Saint Michael's. From the Welcome Center…read moreto the Lighthouse, this place offers some exceptional Maryland and US history. A great place to explore and learn about crabbing, fishing, oystering and sailing on the Chesapeake, as well as historical information on Frederick Douglass and the slave trade. Very interesting! Incredibly insightful and thought provoking, the Frederick Douglass exhibit was fascinating. What a beautiful day (weather wise) to stroll the grounds of this museum on the water, enjoy the exhibits and interact with the staff here - all incredibly friendly.

One of my favorite museums. It's easily accessible from the National Mall…read more There is an east and west building as well as the outdoor sculpture garden. There are so many pieces of art to see including a rare da Vinci. Absolutely breathtaking art from French Impressionism to Dutch Baroque. As with most DC museums, admission is free.

Gigantic gallery, and before you go, pick a few areas that are must see. It's a bit difficult to…read morecomplete the whole museum in one day. There is an east wing, west wing, and an outdoor sculpture ground as well. Map layout is very clear and the exhibits are very well marked. Highly recommend if you get lost to ask a docent or one of the guards in the rooms. Often they will do special exhibitions featuring artists, so look online for the specific dates you are planning your visit for. Cafes and bathroom spread throughout the museum. Multiple gift shops. The main cafeteria is between the east and west wing on the basement and so is the main gift shop. Parking is paid on the street.

Hidden Baltimore gem! Graffiti Alley has been here for years. Every rapper has done a video/shoot…read morehere. The graffiti is always changing and interesting! I've seen the coolest things here. It's a great representation Baltimore's growing art scene- it's not too far from station north. If you're nearby stop by and have a look, it's something cool and unique to do. Artists can also rent out the building inside for shoots. They used to have raves here too. Not sure about that anymore but the inside is pretty cool too. If you're into street art, come here! So much Instagram/snapchat opportunities here!

This is just an amazing place to shoot. People from all over come here to shoot with their models…read moreand there is plenty of space. There is about three floors of dark corners amazing Graffiti Art and light from the walls. The place is safe and a hidden gem. If you ever want to book your model in a place where you need a lot of space this is the place for you. Friendly staff and great pricing. You can also use the alley to shoot car and bike pictures. Make sure to see visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/graffitiwarehouse/

We visited Kathy at Raye of Light for a "Paint your Pet" class and I cannot say enough wonderful…read morethings about it! Kathy was an incredible teacher. She was very personable, VERY knowledgeable and extremely patient. She has mastered the balance of giving us enough space to channel our own creativity while still offering valuable pointers and guidance. My end product turned out better than I could've ever imagined! I am already planning my next visit.

A friend and I signed on for a class in alcohol ink, not really knowing quite what to expect. But…read moreworking with the materials turned out to be fascinating and quite fun! Kathy is an excellent teacher, putting everyone at ease and reassuring those of us with limited creative impulses. The class size is small--only six students--so Kathy is able to provide lots of one-on-one guidance after her detailed introduction to the materials. I had some hesitation going in and my resulting product looks more like a sea urchin than a wave but I will definitely return for future classes.