A bit of a hike from DC, this cozy free museum is a must for history and technology buffs…read more Located, appropriately enough, right next to the heavily secured National Security Agency. Plan on taking an hour, maybe an hour and a half, to leisurely examine the exhibits. Docents are available to answer your questions. I found the exhibits amazing. Walking away from visiting NCM, I have to marvel at how smart and clever humans are. Encryption started way back. The Egyptians were known to encrypt messages. Thomas Jefferson encrypted his sensitive letters. Napoleon was a big fan of encryption. The mechanical encryption devices on display, from World War I on, are fascinating to see with all their bells and whistles.

Brought a group of High School students here for a field trip. The museum is free so you can't beat…read morethe price. We had a guided tour. It was very interesting to see all of the history and learn about the science behind all of the exhibits. Some have a little interactive portion as well. The tour lasted about a hour. After it was done the students looked around on their own for a few. Not a bad way to spend a day away from school while still learning something.

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.

It's truly magical for kids to use their imagination. Giants Big bed to jump on, space station,…read more and so much more. Go with an open mind to explore this imaginative space

We arrived in Ellicott City on a beautiful windy winter day. I think you need a lot of patience…read moredriving around cause it's a small area and parking is as precious as gold. If you find a spot, take it. We meandered into HorseSpirit Gallery and just spent an hour overwhelmed by the talent of the work by different artists. They have fabulous jewelry, to die for wind chime sculptures and some art pieces that make you do a double take. I would definitely put this on my list of places to go if you are in the area. For this shop as well as all the others along the strip.

Beautifully curated gallery focusing on Maryland artists. Great location at Savage Mill. Robin,…read morethe owner, works so well with artists and clients. Highly recommended.

Very cool museum. There is plenty of parking which is great, and it's a reappropriated old canning…read morefactory, which makes the space very big and well-lit and directly referencing the content of the museum. It is a shame Baltimore is past some of its old industry successes, but the exhibits are engaging and beautifully designed. There's a lot of information on canning, fishing, steel, automotive, and manufacturing industries and why they rose and fell. You can see the water from the back of the building and the Domino's sugar factory which is still around producing. There are even smaller immersive exhibits on clothing, pharmacies, bakeries, and bars thrived in the city. The employee at the front was very knowledgeable about our questions. They also give some free tours throughout the day. There was a small movie about a fisherman's experience in contemporary times trying to find work. There was a fairly new exhibit on the men who lost their lives with the Dali boat crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Overall, a bunch of great content worth a couple of hours to look through. Visual exhibits are also good for children. The price of admission is reasonable and this is a great introduction to what build Baltimore and how it continues to endure.

This was on our radar as a possible stop when in the area. Given the cold and rainy weather we…read moredecided to give this a try after our visit to the excellent American Visionary Art Museum down the street. With our reciprocal museum membership the admission was free. Otherwise it would have $8-$10 each. Parking is free and easily available which is not common in downtown Baltimore. The worker at the front desk was super energetic and helpful. This museum is housed in an old canning factory. The displays are all well done and we learned alot about industry in the Baltimore area and local history. Lots of hands on displays. Worth an hour or so of your time. Thumbs up!

the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and it was such a powerful and informative experience. The exhibits…read morewere thoughtfully curated, highlighting both the struggles and triumphs of African Americans in Maryland and beyond. From historical artifacts to modern-day stories, everything was presented in a way that felt both educational and personal. The museum staff were welcoming, and the space itself was clean, well-organized, and easy to navigate. We especially appreciated the interactive displays and the depth of local history that's often overlooked in mainstream museums. Highly recommend making time for this if you're in Baltimore--it's an enriching experience that leaves you reflecting long after you leave

We stopped here with friends visiting from out of town, and everyone loved it! The exhibits tell…read moreAfrican American history in such a real and powerful way -- definitely not watered down. Our guide, Anani Kulu Fatiu, was amazing! His passion, knowledge, and energy made the whole experience come alive. You can tell he truly lives what he teaches. This place is educational, inspiring, and a must-see for all backgrounds. Can't wait to come back once the expansion is complete!

Amazing Museum really! TS the instructor is so passionate, and detailed about every masterpiece…read moreinside the museum! Definitely a great place to recommend for all of you!!!!!

I just visited the U.S. Naval Academy Museum for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I was…read morereally impressed. The museum is located in Preble Hall on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, so you'll need to check in/go through security at the visitor entrance (they check ID and run your bags through a metal detector), but it was very fast. Then it's just a quick walk over to Preble Hall. When we entered, we welcomed to the museum by two docents, who briefly explained what could be found in the museum, including their favorite parts of the collection (which was perfect, because we had less than hour in the museum before they closed). The museum is two floors. The first floor has exhibits on the development of the Navy and the history of the Naval Academy. The second floor houses an incredible collection of models of warships from the 17th-19th centuries (one of the largest collections of ship models). I wasn't sure this would be that interesting to me, but the docents had really highlighted this part of the collection during their introduction. I'm so glad we trusted them, because it was fascinating. One part of this collection really blew me away - the bone model display. It might sound morbid, but these models were carved from the bones of beef rations given to French prisoners of war during their incarceration in England (Anglo-French wars of 1756-1815). I had no idea about any of this history (does anyone?!), and it was really interesting. But the first floor also had amazing artifacts, and I learned a lot. Overall, this museum (also free, by the way) was pretty great. Even if you're not typically interested in naval history, this museum is special. It's well-curated and interesting. And those docents were wonderful! I'm sure I'll be back to take in what I didn't have time to on my first visit!

Free museum! Tip,…read moreyou can't drive your car to entrance as a visitor. Must park in town and walk over. Volunteers at desk are available to give you tips about the exhibits. Clean bathrooms are available. The ship exhibits are cool!

We visited the Heritage Society of Essex Museum for the first time and were blown away. I was…read moreexpecting a room or two of things, but it turns out it's a full museum of surprises about our little community of Essex. Some favorites included military artifacts, a jail cell with a haunted past, and an area like an old fashioned Main Street. I've passed this place my entire life and am sad I never stopped. It's open Saturdays and the cost is FREE. They will open for special tours for local organizations (i.e.; Cub scouts). I forget the name of our sweet tour guide, but she made our trip special.