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.

I do not like art museums. I was done with The Louvre after an hour. The Met was nice for like 45…read moreminutes. I stayed at the AVAM for THREE (3) hours & only left because I was starving. I loved every single thing about this museum. The gift shop is fun, yes, but the art displays are all entirely unexpected & featuring mainly artists who are disabled/not professionals. There is art made from metal scraps, a ship built out of toothpicks, sculptures made by patients at a mental health institution. The passages to read about the pieces were delightfully detailed. It felt like ingesting the life story of dozens of strangers who turned to art at their darkest moments. Cannot recommend this museum enough. Also, the staff were so lovely. They genuinely cared about our experience too.

The Walters is one of my Favorite museums to visit no matter the season . It's free and accessible…read morefor all . They're 3 buildings to roam , a cafe , interactive activities to keep you occupied. It's the perfect Museum for Dates but it's also great for families with kids .

Incredible. Such a great museum and free…read more Very welcoming, lockers, chill staff. Very helpful signs. And of course incredible art. Very diverse and expansive too, geographically, time, medium, workshop details etc. very fun and impressive/humbling collection and presentation of all the things.

WHAT A TREAT, to have caught the entire Amy Sherald exhibit and BAM! I loved this museum, and this…read moreexhibit specifically! My college campus and myself took a trip here for this, and 5/5 would recommend! So enlightening, so thought-provoking, so CHROME. ;) I'm also especially thankful for the guides that walked our group through Amy's pieces, who then were able to describe and confirm the emotions and response she wanted her audience to receive! Love love love this museum, and thank you to my campus for coordinating this.

My very first visit to the BMA will definitely not be the last. The collection in the museum is…read morehuge! It's definitely a great way to spend your day. I came here specifically for the Amy Sherald collection and was not disappointed. There is plenty of street parking and it doesn't cost much. They also have parking lots in case street parking is hard to find (I'm pretty sure it's hard to find street parking during weekdays because its in the JHU area). Check in was super easy. I was lucky enough to secure a free Thursday ticket, otherwise, there is an admission fee for the exhibit. Finding it was super easy because the staff gave great directions. It was crowded but the flow of the space made it not so overwhelming. All of her paintings were beautiful and meaningful. I loved that they included information about the pieces, what made her choose certain colors, how she chose what height the paintings should be placed and a short video of how she started her career and her process of creating. After leaving her exhibit, I wandered off to see other portions of the museum. The collections were beautiful. I didn't get to see everything because it was getting late but I look forward to visiting again soon.

A very interesting look at a house where Poe stayed during his time in Baltimore. The history and…read moreambiance is incredible. There are stairs that are narrow and low ceilings as you would expect from a house of that age.

Ok this is a self guided hourly tour and you MUST have a reservation. The reason? It's tiny inside…read more Limited number of people. For what you get, it was expensive to get in, at $15 each with no real tour given just wander through the rooms and read info on wall signs. It's not in a great area either and you wouldn't trip across it, so consider an uber. We spent about 15 minutes there. I would refer to it as "underwhelming". Walk to his grave site instead for an interesting place to visit.

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/

The alley is easy to find and there is a enough graffiti to get a lot of good pictures. The problem…read morethere is trash, needles, and other nasty things ALL OVER but to be fair it is an ally and I wen after it had been raining for days! Also the parking in front of it is not free. The gate is open but unless you wanna pay don't park there. The website mentions it but I didn't read till after so that's my fault. Overall it's great! Go there! You'll get some good pictures

What a great museum! I spent almost 3 hours looking at all the exhibits and even did the free tour…read more So cool to see a working Lineotype machine and a machine shop from the turn-of-the-century. Tour guide Felix really did an exceptional job. If you're interested in history and particular Baltimore history, you get to really see what life was like back then.

Came here for a wedding this past spring. This is a cute little museum with some neat exhibits…read more Rumor has it that if you use a museum as your wedding venue, you maybe able to write off your deposit and rental fees on your taxes because it's treated as a donation to charitable organization. Don't quote me because this was something I heard in passing. This museum looks out into part of the harbor, which during a clear day adds even more charm. The museum features a life-size replica of an old pharmacy/ apothecary, and they was my favorite part of the whole thing. For a moment, I was able to relive that scene from Willy Wonka where Charlie walks into the soda shoppe where he purchases his life changing chocolate bar. Glad I came here to see something I otherwise wouldn't have.

I admit, I came here for the instagram photos. I didn't get exactly what I came for because you…read moreonly see a limited number of rooms in the house and you can't take photos on the first floor (to protect the artifacts) . . . but it was still a worthwhile trip! First, call ahead (there is no online system so you do actually have to call) to make sure they are giving tours and at what times (only certain days of the week, last tour usually starts at 1 PM). This mansion is another relic from the gilded age, however this one isn't completely stuck in the past and is a living, breathing arts venue. The last residents (she died in 1956 I think) had no children and left it to Johns Hopkins University with the specification it be used as an art museum. And there is a lot of interesting and attractive art, though it's mostly art by European white men. That's just what the owners collected . . . but our docent told us they are trying to diversify the collection by purchasing pieces by artists of color. The libraries are actually part of the Johns Hopkins collection and students can make appointments to come read them or use them for research. There are some nature books and some Audubon books that are so large that they require two people to move and turn the pages. There is also a reading room for students. It was previously their bedroom, which they didn't want displayed. There are some fun little quirky rich people things (if you dissociate from today's capitalistic hell). A 23K gold bathroom. The second wife who lived in the residence was obsessed with herself and had multiple paintings and busts of herself around the home. And her bathtub was surrounded by mirrors, including a mirror on the ceiling. A bowling alley that was turned into a display space for all their expensive artificacts. A lot of Tiffany glass. Antiquities. My admission was 10 dollars with a AAA discount. I think regular admission is 12 dollars.

I do recommend calling to confirm when a docent is available, but if one is, it is definitely worth…read morecoming. There is plenty of parking as it's a bit away from the main Johns Hopkins campus. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable and explained a lot about each room and answered all of our questions. There are a lot of beautiful and unique objects, even though unfortunately photograph isn't allowed in the good rooms. The sheer amount of books they owned and how they present them is pretty inspiring. The Garrett's having their own performance/stage area is pretty unique, and you can even rent the space out if desired. At the end, there's a great display of their Asian art collection, and then suddenly you are back in the gift shop where you started, which has some good items. The tour was more than an hour, but it was really interesting, and all the employees were excited to answer questions, so you could see their passion. It's a great tour and worth doing if in Baltimore.

A wonderful tattoo shop and museum. Accommodating, trendy, and spacious. Definitely a unique…read moreexperience for the afternoon.

LOVE the Baltimore Tattoo Museum. Had to stop by while at conference to check it out. The museum is…read morepretty much on the first floor and so they say, they'll be doing some renovations in the upcoming month. It's a really cool free museum with great history. The folks in there are really nice as well. To take a souvenir I decided to get a tattoo as well. Drew was my guy and he did such a great job. Good price for my tattoo and I'd definitely come back!

I visited the Amaranthine Museum with a friend this past weekend as part of Doors Open Baltimore…read more(google that if you don't know what it is!). I'm ashamed to say - as a person that lives in Hampden and loves art - that I didn't know anything about the Amaranthine Museum (or had even heard about it) before it was included in Doors Open 2024! So what is it? It's a museum dedicated to local maximalist artist Les Harris. The space is tiny but practically every surface (even parts of the ceiling) are covered in Les Harris's art (there are supposedly 250 works in this tiny little space)! Les Harris's daughter welcomed guests at the entrance, gave a description of her father's art and works, and answered questions as guests walked around. I can't emphasize enough that this is a small space - just one room! But it's packed full of fascinating art (Harris's work looks back through history - focusing on art and culture and time and consciousness) and is such a unique experience. I was blown away by the art and the space itself. Having the artist's daughter there to explain his work made the visit even more special. It's not open on a regular schedule, so if you want to visit this unique space, visit their website and click "III. Hours, Contacts, Directions etc." A very unique experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in art and special local experiences!

This was a little off the beaten path down a back walkway on the rear of the foundry building on…read morethe Doors Open Baltimore tours. This is a very unique museum showcasing the work of one man, Les Harris. Mr. Harris created over 300 pieces of art in an installation that envelopes every surface and transports the visitor through time in a fallout shelter. The entire collection was moved to its present location for all to enjoy. It is an eclectic work of art. We were in awe of the colors and textures and subject matter used.

There's fun kids' activities in the Maryland Science Center downtown Baltimore. We're members, so…read moreit's free to go as often as we like! With that, we can stay with any one thing we're in the mood for, and next time see other stuff. This time, (Apr 2026), it was all the color-panel floor! No, I dont know what the official name is. The kids with us just ran and danced and played across the changing shapes and colors, and sometime just lay there as the colors and shapes changed around them, while other kids of all ages joined in for longer or shorter times. I don't think they have free days, but there are some inexpensive entry categories, and you can bring a friend in with anything but the most basic membership.

Overall, I really enjoy the center and think that it can be a wonderful place for families…read more Pros: it's a big facility and plenty for kids to see and do. My favorite location at the moment is the new Space Center which was just opened this year. It has some fun interactive exhibits and encourages kids to think about the universe around them. Also, there's a Kid's Rook filled with all sorts of in doors interactive activities including a giant water take, and many manipulatives. The live shows and science demonstrations are varied and incredibly well scripted and interactive. We've seen about 5-6 different shows this year and both my kids (ages 5 and 8) have loved and been engaged for every one. Staff are overall super friendly and they keep the facility super clean with the exception of the men's bathrooms. There's also a room where kids can conduct their own supervised experiments which is wonderful. And there's a new maker area that opened a few weeks ago where the kids are challenged to design all sorts of contraptions using recycled material (my kids spend 90 minutes there this morning!) Cons: no refreshments except for a really poorly designed self check out for frozen burgers and soft drinks and chips. This place could do with an actual eatery. Some areas are feeling and looking old. The dinosaur exhibit feels ancient and several of the areas, like the interactive screens do not work properly. It needs an upgrade (and so do a couple of other areas). Summer field trips can be unpleasant. At times, hundreds of unsupervised children can be in the facility and staff do not know how to force chaperones to be watching their children instead of being on their phones. I've seen kids shove other kids, steel toys from them, or simply be completely unsupervised at times and it makes me worry for their own safety. This was a repeated problem over the summer. The men's bathrooms especially on the second floor smell awful and are disgusting. Overall: my family and I have a membership and we do come a lot (probably 20 times a year). I feel like you can get a ton of use for it and kids have fun and can learn quite a bit while they are at it.