I went with my family for a day to get away. We arrived, after a short 90-mile drive from Harrisburg, at around 10:00 a.m. and by then we were starving. Before seeking out food, however, we made a brief stop at The Visitors Center where we found tons of pamphlets suggesting nice ideas on where to go in Baltimore.

We chose to begin at The Harborplace & The Gallery which is inside an enormous building fronting the Harbor with plenty of windows for people-watching. The choices of eateries were endless and unbelievable! To run you through the various types of food would take up this whole page, but it varied from Cajun to Chinese, Italian, Mexican, and good old burgers, hot dogs, fries, steaks, subs, or pizza. And, the seafood! Let’s not forget about the seafood! Everywhere you turned there was a Phillips restaurant or take-out bar offering the freshest in seafood right out of the Chesapeake Bay.

Now, for those of you with more than one sweet tooth like myself, the snacks, desserts and specialty foods offered are fab-u-lous!. Cookies, Ben & Jerry’s, frozen yogurts, drinks, Italian pastries, café’s fruits, chocolates, cookies, cheesecakes, pies, and candies all abound. As we were wandering through the complex searching for that perfect dessert, we were drawn by the melodious sounds of the employees at The Fudgery singing and performing as they make those HUGE rolls of delicious fudge. It was quite a crowd pleaser.

After devouring our funnel cakes topped off with strawberry sauce..yummn..we then browsed through the stores. There were women’s, men’s, and children’s clothes, shoes and accessories such as jewelry, perfumes and colognes, bath products, and household items. Some stores were familiar such as The Gap and The Bath and Bodyworks, but then there were those unique stores where the obviously hand-crafted vases and crystals are so exquisite and rare that they leave you in awe for minutes to follow.

Next on our agenda was to take the harbor shuttle for Fell’s Point. The smooth and comfortable ride only cost $2.50 per person and was very scenic. The other option to visit Fell’s Point would have been the water taxi, which takes you to 16 points and is also available all day long. The water taxi is $3.50 for adults and $2.25 for kids ten and under and both are unlimited use. Stopping every 15-18 minutes, this method of transportation proves to be very convenient for getting to a variety of places such as The National Aquarium and the Baltimore Maritime Museum, where you can see and learn about many species of marine life; the Maryland Science Center; Davis Planetarium; and the Fort McHenry Land Connection as well as the American Visionary Art Museum. The Pier Six Concert Pavilion is another landing which has upcoming shows with artists such as Patti LaBelle, Brian McKnight, Clint Black, The Doobie Brothers and the B.B. King Blues Festival. Little Italy, the Flag House Museum, Civil War Museum, and the Museum of Industry are all also other.

My favorite was Little Italy. With 13 restaurants in Little Italy, all specializing in making delicious tasting food that you can smell from just about miles away, the decision of which one to choose was hard. Even though I could not possibly eat at every one, it would definitely be my guess that they are all delicious.

The Civil War Museum is best known for the events of April 19,1861, when Baltimore secessionists clashed with Massachusetts volunteers and the first dead of the civil War fell right there on Pratt Street. You can even find out more about the underground railroads, and it is also called the President Street Station. Fort McHenry is the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner and includes the original manuscript along with many other fascinating historic artifacts. It’s amazing how much history there is in Baltimore.

Okay, back to historic Fell’s Point which is considered Baltimore’s original seaport and offers spirits, food, antiques, history, shopping and theatres. Street after street was lined up with shops and restaurants and the buildings were beautiful. One of the employees running the shuttle told us that it is safe to say that we could not actually get to see all of the stores in one day. No kidding, I thought to myself.

We strolled along the streets and shopped around in some of the stores that looked interesting. I love tigers and purchased a candle with tigers on it that glow…which is something I have never seen before. It was a relaxing walk and the weather was perfect, sunny with cool breezes. The employee was right, we didn’t get to all of the stores, our feet began to tell us no way!

We debated about what to do next since there was so much we hadn’t covered like the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame. Being America’s oldest sport, you can enjoy seeing rare photographs and art, vintage equipment and uniforms, striking sculptures and trophies, cherished memorabilia and artifacts. Then there are the good old Orioles games. From April to September you can visit Camden Yards and watch them play an exciting game of real baseball. Hall of Fame Weekend is August 28-to the 30th, and to see their schedule, check out their site at www.theOrioles.com. Or if you can’t make it to a ball game, then ball tours are available on a regular schedule and only $4 for children and seniors, and $5 for adults.

Another site not to pass up is the Boordy Vineyards located in a restored 19th century barn which offers tours, tastings, and wine sales. They have occasional special events such as on August 8th there will be a Tropical Ensemble playing, which is authentic steel drum music, and from 6-9:30, you could spread a blanket on the lawn and have a picnic. For only $8 per person, included is a tour of the winery, food, and wine samples. That sounds very romantic and just maybe edges me towards another trip. I also thought the Murder Mystery Cruise Aboard A Windjammer sounded cool. Boarding is at 5:30pm, and their cruises are from 6-9p. Show dates are September 6, Labor Day Weekend, October 4, and all Sundays. The $45 ticket includes the sailing cruise, a buffet meal, a cash bar, and the infamous Murder Mystery Show. I have heard about places like that and up until now never knew where to go. Something like that you only do maybe a couple times in your life, and in this case it seems like a thrilling experience.

If you like to miniature golf (I know…I know, you’re thinking, ‘I could do that here’, but none of Harrisburg’s miniature golf courses feature 18 miniature golf holes designed by artists). Art Links Baltimore showcase a different theme at each hole such as The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, an Edgar Allen Poe gothic tale of horror, Jam with Cab Calloway, and many more. It’s a change from the norm and it is also in the Inner Harbor.

Baltimore also welcomes people of all cultures with their ethnic festivals celebrating the lifestyles of Hispanic, German, Korean, Irish, Greek and many more. These festivals are each held in different places in the downtown Baltimore area and allow you to experience the music, dance, food, and crafts from all around the world.

Next to the Maryland Science Center is Clipper City of Baltimore which takes you on a safe and comfortable three-hour ride that are available throughout the week. Tickets are only $12 for adults and $2 for children. That’s a pretty good deal, and Fridays and Saturday nights they have a Calypso and Reggae Sail with live Caribbean music. Or a Sunday Brunch Sail with champagne and both these special rides are a bit more expensive but seem like well worth it. They even do Private Charters and suggest having weddings, receptions, bus groups, dinner parties, reunions, or even corporate outings. It’s something a little out of the norm.

We decided to walk around some more and we saw that there is a new ESPN Zone that just opened in July, and it is located right next to the Hard Rock Café. Although I didn’t take the time out to stop in, it looked to me like a lot of other people did… the line was very long and all kinds of people were waiting to go in and eat in the 35,000 square foot sports dining and entertainment center. Sports fans will be entertained and treated to great American Grill food, offered any game on the air in the screening room and are challenged with a variety of interactive games and attractions in the sports arena.

We thought about hitting the night life which is a place called Twisters right there in the Inner Harbor that has two levels and the only see-through dance floor in Baltimore. But, even though they have DJ’s all weekend long and, from what I could tell, really good deals on the drinks, we were too tired from all that walking and shopping and called it a day.

If you do decide stay for the weekend, just blocks away from the Inner Harbor and Aquarium is the Omni Hotel that offers 707 spacious rooms, a variety of suites and Executive Club Floors for the business traveler. The Harbor Court Hotel which has a fabulous view of the Harbor, was judged as the 11th best hotel in the country by Conde’ Nast Traveler. With its world class reputation, if you want to go all out with an exceptionally beautiful place to stay, then this would be your best bet.

The Baltimore Marriott in the inner harbor is also very nice but not as pricy, and it is just walking distance away from just about everything. Twelve minutes from the Baltimore-Washington Airport and two blocks from the civic center and Convention Center.

Baltimore Area Visitors Center
1-800-282-6632 or (410) 659-7066

Baltimore Information Center
(410) 837-4636

Omni Inner Harbor Hotel
1-800-THE-OMNI or (410) 752-1100

Harbor Court Hotel
1-800-824-0076 or (410) 234-0550

Baltimore Marriott
(410) 962-0202