Baltimore's Educational Tour Attractions

The City of Baltimore, being a dynamic port city, has lots to offer for all types of student groups. More than just historic landmarks, the city is home to many sites and attractions that provide learners of all ages enriching educational adventures and life-long memories.

The city offers numerous educational tour destinations that can be a great alternative to Washington DC.

Here are some of our recommendations for your next educational tour in Baltimore:

Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

This museum, located at 216 Emory Street, is situated at the birthplace of Baltimore’s native son George Herman “Babe” Ruth, one of America’s first sports legends and one of the greatest who stepped on the field of baseball. In this museum, your group could tour the place where this sporting great grew up and learned his skills. Memorabilia of his life and career are permanently on display here. It also houses a sports museum where you and your group could learn bits of history of local and regional sports - including the Negro Leagues.

American Visionary Art Museum

The American Visionary Arts Museum was designated by Congress as America’s national museum for visionary arts to promote artists for their unique creative vision and intuitive approach. Its permanent exhibition includes more than 4000 pieces from self-taught visionary artists of varying backgrounds. AVAM’s collections and displays honor the "process and consciousness" of the artist, rather than being a "mere artifact.” The museum's art pieces were all made and inspired by the artists' passion within. Truly one of its kind, this museum celebrates creativity in all its form.

Baltimore Museum of Art

The Baltimore Art Museum is considered one of the country’s centers for modern art. It is home to the renowned Cone Collection, an extensive accumulation of art pieces and artifacts including works of art greats Matisse and Picasso donated by Baltimore natives Claribel and Etta Cone. Aside from the pieces from the Cone sisters, BMA also proudly displays on its halls works of European masters of modern art such as Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Juan Gris, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Andre Masson, Matta, Yves Tanguy, Alberto Giacometti, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Max Pechstein. Furthermore, the museum boasts of its extensive collection of art from Africa, American contemporary art, ancient Antioch mosaics, art from Asia, textiles from around the world, and works of established and emerging modern artists. You and your group can feast your senses by touring BMA’s galleries of contemporary art from different corners of the globe.

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum

B&O Railroad Museum in 901 West Pratt Street is home to one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world. It is a haven for locomotive enthusiasts with a sprawling collection of 250 pieces of railroad rolling stock, 15,000 artifacts, and 5,000 cubic feet of archival material. The museum also boasts four important 19th-century buildings - including the old Mount Clare Station and historic roundhouse and a mile of rail track, considered the most historic mile of railroad track in the country as it is recognized as the birthplace of American railroading. The young ones will surely enjoy a tour of this place with its wooden model train for children to climb on. The museum hosts an annual Day Out with Thomas event, complete with a non-powered Thomas the Tank Engine replica that the kids and kids at heart will surely enjoy. It will undoubtedly be a great way to celebrate your next family reunion or school trip.

The Walter Arts Museum

The Walter Arts Museum offers any visitor the chance to experience a stunning collection of art from around the world that spans 7 millennia by walking through its hallowed halls. The museum’s 36,000-piece collection was extensively acquired by father-and-son William Thompson Walters and Henry Walters. It includes art from the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, Greece, and the Near East, medieval ivory sculptures, centuries-old manuscripts, bronze items from the Renaissance period, Chinese pottery, Art deco jewelry, and pieces of Middle Eastern art. Also, the museum offers varied programs throughout the year such as tours, performances, art-making, talks and lectures, and activities for your groups, families, and kids.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Fort McHenry is a great place to relive the United States’ early years as a nation. It is known as the site that inspired the words for the country’s national anthem. This pentagonal bastion by the coast of the Chesapeake Bay played an important part in US history. Its successful defense contributed to the success of the Battle of Baltimore against the attacking British Navy during the War of 1812. During the war, an American storm flag was flown over the fort while it was being bombarded by the British Navy. It was later replaced by a larger US garrison flag which flew gloriously until the victory of the fort's defense. The sight of this enduring symbol inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem 'Defense of Fort M'Henry' that was later set to the tune 'To Anacreon in Heaven' and became known as 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Visitors of the fort are taken back in time with its well-preserved artifacts, period-dressed rangers, and enriching tours and exhibits. Whether you're a history enthusiast or you're just looking for a place with a spectacular view of the bay, Fort McHenry is a must-visit in Baltimore.

The National Aquarium

The National Aquarium in Baltimore gives any visitor the experience to be awe-inspired and amazed by exhibits that take you through the wonders of nature. It not only offers displays on the colorful life under the sea, but visitors may also explore and learn more about wildlife from different habitats. Permanent exhibitions and shows include the Blacktop Reef featuring Blacktip and zebra sharks swimming along with colorful fishes and rays, the Tropical RainForest which simulates an Amazon rainforest with elevated platforms where one can experience bird-watching and a cave with glass-enclosed displays of various reptiles, amphibians, and terrestrial arthropods, the Atlantic Coral Reef which displays species found in the Atlantic Ocean from shallow shores to the deepest trenches, and the Animal Planet Australia exhibit that shows the rich wildlife of the Land Down under including 1,800 individual native animals such as freshwater crocodiles, turtles, free-flying birds, snakes, lizards, and flying foxes and. A tour of the National Aquarium in Baltimore gives your group a chance to experience nature’s beauty in the middle of the city.

Maryland Zoo

The Maryland Zoo, formerly known as Baltimore Zoo, is one of the oldest zoological parks in the United States. The zoo features an extensive display of animals from Maryland's native species to African wildlife to polar bears and penguins. More than just a regular zoo, the facility is also active in many conservation programs that aim to protect species and their habitats through its exceptional in-house husbandry, medical care, research, and education programs. Aside from viewing the animals, the zoo also offers varied interaction activities that give visitors the chance for close encounters with selected animals such as penguins, giraffes, chimpanzees, and goats. In addition to its regular guided tours, you and your group may also experience animals more up-close with their signature Behind-The-Scenes tour. Moreover, it helps students from various fields of interest - whether it's sketching animals, observing their behavior, designing structures for exhibits, or finding inspiration for literary works.

Baltimore Museum of Industry

The Baltimore Museum Industry, located in a historic waterfront building of an old oyster 19th-century cannery, celebrates the industrial legacy of Maryland. It shows how the industries contribute to the states’ on-going development. Inside its campus, the museum recreates parts of the old cannery, a 1900 garment loft, and the pharmacy where Noxzema was invented. It also contains exhibits of Baltimore’s food industry. The museum also houses a library with over 5,000 volumes of rare and historic books and manuscripts covering all major trades in Baltimore - including canning, manufacturing, the cloth industries, violin making, and the steel industry. BMI offers interactive displays, live demonstrations, enriching tours, and hands-on activities that engage visitors with the stories of the people who built Baltimore and the industries that are shaping Maryland’s future.

Maryland Science Center

Learning science has never been so much fun and interactive than that of the Maryland Science Center. The center offers three floors of engaging exhibits that make kids of all ages explore different subjects such as anatomy, physics, paleontology, and astronomy. The Maryland Science Center, located conveniently at the Inner Harbor, offers live lectures and demonstrations, the Davis Planetarium, an IMAX theater, and a rooftop observatory where you can watch the night sky. The dinosaur exhibit features a full-scale replica of dinosaur skeletons including a tyrannosaurus rex. The planetarium allows guests to explore the solar system and deep space. The Newton gallery hands-on physics-related experiments - including a "Bernoulli blower," "inertia table," and other things. Also, visitors can learn more about the human body through their extensive anatomy exhibits. Students of all ages, families, and groups can ignite the inner scientist in them through their hands-on experience that sparks curiosity and drive the quest for knowledge.

Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum

This humble brick house located in 203 Amity Street is the birthplace and former home of one of the most prominent figures of American literature, Edgar Allan Poe. He was a poet, writer, editor, and literary critic who was famous for his poems and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and grim. His landmark works earned his the time as the father of modern short stories. The house, where Poe grew up in, was excellently preserved and still retaining most of the original structure from the 19th-century. It presently contains exhibits that celebrate his life, works, and death. The museum displays some of the important artifacts owned by the great writer - including his portable writing desk and chair, and a telescope, china, and glassware used by Edgar when living with his family in Richmond, Virginia. The museum, through its numerous events and lectures, continues to influence writers and poets of all ages by keeping his spirit and legacy alive. Groups of aspiring writers, poets, and playwrights will be undoubtedly inspired by walking in the footsteps of Edgar Allan Poe.

Port Discovery Children’s Museum

Port Discovery Children’s Museum is a place where kids of all ages can play and learn. It features three floors of exciting and engaging exhibits that spark children’s curiosity, encourages them to use their imagination, and discover how things work as they explore and play. This museum provides fun-filled and interactive activities for the young and young-at-heart to learn, interact, engage, and be curious. Their displays and experience offered to spark the curiosity of every child to discover themselves and their interest and help them develop life-long learning. Through interaction and communication, children (and adults alike) will be able to build connections and become more socially conscious children. With their various programs and fun activities, kids will be able to understand and learn more about the world they are part of. A trip to the Port Discovery Children’s Museum can be a fun-filled educational experience for the whole family.

Jewish Museum of Maryland

The Jewish Museum of Maryland, located in Lloyd Street, is a place that celebrates the story of the American Jewish experience in Baltimore and the state of Maryland. The center is acknowledged as one of the country’s leading institutions on Jewish heritage. Its comprehensive collection includes 12,000 objects and memorabilia, more than 68,000 photographs, and 850 unwritten histories housed in two historic synagogues and three exhibit galleries. The museum combines traditional and contemporary art, rare artifacts, historic images, oral traditions, educational videos, and interactive activities on exhibits to tell the Jewish narrative in Maryland and beyond. Experience and discover the rich energy of Jewish history and culture by visiting the Jewish Museum of Maryland with your group, family, or school.

Maryland Historical Society

The Maryland Historical Society Museum and Library is a great place to start your exploration of the history of the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. The MdHS proudly exhibits the original manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the letters and journals of Benjamin Banneker. Its extensive collection of artifacts related to the history of Maryland includes 231 weapons, 866 pieces of jewelry, 2,200 Native American prehistoric archaeological objects, 15,000 musical scores. It is also in possession of an outstanding collection of 18th- and 19th-century paintings and silver, maritime artifacts, Maryland painted and inlaid furniture, quilts, clothing, ceramics, dolls, and toys. Whether you are a student, a teacher, a family, a collector or an enthusiast of vintage clothing, the MdHS Museum and Library has something in store for you.