Beautiful Charles Village in Central Baltimore under a blanket of snow.
When I mention that I live in Baltimore, I get mixed reactions. Common responses include: “Have you seen The Wire?”, “Have you been to the aquarium?”, and sometimes quite simply, “Ugh. Why?”
Baltimore is a challenging city with real problems. It still suffers from a huge amount of inequality and segregation (much like the rest of the United States). It is typically dismissed by tourists in lieu of its bigger, more famous neighbors (Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, etc.), as if Baltimore’s bad reputation means that it should be avoided. But the “why would I ever go to Baltimore?” question ignores a few key details: 1) that Baltimore is a center for community organizing, and there are an incredible number of initiatives within the city to improve the livelihood of its citizens, and 2) that Baltimore has a lot to offer, as both a place to live and as a tourist destination. It has a thriving arts scene, amazing food options, beautiful architecture, and lots of history. It feels simultaneously like a large city and a small town, and it has a unique personality. I love Baltimore and I encourage anyone to pay it a visit. It’ll be worth it, I swear.
Below is a list of a few free things to do in Baltimore for the budget-conscious traveler and/or Baltimorean. I would also like to add that many of the places/activities on this list can be accessed by the Charm City Circulator, the city’s free bus system.
Enjoy Bawlmer, hon!
1. Read in the city that reads
Baltimore is a great city for books, and free books at that. Throughout the city there are Little Free Libraries – adorable, painted structures that look like tiny doghouses. They can be found in parks, on street corners, and even in people’s front yards. And of course, they’re filled with books. You can take what you want or leave what you want.
I have found six Little Free Libraries around Baltimore so far, though I have heard that there are at least 20. I think that this is a great initiative within Baltimore. It not only encourages reading, but also encourages sharing, generosity, and a sense of community.
The Book Thing is another Baltimore book staple, but after a fire that occurred on March 2, 2016 its operations have changed a little bit. While Baltimore book lovers wait for the grand reopening, The Book Thing has a satellite site at the Peabody Heights Brewery. The Book Thing is a book exchange – you can take as many books as you want (or can carry!), or you can donate books. Or both, or neither! For donation information, check The Book Thing’s Facebook page. Otherwise, stop by the satellite site in the meantime for your free book needs.
Finally, you can attend the Baltimore Book Festival, a free, three-day festival each fall about all things books! The festival takes place in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Hundreds of authors attend, and it features readings, book signings, workshops, and more.
One of many Little Free Libraries around Baltimore. This one is located in the neighborhood of Old Goucher, in the center of a community garden.
2. Visit Hampden, one of Baltimore’s quirkiest neighborhoods
Located in central Baltimore, Hampden is quite a site to see. In the center of Hampden is “The Avenue” (West 36th Street), which is full of shops, restaurants, and cafes. It’s a great place for window shopping, antiquing, or picking up a naturally mummified raccoon (yes, you read that right, there is a shop in Hampden in which you can purchase a naturally mummified raccoon. Go figure, Baltimore is a little weird.) But otherwise, along the Avenue you can browse books, look at local art and artisanal goods, and get a good dose of that Baltimore charm. It’s also a great neighborhood to walk around in on a sunny day and people-watch.
If you’re in Baltimore around Christmastime, I also strongly recommend heading over to Hampden in the evening to check out the 34th Street Lights. Two blocks south of the Avenue, there is a block of 34th Street (between Keswick Road and Chestnut Avenue) that does Christmas. Not only do the rowhomes get decked out with lights and decorations on just about every available surface, but even the telephone poles and powerlines to the houses do not get spared. Some houses are open to the public with indoor displays. It is truly a sight to see, but good luck parking in Hampden around that time.
3. Attend some uniquely Baltimore festivals
Speaking of Hampden, go to HONfest. HONfest is a festival that occurs in the middle of June and is tons of fun. The Avenue gets closed to traffic and basically becomes a giant, weekend-long block party. The distinct mark of a hon: beehive hairdo, neon-colored boa, cat-eye glasses. HONfest is the ultimate Baltimore people-watching experience, Hampden turned up at full volume.
Also, did you know that the largest arts festival in the United States takes place in Baltimore? Well, it sure does. Every July, Artscape comes to Baltimore. Streets are closed between Mount Vernon, Bolton Hill, and Station North during this three-day-long festival. Not only are there hundreds of visual artists displaying their work, but Artscape also has outdoor stages, concerts, and performing arts. The theme of Artscape in 2015 was water, and included painting stormdrains around the city to raise awareness about stormwater pollution prevention.
Other notable (free!) Baltimore festivals are the Charles Village Festival (May), the EBLO LatinoFest (June), Pride (July), and a lot more.
Just after sunset during Artscape 2015. The ferris wheel sits majestically in the center of Charles Street.
4. Augment your social justice knowledge at Red Emma’s
Red Emma’s is a treasure in Baltimore. It’s a coffee shop, a radical bookstore, and a community space. It is an important center for activism and it’s a great place to learn (for free!). There are consistently free events and classes offered. Some events that I have attended include a talk by a Palestinian-American reporter on the topic of justice in Palestine, an anti-racist poetry night, and an info session on sustainable menstrual products.
Events and talks at Red Emma’s occur consistently, typically with multiple talks per month. Their event page has more information about upcoming events, many of which are relevant to social justice issues within Baltimore.
Also, within Red Emma’s is the Baltimore Free School, which is exactly what it sounds like. It is a space for anyone who wishes to take free classes, on topics ranging from computer classes to debate classes to intersectional feminism reading groups.
And just saying, Red Emma’s is a great place for a coffee date!
5. Go hiking
Baltimore may be a city, but it’s got some pretty stunning parks and trails right within city limits. Drive ten minutes north of downtown and you arrive at Lake Roland (formerly Robert E. Lee Park). Lake Roland is a 500+ acre park surrounding, you guessed it, Lake Roland. It’s walkable from the Falls Road Light Rail station, and contains miles of trails. The park is also a great place to have a barbecue during a hot summer day in Baltimore, as there are grills and pavilions all around the park entrance. Eat, go for a walk in the woods, and you’ll forget that you’re in the center of a city.
In West Baltimore is the Gwynns Falls Trail, a trail network that is 15 miles long. There are numerous trailheads, parking areas, and points of interest along the trail. I like to hike in Leakin Park in West Baltimore, but you can follow the trail all the way to Federal Hill in Central Baltimore.
Hiking the Gwynns Falls Trail in Leakin Park in January as the sun starts to set.
6. Go salsa dancing
Baltimore is a small city with a thriving salsa scene. Although certain venues come and go, there is generally salsa either every night of the week in Baltimore, or almost every night of the week. Many places offer no cover charge to dance, and some places even offer free salsa classes. Salsa (and Latin dance in general) is a great social hobby. You can dance just about anywhere in the world and it’s a surefire way to meet a lot of people. It’s also a great form of exercise. Dance is aerobic and all of those twists and spins on the dance floor will cause you to work up a sweat, perfect for cold Baltimore nights (and hot Baltimore nights, because let’s face it, any time of the year is a good time to go salsa dancing).
For salsa classes and social dancing, check out Salsa Now and/or Sentimiento, two of the dance schools in Baltimore. Also, for the serious salsa dancers, Baltimore has a salsa congress! I attended last year and loved every second of it – you can see my in-depth review of the congress here!
7. Walk Baltimore’s beautiful waterfront
Sunny day in Baltimore? Go for a walk in this beautiful, walkable city. The Inner Harbor is a tourist destination, with its pavilions and street performers, but it also has a really lovely boardwalk that both locals and visitors can enjoy. Walking south from the Inner Harbor, you pass giant fountains that you can play in, volleyball courts, and the hill at Federal Hill Park. Climb the hill and you’ll get a pretty stunning view of downtown Baltimore.
The view of the Inner Harbor and Downtown Baltimore from the hill at Federal Hill Park.
Continuing along the water, you’ll walk through the ritzy real estate in Harbor View, a quiet waterfront neighborhood just south of the Inner Harbor. I really love walking the boardwalk through Harbor View at night, and seeing the reflections of the city lights on the water. It’s quite lovely.
Going the other direction from the Inner Harbor, you can follow the boardwalk to Fells Point and further on to Canton. The stretch of boardwalk between Fells Point and Canton is great – it’s almost two miles long with a constant view of the harbor.
Baltimore has some great sunsets! This one seen from the boardwalk at the Canton Waterfront.
8. Indulge in art indoors…
Baltimore is a great city for art, and has a number of free art museums. In Mount Vernon is the Walters Art Museum. It has all sorts of exhibits, such as art from Ethiopia, Baroque Europe, the Ancient Americas… Thursday nights the Walters is open late, and there are special events offered, such as talks and workshops.
Another great, free art museum in Baltimore is the BMA (the Baltimore Museum of Art). The BMA is located in Charles Village, right next to the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus. It has a massive collection of historic, modern, and contemporary art, and also offers a number of free events, including free guided tours.
9. …and outdoors, all around the city
Baltimore has some absolutely stunning street art. Walk anywhere around the city and you’re bound to find some great murals and street art.
An incredible mural in a small park in Station North, at the corner of St. Paul Street and Lafayette Street.
Also, be sure to check out Baltimore’s “graffiti alley” in Station North. It’s an alley at the intersection of North Avenue and Howard Street, just north of North Ave. And it’s covered, end to end, in some pretty phenomenal graffiti. The graffiti alley is maintained by the Graffiti Warehouse, an arts space in Baltimore that supports local street artists.
Graffiti Alley in Baltimore
10. Relax by the Monument on a warm, sunny day
My personal favorite! I love the Monument. Located in the center of Mount Vernon is the Washington Monument in Baltimore. It may be the lesser-known counterpart to the Washington Monument in D.C., but ours was here first. You can climb the tower for a couple bucks and get a great view of the city, or you can hang out on in the parks on ground level.
Perpendicular to the Monument in each cardinal direction are four little parks. They each have tables and chairs, fountains and benches, and rows of big shady trees. One of my favorite sunny day activities in Baltimore is to take a book or my journal with me to the Monument, find a table in one of the parks, and just pass the time. In those parks I’ve had many talks over coffee with my closest friends, have wandered around in the moonlight with dates, and have gotten lots of quality alone time. The parks around the Monument are just a few of many beautiful green spaces within Baltimore City, and they are one of my favorite places to pass an afternoon.
The Washington Monument at dusk
There you have it – a few of my favorite free things to do in the great city of Baltimore. What’s your favorite free Bmore activity? Comment below!
1 comment
That looks like a fab trip! I’d not have thought of the highest observation at all, but it’s a great suggestion for getting some good budget-friendly tour.