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Baltimore

Travoley
Baltimore
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Baltimore Travel Guide

  • About Baltimore
It might have a gritty reputation but Baltimore, a vibrantly cosmopolitan city wrapped around a fork of the Chesapeake Bay, isn’t as resolutely urban as you might imagine.Indeed, the centre is home to a series of rather charming art deco skyscrapers, while the city’s 1920s boom is referenced in the increasing number of renovated speakeasies to reopen in recent years.More than anything else, Baltimore is dominated by its vast harbour, which alongside fishing boats and cargo ships, is a port for US Navy ships. Much of the harbour has benefited from gentrification and as a result, high-end restaurants, interesting shops and even a tiny city farm are found here.The area is also home to the vast National Aquarium and the Harborplace shopping mall, as well as baseball field Oriole Park. The West Side’s redevelopment includes the city centre and Lexington Market. Established in 1782, the market still houses around 100 merchants. The once shabby historic districts of Fell’s Point, Federal Hill and Harbor East have also been revamped and, like Mount Vernon and Little Italy, are now packed with trendy bars, shops and eateries.Baltimore is also home to a thriving culinary scene, much of it based on proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and the oyster beds that dot its shores north of the city. As a result, the city’s many oyster bars are second to none, while the millions of crabs that live in the chilly waters of the bay have become something of a speciality, whether boiled whole or served up in a delicious Maryland crabcake.Bountiful nature is a theme that also applies to the surrounding countryside, with red barns and rolling farmland that wouldn’t look out of place in Scandinavia. The area is also home to scores of Civil War sites, British outposts, and the poignant Reginald F. Lewis Museum, which retells the dark days of slavery.
  • Baltimore History
Baltimore can trace back its origins to the 17th century when the area was first settled by an Englishman called David Jones.German immigrants then arrived followed by the Dutch. The city however was officially founded in 1729, originally as a port for the growing tobacco and sugar trade, and was named after the second Lord Baltimore, George Calvert. Growth was immediate and swift.The city became an active player in the American Revolution, supporting opposition against the British, who attacked after burning down Washington DC in 1814.Baltimore became a major shipping and trade centre, with manufacturing industries growing steadily around the commerce. In the early 19th century, the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was a huge success.The civil war saw Baltimore not seceding from the Union, though resistance was quickly quashed and Union troops occupied the city until around 1865. Economic depression caused strikes and riots, requiring federal troops to restore order.By 1880 Baltimore became a key industrial centre, exporting grain, flour, tobacco, and raw cotton to Europe. New industries also sprang up such as canning, cars and tobacco manufacture.As the mid 1960s arrived, the city’s black population had risen to almost 50 per cent, and following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968, there were widespread riots across the city for over a week. Around 11,000 troops were called in to quash the violence.It took until the late 1970s for any serious redevelopment of the city’s neglected areas to take place – programmes included the regeneration of Inner Harbor and the creation of the Convention Center and Harborplace. The National Aquarium in Baltimore followed soon afterwards and put the city back on the national map.The city’s profile was further raised by the expansion of the local sports teams, namely the Baltimore Orioles moving into Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Baltimore Ravens moving into the M&T Bank Stadium close by.
  • Did you know?
The city was successfully defended during the American Revolution, providing inspiration for the words to The Star Spangled Banner, which later became the national anthem of the United States. The world’s first dental school was established in the city in 1840. In 1904, a huge fire destroyed around 1,500 buildings across 70 blocks of downtown Baltimore. It took around two years for the city to rebuild and recover.
  • Weather in Baltimore
Baltimore does have distinct seasons, with changeable weather thanks to the seaboard.Winter doesn’t get too brutal, though snow is possible.Summers are hot, humid and crowded with temperatures around 30°C (87°F). But the best time to visit is between June and August when visitors can enjoy a wide range of events and festivities. If you plan to do lots of walking, visit between March and May when average temperatures are a comfortable 17°C (64°F).Autumn is chilly but hotel prices start to fall between September and November. If you wrap up warm, you can still enjoy the city at this time of year.

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