Baltimore vacation: Summer in the city's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor at sunset. Credit: rpertiet.

By Richard Hammer

I’ve always enjoyed visiting Baltimore in the summertime. The city’s beautiful Inner Harbor is the perfect anchor to endless adventures, including the annual Artscape Festival.

The country’s largest free arts festival
Open to the public from July 16-18, Artscape is a unique event that includes over 150 artists, live music, theater and dance performances, and kids’ entertainment. My wife and I are definitely looking forward to taking our two boys to this event! I know they’ll be excited by all the activities in the festivals Family Art Park this year, and who could miss a chance to enjoy a Maryland crab cake? I’m looking forward to riding the city’s newest free and eco-friendly transportation, the Charm City Circulator, which offers a nice air conditioned ride and a direct route to the festival.

Baltimore Marriott Waterfront

Hotels on the Harbor
I’d recommend checking out one of the hotels located right on the harbor. The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is in Harbor East and offers a sweet location close to Little Italy. The Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor is just two blocks off the Inner Harbor and is close to shopping and local eateries.

Insider tip: A favorite perk of staying on the Inner Harbor is that I can park my car and never use it again until it’s time to head home. You can walk or use the water taxi to check out some of the harbor’s hot-spots like the aquarium, science center and Fell’s Point for wining and dining.

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Richard Hammer is a market manager for Orbitz Worldwide for Pennsylvania and Maryland. He and his wife have packedup the kids and traveled the world to places like Florida, Jamaica, New England, and the Caribbean.

Tagged: Family time, Hotels