The city of Baltimore, Maryland, is about 40 miles from the nation´s capitol and played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. It´s home to important historical landmarks and offers several tourist-friendly neighborhoods, like the bustling Inner Harbor, for visitors to explore. The extensive bus and light rail networks make it easy to get around and the mild climate makes for a pleasant visit any time of year.

The popular Inner Harbor area is home to many of the city´s hotels, several museums and the National Aquarium. The Harborplace, a large shopping and entertainment complex, offers plenty of options for family-fun and other popular neighborhoods like Fells Point, Little Italy, and Mt. Vernon also offer abundant choices for dining and entertainment. The city has a reputation as having an above-average crime rate (thanks in part to the Baltimore-set drama, The Wire) but the touristy areas of the city are exceedingly safe.

Baltimore has an active arts community. The Symphony Orchestra is internationally known and the Arena Players is the “oldest continuously-operating African American community theatre” in the country. The American Visionary Arts Museum is home to an eclectic collection of modern art and The Baltimore Museum of Art, on the Johns Hopkins campus, offers free admission daily.

The most popular food in Baltimore is of course, Maryland crab. Steamed crab legs, crab cakes, and crab bisque are available at restaurants all over Baltimore and are a must-try when visiting the city.

Links –
Transportation - http://www.mtamaryland.com/
Inner Harbor - http://baltimore.org/about-baltimore/inner-harbor
Aquarium - http://www.aqua.org/
Harborpalce - http://www.harborplace.com/html/
Symphony - http://www.bsomusic.org/
Arena - http://arena-players.strategiccommercegroup.com/pg_2.html
Visionary Arts - http://www.avam.org/
Museum of Art - http://www.artbma.org/