Fort McHenry (Baltimore, MD)

Yesterday was a beautiful early Spring day here in Baltimore so I took my girls to spend an afternoon at Fort McHenry.  If you're ever in Baltimore, Fort McHenry is just a short drive from the Inner Harbor, Maryland Science Center, and American Visionary Art Museum.  It's the perfect place to learn a little history and get out a little bit of extra energy outdoors.

Check out our visit...

As a little history refresher, Fort McHenry is best known for its role in successfully defending the city of Baltimore during the War of 1812.   It was the morning after the British attack in September 1814, when Francis Scott Key saw the U.S. flag being raised above the fort, that the Star Spangled Banner was written.

My girls enjoyed our afternoon...

  Fort McHenry is part of the National Park Service and has its own Junior Ranger Program.  If you're ever at the fort, or any of the other NPS sites that have this program, definitely let your kids participate.   (check their website for a list of participating sites) 

The girls got a list of questions about the fort and the War of 1812.  All the answers could be found in the Visitor Center and on the grounds.  It was almost like a scavenger hunt for them,  as they ran from exhibit to exhibit reading signs to find information.  (Pretty fun way to sneak in lots of learning, don't you think?)

After all the questions were answered, they took their completed papers back to the ranger station to be checked.  The ranger determined that everything looked good and they were sworn in as Junior Park Rangers.  They got certificates and fun little badges.

As I mentioned, Fort McHenry is just a short drive from Baltimore's Inner Harbor and it's just off of I-95.  There's also a water taxi service that can take you from the Inner Harbor to the the Fort (which is a fun boat ride for the kids).  I'd definitely recommend it as part of your Baltimore visit and it's would be a good side trip from a visit to Washington DC.  Kids can learn some history and just run around on the grounds ~ there's a great path all along the water around the fort.  It's a great spot for a picnic lunch as you watch the boats go in and out of the Harbor.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor Sailabration

An important battle of the War of 1812 was fought in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  It was after this battle, when he saw the U.S. flag still waving,  that Francis Scott Key wrote the poem which eventually became our National Anthem.  To celebrate the bicentennial of the war of 1812, Baltimore is hosting a week-long Star-Spangled Sailabration with lots of fun events in and around the Inner Harbor.


My 2nd and 3rd graders recently learned about the War of 1812 and visited the related sites of Fort McHenry, Federal Hill and the Flag House on a field trip last month.  Since yesterday was a gorgeous day and we didn't have anything special planned,  I decided to take them downtown to check out the festivities.

Overall, we had an awesome time.  (I say overall because there was still a fair amount of their customary whining in between the fun stuff.)  The festivities in Baltimore continue until Tuesday, so if you're in the area, I recommend stopping by.  I definitely think it was worth the parking fees (and any occasional bickering of your kids).


Check out some of the fun we had...

Visiting all the tall ships

The dozens of ships docked in the Inner Harbor were the main reason

I wanted to go the Sailabration.

There were several ships from countries all over the world

as well ships from the here in United States.

We really enjoyed going aboard many of the ships 

and even meeting some of the sailors from faraway lands.

Getting balloons from a balloon artist

The whining was starting to reach a fevered pitch ~

"Mommmmm, he's stepping on my flip flops on purpose."

"Mommmm, I want something to eat."

"Mommmm, I want to hold your hand and there's not enough hands."

Luckily, a talented balloon artist was there to save the day.

For a couple bucks tip, we got two puppies on a leash 

and a balloon gun in a holster and everyone was all smiles again.

Playing in the Sondheim Fountain

I think splashing in the interactive fountain at the harbor was
the highlight of the kids' day.
("You're going to let us go in with our clothes on?")


Making their own wooden sailboats

Part of the festivities included a children's area
with different little projects and activities.
The kids got to decorate their own little sailboats
and then let them set sail in a little pool set up nearby.


Some extra little fun things

We also got to see a talented sandcastle builder hard at work,
got to experience being locked in some stockades,
(despite a brief moment when I wanted to keep my whiners locked up, I let them all out ;)  )
got to see where the original  flag that inspired
the Star Spangled Banner was made
and even got to see the Blue Angels
making a practice flight over the city.

 I feel very fortunate that we live so close to a major city, especially one with so much history. As I said, if you're in the area, I definitely recommend stopping by in this next week to check out the Sailabration festivities.  Even if you're not able to visit this week,

definitely plan a trip to the Inner Harbor area, there's a ton of cool things to see.

American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, MD)

One of the activities in my Year of Valentine's gift for my kids was to go to a museum.  This month, it was my youngest daughter's turn and I wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before.  I decided to take her to the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  It had been years (like, way before I had kids) since I'd been and her first time.  It was a HUGE hit and she declared it "the coolest museum ever".  I really think I have to agree with her.

The museum has some of the most unique and creative pieces that I've ever seen.  From the AVAM website is this "definition" of visionary art.

"Visionary art as defined for the purposes of the American Visionary Art Museum refers to art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself."

You're not allowed to take photographs inside the actual museum, but many of the things we saw outside will give you a taste of what's indoors.



 There's the outside of the museum itself, all covered in a sparkling mirrored mosaic...

There's a sculpture garden just filled with creativity.

Check out the big birds' nest balcony and sparkly mosiac egg.

For a 6 year who loves sparkles, this was just awesome!

More sparkles! :)

Not sure whose expression is cuter ~ the bird or my kid?

I even loved the welcome mat reminding museum-goers to smile as they entered the museum.

Look closer at what it's made of...

In the words of my daughter,  " Oh, Em, Gee!"

Once inside the museum (where photos aren't allowed), the "OMG's" and "Check this outs" continued.  There's a replica of the Lusitania made out of nearly 200,000 toothpicks, all sorts of mixed media art, and so much more.  One of my favorites were some intricately embroidered pictures, about the size of a playing card, made from the threads of socks by a prison inmate.  Just amazing stuff!

Check out the American Visionary Art Museum website for more details about pricing, hours, exhibits, etc. It's definitely a great place for both adults and kids to visit if you're in the Baltimore area.  Even if you just stop by to see the fun sculptures outside in the courtyard (FREE!), it would make a kid's day.  It's within walking distance of the National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center and a short drive from many other attractions.  

To end our Mommy/Daughter day out, we also went to the top of Federal Hill right next to the museum.   There's a paved walking path, a fenced playground and a great view of the Inner Harbor.

Tulips at Sherwood Gardens 2012

Every year since the kids were babies, we've welcomed Spring with a visit to the beautiful Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore, MD.  The gardens are nestled among the stately old mansions in the Guilford section of Baltimore City and it's free to the public.  Each year, nearly 80,000 tulip bulbs are in bloom as well as gorgeous azaleas and dogwood trees.  

This year the tulips bloomed a little earlier than usual (thanks to the unseasonably warm weather we had in March), but the timing was perfect for a visit during our Spring break last week.  Because of terrible seasonal allergies, my son opted to go visit his grandparents for the day instead of dealing with an afternoon amongst all the pollen.  However, the girls and I packed a picnic lunch and had a really nice day admiring the many varieties of tulips and even climbing a few trees (the girls, of course, not me!)

If you're ever in the Baltimore area this time of year, definitely go check it out.  There are many different varieties of tulips that are planted, so the blooms last for several weeks.  Directions and more details can be found HERE.

Here's just a few of the many, many pictures I took during the couple hours we were there.

Hope you have the chance to welcome Spring in your area as well.