Baltimore, Maryland

"The best steamed crabs in Baltimore. No argument."

A South Baltimore crab house where Maryland blue crabs arrive steamed and seasoned with Old Bay, dumped on butcher paper, and eaten with wooden mallets and crab knives. This is the Baltimore experience in its purest form. Cash preferred. Bring more time than you think you need.

"The Lexington Market crab cake. One of the great American sandwiches."

In the historic Lexington Market (one of the oldest public markets in the US), Faidley's has been serving lump crab cakes since 1886. The crab cake — jumbo lump, minimal filler, broiled — is as good as crab cakes get in any form. Counter service, eat at the market bar.

"Baltimore's beloved brunch institution. Southern-influenced comfort food."

Multiple locations serving southern-influenced breakfast and brunch — chicken and waffles, crab eggs benedict, biscuits with seasonal fruit compotes. The lines are real on weekends. The quality justifies them. The crab benedict is the signature.

"The most joyful museum in America. Folk and outsider art at its finest."

A museum dedicated to self-taught, visionary, and outsider art — on the Inner Harbor waterfront. The Tall Whirligig on the front lawn is visible from the harbor. Inside, the work ranges from profound to playful to deeply strange. One of the most distinctive art collections in the country.

"America's oldest continuously operating public market. Since 1782."

Established in 1782, Lexington Market is one of the oldest public markets in the United States. The current building (rebuilt 2022) has over 50 vendors — Faidley's crab cakes, Konstant's soup, Maison G. Desserts. A functioning piece of Baltimore's food culture at its most democratic.

"An 1891 observation pagoda above a Baltimore neighborhood park."

A Victorian-era octagonal observation tower in Patterson Park with views across East Baltimore and the harbor. The park itself is an extraordinary urban green space — boathouse, ice skating pavilion, and the kind of neighborhood park that makes working-class Baltimore comprehensible.

"A river valley park winding through Baltimore County. Unexpectedly wild."

A long, narrow state park following the Patapsco River through the Baltimore metro area — 32 miles of a river valley with waterfall trails, Civil War history, and fishing access. The Cascade Falls area and the Orange Grove area are the best entry points.

"The greatest sailing bay in the Eastern US. Annapolis is the center."

The Chesapeake Bay — the largest estuary in the US — has the best sailing on the East Coast. Annapolis, 30 miles south, is the sailing capital. Bay Bridge Boat Rentals and the Annapolis Sailing School provide access for non-owners. The Bay in summer is extraordinary.

"Northern Baltimore County's outdoor escape. Trout fishing and trail running."

A large state park north of Baltimore centered on the Gunpowder River — excellent catch-and-release trout fishing in the cold-water sections, miles of trail running, and the Prettyboy Reservoir for additional fishing. The flyfishing on the Gunpowder is among the best accessible flyfishing in the Mid-Atlantic.

"One of the finest art museums in the US. Free admission."

A world-class museum with a collection spanning 55 centuries — ancient Egyptian, Roman, Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Japanese art, Impressionism, and Art Nouveau. Free admission always. One of the best art museums in the country, virtually free, in a city that doesn't get the credit it deserves.

"Poe's Baltimore home. He died here (under mysterious circumstances) in 1849."

A small row house in West Baltimore where Poe lived from 1833 to 1835 and wrote some of his earliest work. He returned to Baltimore in October 1849 under murky circumstances and died — cause of death still disputed. The museum is small but well-curated, and the neighborhood visit is part of the experience.

"The premier aquarium on the East Coast. On the Inner Harbor."

The National Aquarium on the Inner Harbor is the best aquarium between New York and Washington — dolphin shows, a coral reef, an Amazon rainforest, and a native Maryland wetlands exhibit in a dramatic glass building on the waterfront. Military discount available.

"A strong science museum with IMAX on the Inner Harbor."

Three floors of hands-on science exhibits with an IMAX theater and planetarium — covers Maryland's Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, dinosaurs, space, and physical science. Well-maintained and appropriate for children through middle school.