Welcome, new Blue Jays! As you start getting used to your new nest, I suggest keeping an open mind. There’s a lot to do in the city if you’re willing to spread your wings — whether through the public transport circulators, the JHMI shuttles or good old fashioned walking. Here are some highlights of Charm City to get you started!
An assortment of essentials
These are some names you’ll see constantly circulated in the coming weeks. Inner Harbor features several historic ships (I recommend the Ghost tour!). Just a walk away is Fells Point, with some of Baltimore’s best eateries, including every student’s favorite: Ekiben. Each location also features a special treat for tea lovers; try out Cuples Tea House and The Spice & Tea Exchange.
Along the JHMI route, Station North is home to several artsy sites and theaters including the Charles Theater, the Baltimore Jewelry Center, the True Vine Record Shop and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Parkway. Peabody and the surrounding Mount Vernon area are also almost always buzzing with events to check out.
An assortment of greenery
When you want to leave behind the red bricks of the Hopkins campus, Baltimore has some green patches waiting. Sherwood Gardens and the Guilford Reservoir are small areas near Homewood Campus worth spending some time in. Also nearby, Stony Run Trail is an excellent site to go birding. A fair walk away, you can reconnect with nature at the Cylburn Arboretum, Rawlings Conservatory and the Maryland Zoo. If you walk the other way, Lake Montebello is not a bad hang-out spot, and Patterson Park near the medical campus is a classic space to indulge in fresh air (although the observatory is currently closed).
An assortment of graveyards
Let’s veer away from all that talk of leafy life to spotlight Baltimore’s most talented headstones. The famed writer Edgar Allan Poe, buried at Westminster Hall, can be found only a short walk from the Peabody campus. At Green Mount Cemetery, you can visit famous assassin John Wilkes Booth, ‘Freaks’ actor Johnny Eck and the little known historical figure Johns Hopkins (ever heard of him?). For those willing to take a longer walk, the famed drag queen Divine is buried in Towson. Halloween plans galore!
An assortment of museums
Baltimore is home to several museums worth your time. Don’t ignore the on-campus museums, including the Gilman Archaeological Museum and Homewood Museum which display key historical artifacts and have a rich connection to the school’s history. The nearby Baltimore Museum of Art also features an assortment of art pieces from across time periods and cultures. Towards Peabody campus, take a trip to the similarly expansive Walters Art Museum and the Maryland Center of History and Culture, which takes a deeper look at various sociopolitical artifacts relevant to the state’s history. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum also presents a truly unique collection.
If you go onwards to the Inner Harbor area, you’ll find several more museums including the fascinatingly eclectic American Visionary Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum which spotlights Black history. A walk away, you can find museums dedicated to key historical figures such as baseball player Babe Ruth and journalist H. L. Mencken. Some distance from there, the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation features a historic locomotive collection.
An assortment of history
With every other building being 200 years old, Baltimore has quite a few important pieces of history under its belt. Most famously, the national anthem of the United States was written at the historic Fort McHenry, which remains a lovely tourist destination today. Other key Baltimore firsts include the United States’ first public gas street lamp right outside the Peale, the first purpose-built museum in the nation. The Baltimore Basilica also marks the first cathedral in the country. If you get tired of visiting all these locations, you can refill your supplies at the Lexington Market — which is America’s oldest continuously running public market.
An assortment of events
While exploring these locations, don’t forget to engage with some classic events around the city. Artscape marks Baltimore’s biggest annual festival for the arts. Other annual celebrations, typically during the May-June period, include a Flower Mart, a Kinetic Sculpture Race and the Fells Point Fun Festival.
More regularly, First Thursdays at Canton Waterfront Park feature free concerts. Bibliophiles will also enjoy the Book Thing of Baltimore near campus, where you can pick from an assortment of free used books.
Pick your categories, mix-and-match or fly well beyond the options listed here. Happy adventuring!
Aditya Sankar is a sophomore majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Behavioral Biology from Bangalore, India. He is a Science and Technology Editor for The News-Letter.
