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Taking the entire family on vacation? Baltimore’s amazing array of attractions and museums is enough to keep any family busy. In Baltimore, the family experience is different from any other – sleep over with species seen only in Australia, glimpse as far as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the world’s tallest equilateral pentagonal building, or see George Washington’s teeth in one of Baltimore’s unique museums. Bring the family and enjoy all the city has to offer!

H The American Visionary Art Museum, named by Travel + Leisure as one of the top “10 Places to See Before You’re 10,” highlights the outstanding original works of art created by self-taught artists and features a quirky gift shop and sculpture garden. www.avam.org

H The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum is a fascinating, fun place for kids, families and lovers of history and American railroading. This historic national landmark allows you to see, touch, hear and explore the most important railroad collection in America. www.borail.org

H Relive 200 years of Maryland’s industrial heritage at the Baltimore Museum of Industry while having fun with interactive exhibits and the national landmark–the Steam Tug Baltimore. www.thebmi.org

H Take a walk down memory lane from the late 1700s to present day at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum where pop culture comes to life for children of all ages. Revisit favorite characters like Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Barbie, the Brownies and more as they evolved from the familiar icons of yesterday to the heroes of today. www.geppismuseum.com

H The Maryland Science Center, named by Parents magazine as one of the country’s top “10 Science Centers”, is one of Baltimore’s premier locations for family entertainment. Located at the famed Inner Harbor, it offers three full floors of hands-on exhibits, IMAX films, planetarium shows, a kids’ room, observatory and more. www.mdsci.org

H The National Aquarium in Baltimore features more than 20,000 fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals living in award-winning habitats, such as Black Tip Reef, a coral-filled exhibit, replicating Indo-Pacific reefs with a floor to ceiling viewing window, and Living Seashore, an interactive exhibit about the Mid-Atlantic shoreline featuring two touchpools full of jellyfish, stingrays, starfish and more. www.aqua.org

H If you have young ones, visit what Fodor’s Travel calls one of the ten best children’s museums in the U.S. Port Discovery Children’s Museum offers three floors of interactive, educational exhibits and programs for children 2-10 years old. www.portdiscovery.org

Family. Fun. Baltimore!

www.baltimore.org

H The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture showcases the history and accomplishments of Maryland’s African American community in thoughtful and engaging exhibits that both entertain and educate children and adults. www.rflewismuseum.org

H The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Odditorium is a unique and fun family attraction featuring more than 500 mind-boggling displays of rare, unusual and extraordinary oddities. www.ripleys.com/baltimore

H The Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum is located two blocks from Camden Yards in the original rowhome “The Great Bambino” grew up in. This National Historic Site features rare artifacts, photos, videos and more. www.baberuthmuseum.org

H Visit Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, an 18th-century brick fort that defended Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812that is also the birthplace of the American national anthem. Young visitors can become Junior Rangers after completing a series of activities to learn about the fort’s history. www.nps.gov/fomc

H At the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, families can tour Mary Pickersgill’s 1793 home where she made the 30x42 Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would later become the national anthem. www.flaghouse.org

H Urban Pirates, an interactive pirate adventure aboard a beautiful pirate ship, includes all things swashbuckling for young and young at heart! Search for treasures and blast enemies with water cannons as you sail around the Inner Harbor. www.urbanpirates.us

H Built in 1854, the USS Constellation is the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy and the only Civil War-era naval vessel still afloat. It’s the perfect setting for kids to learn while having fun. www.historicships.org

H The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is home to more than 1,500 exotic mammals, birds and reptiles in a wooded, 180-acre setting. The Zoo’s newest state-of-the-art exhibit, Penguin Coast, is home to African penguins and allows visitors to get closer than ever to this endangered species. www.marylandzoo.org