Discover historic places touched by the Battle of Baltimore and the War of 1812! When Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry from on board the British ship HMS Tonnant, he was just one of many who waited anxiously through the night hoping that Baltimore could stand before the British attack. Ship-builders, merchants, enslaved men and women, and seamstresses played a role in the defense of the city. In September of 1814, scores of local buildings stood witness to the War of…

Take this tour to explore some of Baltimore’s green spaces that continue to showcase the Olmsted Brothers' visionary landscape designs! Not until 1904 did Baltimore adopt a comprehensive park plan for the region. That year, landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and John Charles Olmsted published "The Report Upon the Development of Public Grounds for Greater Baltimore," which stressed the need to treat parks as a connected system of green spaces. The Olmsted Brothers plan, practical…

This tour was developed by Sarah Evans, Senior Writer for The Maryland Zoo, with research support from graduate students in the UMBC Department of History and Dr. Denise Meringolo.

Baltimore’s Civil Rights Heritage: Looking for Landmarks from the Movement is an ongoing project to research and document the historic context for the long Civil Rights movement for African Americans in Baltimore. This tour features significant places associated with Baltimore's Civil Rights movement including several that are currently threatened with neglect or demolition.

Discover the varied Baltimore businesses that have survived and thrived and are still going today. Whether you're looking to purchase a fishing pole or ornamental ironwork, you will enjoy this tour of just a few of Baltimore's many historic legacy businesses.