A major seaport on the eastern seaboard since the early 18th century, Baltimore, Maryland, grew up around the Patapsco River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay, attractive for its many marine activities. Just 60 minutes from Washington, D.C., and 2.5 hours by train to New York City, Baltimore is also a top regional destination and is the home of one of America’s foremost educational and medical institutions, Johns Hopkins University.
From the science and contemporary art of its Inner Harbor to the battle site at Fort McHenry Baltimore floats on a tide of innovation, culture, sports, and tradition. Baltimore has long been known for the crab cakes from the Chesapeake Bay and the masterpieces at two of its most famous museums, The Walters Art Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art. It is home to two professional sports teams, the Baltimore Ravens football team and Baltimore Orioles baseball team. Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods; it has more than 224 neighborhoods each with its own style and character, including the lively downtown Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon, Fell’s Point, Canton, Federal Hill, Little Italy, Hampden, and Harbor East, a vibrant, walkable district hugging the waterfront, home to upscale hotels, condominiums, shops, restaurants, and cinemas. Baltimore is less than an hour away from Maryland’s capital city, Annapolis, home to the United States Naval Academy and the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay.