Baltimore/Downtown

Downtown Baltimore is Baltimore's central business district and seat of the city government. While home to some iconic Baltimore architecture, and the city's economic heart, visitors, and even locals, tend to keep their distance from this often seedy and decidedly unloved city center, unless they are going to the Baltimore Arena, the Hippodrome Theatre, or visiting Poe's grave at Westminster Hall. Don't make the all-too-frequent mistake of skipping (or fearing) Lexington Market, though, which can be an easy highlight of a visit to the city—on a hungry stomach!

Downtown is nothing if not easy to get to, being just north of the Inner Harbor, off I-395, and on all major public transportation routes.

1 Battle Monument, 112 Calvert St (approximately). Far less known than the Monumental City's other memorials, but no lesser in size, is the Battle Monument in the median across from the Baltimore Circuit Courts. Dedicated to the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, it stands on an Egyptian tomb-like base, with Baltimore's fallen soldiers' names engraved. Lady Baltimore stands atop the column, bearing a wreath of victory. It is the oldest structure in this part of the city.

2 Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, 21 S Eutaw St, ☏ +1 443 874-3596. Sa 11AM-4PM. This beautiful old landmark clocktower dates to 1911. It was built as the clocktower for the factory (now demolished) that made Bromo Seltzer's headache and hangover cure. The city converted the building to artist studios in 2007, and installed a fire station at the bottom. The building is open to visitors on Saturdays. Free entry; $8 for clock room tour. (updated Apr 2023)

3 City Hall, 100 N Holliday St, ☏ +1 410 396-3100. M-F 8AM-4:30PM. A beautiful, huge post-Civil War Baroque Revival building and major city landmark, the seat of the city government is partially open for visitors, who can stop by to see exhibits on Baltimore art and history (but mostly to gawk at the architecture). Free.

4 Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral St, ☏ +1 410 396-5430, SLRC@prattlibrary.org. M-W 10AM-8PM, Th 10AM-5:30PM, F Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM. An excellent free library with a one-of-a-kind archive of rare books and documents, including many related to Edgar Allan Poe and H.L. Mencken, and an extensive 16mm film collection including many avant garde rarities. The children's department has a goldfish pond.

5 Mother Seton House, 600 N Paca St, ☏ +1 410 728-6464. M-F noon-3:30PM, Sa Su 1PM-3PM (calling ahead is recommended). A small house museum of America's first native-born saint, beatified by the Vatican for her relief work and founding of Catholic schools, and for three miraculous cures performed towards the end of her life.

6 National Museum of Dentistry, 31 S Greene St, ☏ +1 410 706-0600. W-Fr 10AM-4PM. Almost humorously clean, this is an unusual tourist destination, even by Baltimore standards. The collection is decidedly weird, including the first toothbrush in space, historical dental equipment and exhibits on old (and unpleasant!) procedures, and even George Washington's not-exactly-wooden dentures! Best for those who have a professional interest in dentistry, parents who want to get their kids to see (or be scared into seeing) just how good they actually have it in modern dentistry, or for grizzled veteran tourists who have lost all interest in traditional attractions. $10 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children under 13.

The big downtown performance venues are the Baltimore Arena and the Hippodrome, but check Current Gallery's website (see #Buy) for some more off-the-wall DIY-ish performances too.

1 Samuelson's Diamonds, 426 W Baltimore St, ☏ +1 410 837-0290. Tu-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-4PM. The City Paper gives Samuelson's, another venerable family-run Baltimore shop, the nod for best place in the city to buy an engagement ring.

2 Viva Books, 326 N Charles St. A fairly new bookstore (opened 2021) focused on the arts. Mix of new and used books. (updated Apr 2023)

Baltimore's Downtown business and government district is honestly kind of run down. Crime at night is higher than it should be. Accordingly, high end restaurants are few, and the options are dominated by cheap, quick lunch-focused cafes—you'll need to go north to Midtown or south to the Inner Harbor for more options.

Lexington Market, on the other hand, is honestly a can't miss for anyone with a real interest in Baltimore, as it has several of the best places in the city for some true Baltimore cuisine, as well as history and local color. Don't let the seedy looking surroundings scare you, as you'll be perfectly safe during the day.

Downtown nightlife suffers from the same plight of nice restaurants—no one really likes being downtown after dark, unless for a performance or game at the Hippodrome or Baltimore Arena. Options are few, unless you are looking for the packed, neon-soaked row of strip clubs on The Block: E Baltimore St between Holliday/Commerce St and Gay St. The infamous block began as a premiere destination for burlesque shows in the early 20th century, but by the mid-century had transformed into a seedy stretch of low-rent strip clubs and sex shops. This, ah, turned on the criminal element to the locale, introducing drugs and violence. The city has never succeeded in shutting down the craziness, but instead put the new Baltimore Police Department Headquarters right next door, which has helped reduce violent crime on The Block in a big way. The strip clubs are getting a little less seedy too. If this is your thing, Norma Jean's would be the most upscale.

1 Select Lounge, 415 N Paca St, ☏ +1 410 244-6112. Th-Sa 5PM-2AM. One of Baltimore's classier and sexier clubs (more of a lounge, really), despite the somewhat worrisome neighborhood surrounding. The dress code is fairly strict, so leave sneakers at home, and come looking nice. DJs mostly spin hip-hop. Covers up to $20.

Short on coffeeshops, you'll want to head to Enoch Pratt Library, dodging the crowds of homeless inside, to either use the public terminals or free Wi-Fi.

Sadly, Downtown is one of those parts of Baltimore that is not safe by any standards. Sandwiched between pleasant Midtown and the tourist hub of the Inner Harbor, housing the principal businesses in the city and a major university, this should not be the case, but it's Baltimore, folks. Don't run in fear and cowardice—definitely check out Lexington Market, see Poe's Grave, attend a performance at the Hippodrome, or a game at the Baltimore Arena, and bring your family, but be safe. Minimize walking, avoid lonely streets, and park in a well lit area, with no valuables (or really anything) visible.