Baltimore/Midtown

Midtown is a district of Baltimore.

You can visit Baltimore without visiting Midtown, but you will be missing out. Midtown is arguably Baltimore's most beautiful section of town, having housed the city's wealthy and fashionable starting centuries ago. The Mount Vernon neighborhood, especially Mount Vernon Square, is the principal destination for visitors, as it is the lovely setting for the city's Washington Monument, predating the larger obelisk in D.C., and for the Walters Art Museum.

Just north of Mount Vernon is what has become known as Baltimore's Station North Arts District which spans the neighborhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West, and Barclay and is the hippest part of town. Great restaurants, great bars and clubs both sophisticated and offbeat, tons of local artists including those at the eccentric Maryland Institute College of the Arts, the prestigious Peabody School of Music. Then there's The Lyric Opera House, art galleries, and the beloved art-house film Charles Theatre. This area is also home to Penn Station and the light rail cuts right through it, so you don't have much of an excuse to skip a trip here!

Bolton Hill, to the northwest of Howard St and Martin Luther King Blvd, has far less as far as tourist sights go, but is an absolutely beautiful place for a stroll or drive—stately tall 19th century rowhouses and mansions, gilded statues, huge old churches, and so on. It sports a couple of nice restaurants as well, and a few houses (not open for visitors) of famous former residents such as F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Just west of Mount Vernon, charming Seton Hill's eclectic mix of large and small row houses are centered on the beautiful Saint Mary's Park. Strolling through this quiet green space with its large trees and small fountain, you could quickly forget that you are just a few blocks from all the amenities Baltimore offers. The State Office Complex and Downtown Baltimore's towers are visible above the roofs of Seton Hill's historic homes, but are far enough to be quickly forgotten when you leave work behind. And every October the neighborhood puts on the Seton Hill French Fair and Flea market, bringing the community together for some fun and showcasing the neighborhood.

1 Francis Scott Key Monument, 1300 Eutaw Pl. Bolton Hill is a beautiful neighborhood, but probably the single most impressionable and beautiful section is the square immediately around this huge memorial of the composer of the U.S. National Anthem. Key, cast in bronze, stands in a boat returning from captivity on an English ship along with a soldier, presenting a manuscript of what would become the Star Spangled Banner to a figure of "Columbia," who stands tall atop a marble temple, raising the flag to the sky. The enormous domed church on the square is a Masonic building, home to the "Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland," and is not open to the public.

2 Washington Monument, Intersection of Monument Pl and Mt Vernon Pl (four blocks east of Centre St light rail stop). Th 4PM-9PM, F-Su noon-5PM. At the turn of the 19th century, Baltimorians lobbied for a monument dedicated to the United States' first president, and in 1829 Washington's first monument finished construction. It was designed by architect Robert Mills who later designed that other Washington Monument in D.C. It is now the focal point of the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Visitors can climb to the top (more than 160 feet high) with admission to see a panoramic view of the city. $5.

3 The Walters Art Museum, 600 N Charles St (at Centre St, three blocks east of Centre St light rail stop), ☏ +1 410 547-9000. W-Su 10AM-5PM, M-Tu closed. An excellent museum donated to the city by father-and-son railroad tycoons William and Henry Walter, fervent collectors who purchased much of its massive and diverse collection as well as the buildings that host it. It is best known for its collection of 19th century European masterpieces (top floor), however, the ancient and medieval collections are excellent as well. Be sure to enter or exit from its Charles Street entrance, where you'll pass through a magnificent indoor courtyard modeled after the Palazzo Baldi in Genoa. Free.

4 Hackerman House, W Mt Vernon Place (kitty-corner from the Washington Monument, accessible from the Walters Art Museum). Sa Su 10AM-5PM, M-F closed. An elegant late-classical-era home built in 1850, it was donated to the city of Baltimore by its last owners, Willard and Lillian Hackerman, in 1984. The city renamed the house in their honor and took advantage of its location to expand the adjacent Walters Art Museum. It now hosts the Walters' collection of Asian Art, but is open only on the weekend, and can only be accessed from within the museum. From the front rooms on the third floors you can sneak a bird's-eye view of the monument plaza.

1 Mobtown Ballroom and Café, 30 W. North Ave, ☏ +1 410 218-8197. Hours vary—call or check the calendar online. The city's home for swing/blues/lindy hop dancing. Come single or in pairs, and expect to be dancing. Lessons are offered at all levels, and are usual followed by social dancing. Music is often live. (updated Oct 2024)

Maryland Film Festival, ☏ +1 410 752-8083. Takes place during May of each year, three days of film screenings in the Midtown/Belvedere and Charles North neighborhoods.

Artscape, Mount Royal Avenue and Cathedral Street to Charles Street. America's largest free festival dedicated to the arts is held every July in Mount Vernon. You'll have the opportunity to experience and purchase arts and crafts produced by Baltimore artisans and tailors, as well as concerts by both local and national talent.

Midtown a shopping district is not, unless you're looking for art supply stores, of which there are plenty, serving mainly the MICA students.

1 Blick Art Supplies, 229 W Chase St, ☏ +1 410 727-7004. M-F 10AM-7PM, Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 11AM-5PM. A well-known and well-stocked art supply store. It may not be the type of store to attract visitors, but it does show off what this artsy neighborhood is about. Very knowledgeable staff, unsurprisingly.

2 The Paper Herald, 702 St Paul St. New (since 2021) independent store a block east of the Washington Monument, selling stationery, notebooks, pens, pencils, greeting cards, and related items. (updated Apr 2023)

1 The Brewer's Art, 1106 N Charles St, ☏ +1 410 547-6925. M-Sa 4PM-2AM, Su 5PM-2AM; dinner: Su-W 5:30PM-9PM, Th-Sa 5:30PM-10:30PM. The Brewer's Art won the reader's poll in Baltimore Magazine and the City Paper for best bar in the city, and Esquire's pick for best bar in the United States. No one is too sure what to make of that wild superlative, but it is clearly a good bar. Their house brews are almost always great and offered at ridiculously low prices, and they have an excellent selection of liquors (especially scotch and brandies) and wines by the glass. The old Mt Vernon townhouse it is housed in is beautiful, with a swanky upscale seating area upstairs and a perfect dark brick dive ambiance downstairs. And even the food, upscale American, is outstanding, making the place a worthy dinner choice, or just an extra good place to get some bar food. Mains run in the $20s, light fare: $8-14.

2 Club 1722, 1722 N Charles St, ☏ +1 410 727-7431. F 1:45AM-5AM, Sa 1:45AM-6AM. Check out those hours! What the heck sort of club is open from 2AM-6AM? And BYOB? This is a wild sort of place.

3 iBar, 2118 Maryland Ave, ☏ +1 410 637-3089. M-F 11AM-1AM, Sa 1PM-1:45AM, Su 5PM-1AM. This is basically a run-of-the-mill dive bar in North Charles, but, and it's a big but, the Buffalo born-and-bred owner has brought his special recipe to Baltimore, offering great wings.

4 Metro Gallery, 1700 N Charles St, ☏ +1 410 244-0899. Open for gallery events—check website or call. An art gallery, club/lounge, live performance venue, and bar, this is one of the cooler places in a very cool city for a night out. Not open every night, you will have to settle for waiting for an event night.

5 Mount Royal Tavern, 1204 W Mt Royal Ave, ☏ +1 410 669-6686. 10AM-2AM daily. MICA students know this "Dirt Church"—that should give you a basic idea of what to expect. Some artist painted a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling if you look up, the bathrooms reek with the stench of death, dirts are mind-bogglingly cheap, you would probably be thrown out the door if you request a martini, etc. There is a good mix of neighborhood folks, heavily tattooed drug abusers, and art school students. This is real Baltimore, and while the masses might hate this sort of place, a true lover of the city will be in a special sort of heaven. Order a shot of rye and a Natty Boh, and you'll find yourself in good company.

There are two very cool, funky little coffeehouses in the neighborhood, both with free WiFi:

1 Koffee House Therapy, 6 E Franlin St, toll-free: +1-877-764-5241. M 8AM-11AM, Tu-Sa 8AM-5PM. Occasional live music.

The areas north of Penn Station can be legitimately rough, but the main roads, especially Charles St and North Ave, are well traveled and fine. If you have your car on the street anywhere in Midtown, make sure there is nothing lying in plain view, lest someone smash your window and take it.

While the obvious direction from here is back south through Downtown to the Inner Harbor, some creativity and preferably a car can make for some interesting jaunts farther afield.

If you are enjoying the slightly gritty, but very eccentric areas around North Ave, head a little further north and watch the grit factor soar! Also that way is Baltimore's Korean neighborhood, with some great little BBQ places and the odd karaoke bar, and a couple famous punk bars/venues.

Now you'll definitely need a car in this direction, but heading west will bring you to the Baltimore Zoo and the original location of "The Roost" for some fine fish fry.