Museums · Baltimore · United States
7 best museums in Baltimore
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: The original uploader was Basilica1 at English Wikipedia ., Public domain
Quick answer
Start with Baltimore Museum of Art, American Visionary Art Museum and Walters Art Museum. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 14–18 hours across 6 areas; 2 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 14–18 hours
- Areas
- Charles Village, Federal Hill and Mount Vernon
Museums in Baltimore
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Museum · Charles Village
1.Baltimore Museum of Art
The BMA's free collection is centred on the Cone Collection assembled by sisters Claribel and Etta Cone, with hundreds of works by Henri Matisse alongside Picasso, Cézanne and Van Gogh.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Gallery · Federal Hill
2.American Visionary Art Museum
This museum shows works by self-taught artists — farmers, mechanics, people with no formal training — in themed exhibitions that change regularly.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Mount Vernon
3.Walters Art Museum
The Walters family's free museum spans 7,000 years, from Egyptian mummies and Roman sarcophagi to medieval armour, illuminated manuscripts, two Fabergé eggs and 19th-century French painting.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Southwest Baltimore
4.B&O Railroad Museum
In the 1884 Mount Clare roundhouse, a 22-sided building with a soaring wooden roof, the museum displays one of the largest collections of historic locomotives in the country.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Inner Harbor
5.Port Discovery Children's Museum
Three floors of hands-on exhibits for children up to about age 10, including a three-storey climbing structure, a pretend supermarket and diner, and water play.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Inner Harbor
6.Maryland Science Center
On the southwest corner of the Inner Harbor, the science centre has a dinosaur hall, hands-on physics and body exhibits, a planetarium and an observatory.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Jonestown
7.Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
A few blocks from the Inner Harbor, this museum covers four centuries of Black history in Maryland, from enslavement on the Chesapeake to figures such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Thurgood Marshall, all with Maryland roots.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Village | Baltimore Museum of Art | 2–3 hours |
| Federal Hill | American Visionary Art Museum | 2 hours |
| Mount Vernon | Walters Art Museum | 2 hours |
| Southwest Baltimore | B&O Railroad Museum | 2–3 hours |
| Inner Harbor | Port Discovery Children's Museum and Maryland Science Center | 2–3 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Jonestown | Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture | 1.5–2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 2 free, 1 low cost, 4 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Baltimore Museum of Art; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Charles Village and Federal Hill): Baltimore Museum of Art → American Visionary Art Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Mount Vernon and Southwest Baltimore): Walters Art Museum → B&O Railroad Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Inner Harbor): Port Discovery Children's Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Inner Harbor and Jonestown): Maryland Science Center → Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Still wintry, but a good time for the free museums and the aquarium without crowds.
- January: highs of 6°C (43°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold and often grey with occasional snow; museums are quiet and hotels cheap.
- November: highs of 14°C (57°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cool and quieter; crab season winds down and holiday events begin.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Inner Harbor — Waterfront promenade with the aquarium, historic ships and big chain hotels
- Federal Hill — Hilltop park views over the harbour and a busy bar scene on Cross Street
- Mount Vernon — Grand 19th-century squares around the Washington Monument
- Charles Village — Painted row houses next to Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore Museum of Art
More of Baltimore
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Baltimore?
Baltimore Museum of Art. The BMA's free collection is centred on the Cone Collection assembled by sisters Claribel and Etta Cone, with hundreds of works by Henri Matisse alongside Picasso, Cézanne and Van Gogh.
+Which of these are free in Baltimore?
Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum.