Museums
Baltimore’s museums are as fittingly storied, diverse, and at times eccentric as the city itself. We’re home to the Western Hemisphere’s first purpose-built museum (The Peale) and, to the best of our knowledge, the only institution (AVAM) that houses an over-three-meter-tall statue of famed drag queen Divine. Our city’s permanent collections range from one of the world’s premier treasure troves of canonical Matisse and Picasso works (the Cone Collection at the BMA) to a vaguely terrifying assortment of archaic oral surgery implements (at the National Museum of Dentistry). There’s no other place where you can meander from an institution celebrating a city’s still-active Native American community to one of the nation’s only antebellum synagogues to the house where the original Star Spangled Banner was sewn and a museum next door dedicated to the rich Black culture that emerged in spite of, and in defiant opposition to, the hypocrisies that flag came to stand for—a history older than the United States in under an hour’s walk.
While many of these museums charge a modest admission fee, we love that some are free—most notably, The Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum.
American Visionary Art Museum
800 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230
The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is the official national museum, education center, and repository for intuitive, self-taught artistry.
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
216 Emory St
Baltimore, MD 21230
The Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation, Inc. is an independent, not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to perpetuating the historic legacy of Babe Ruth, Baltimore’s Orioles, Ravens and Colts, and local and regional sports at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels, by preserving, exhibiting, interpreting and augmenting its collection for a diverse audience.
Baltimore American Indian Center
113 S Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
The Baltimore American Indian Center (BAIC) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1968 with a mission to “assist and support American Indian and Alaskan Native families moving into an urban environment and adjusting to the culture change they will experience.” Following WWII, the neighborhood surrounding the BAIC became populated predominantly by American Indians and was referred to as “the Reservation.” To support this Native American community, the BAIC provided services that included education, skills trainings, workforce development, child care, afterschool arts and seniors programs, as well as health and healing services. Our organization provides a welcoming, safe space for the Native community to gather; a place where people are treated with dignity, respect and understanding, and where cultural practices are kept alive.
Baltimore Immigration Museum
1308 Beason St
Baltimore, MD 21230
The Baltimore Immigration Memorial has partnered with the Locust Point Community United Church of Christ to establish a museum in the historic Immigrant House. At our museum, you will learn about Baltimore’s immigration history in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the importance of Baltimore as a major port of entry for immigrants, making Baltimore America’s third largest port of entry from 1830-1914.
Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Dr
Baltimore, MD 21218
The Baltimore Museum of Art connects art to Baltimore and Baltimore to the world, embodying a commitment to artistic excellence and social equity in every decision from art presentation, interpretation, and collecting, to the composition of our Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers—creating a museum welcoming to all. Bold, brave, and essential, it is the unwavering vision of the Baltimore Museum of Art to be the most relevant publicly engaged museum in the United States
The Baltimore Museum of Industry
1415 Key Hwy Baltimore, MD 21230
Located in the heart of Baltimore’s waterfront, the Baltimore Museum of Industry is housed in an 1865 waterfront cannery and is the only surviving cannery building in Baltimore. Enjoy exhibitions, tours, hands-on activities, and programs that recognize the dignity of work. From the spice grinder used to create Old Bay to the legacy of Black journalistic excellence in the family-owned AFRO NEWS, take a trip down memory lane and explore what lies ahead with work in Baltimore. Hands-on learning in every gallery makes exploration fun for all ages. Check our calendar for upcoming programs, lectures, and special events.
Baltimore Streetcar Museum
1901 Falls Rd
Baltimore, MD 21211
Through a combination of exhibits, displays, tours, video and photographic presentations, archive materials and, of course, streetcar rides on authentic Baltimore streetcars (as well as streetcars from various other cities including Philadelphia and soon Newark, NJ), the museum gives visitors a compelling sense of how previous generations traveled throughout the growing metropolis of Baltimore and cities in general. The important role played by the growth of the street railway system and its direct impact on the growth of the city as a whole is also a focal point of our museum. A permanent collection of Baltimore street railway vehicles and artifacts represents one of the most comprehensive histories of an American city’s transportation past to be found anywhere.
Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum
84 Franklin St
Annapolis, MD 21401
As the State of Maryland’s official museum of African American heritage, the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum serves to document, interpret, and promote African American history and culture (particularly in Maryland) through exhibitions, programs, and projects in order to improve the understanding and appreciation of America’s rich cultural diversity for all. The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum is operated by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.
B&O Railroad Museum
901 W Pratt St
Baltimore, MD 21223
The B&O Railroad forever changed the course of the city, the nation, and even the world. At the B&O Railroad Museum, visitors can step directly into history as they discover the story of American railroading. For it was here that the First Stone of the railroad and the nation’s first mile of commercial track were laid, where the Mt. Clare Shops produced countless innovations in railroad technology, where E. Francis Baldwin’s iconic Roundhouse still stands, and much more. All aboard – your journey to the birthplace of American railroading begins here!
Carroll Mansion
800 E Lombard St
Baltimore, MD 21202
Welcome to Carroll Mansion, in partnership with Poe Baltimore.
The Doctor Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry (NMD)
31 S. Greene St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry (a Smithsonian Affiliate institution) celebrates the past, present, and future of dentistry while sharing the importance of a healthy mouth in a healthy life. Our exhibitions, programming, and collections capture the often-overlooked history hidden behind your smile and the scientists, tradesmen, and professionals that have shaped the field throughout history.
Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum
203 N. Amity St
Baltimore MD, 21223
In a tiny brick house on Baltimore’s North Amity Street in 1833-1835 Edgar Allan Poe wrote some of the early stories that would make him the father of the modern short story, and create and define the modern genres of mystery, horror and science fiction. Poe Baltimore was created to fund, maintain and interpret The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, and to celebrate the legacy of one of Baltimore’s most famous residents.
Evergreen Museum & Library
4545 N Charles St
Baltimore, MD 21210
Evergreen Museum & Library is housed in a Gilded Age mansion surrounded by 26 acres of gardens and woods. The museum is home to a renowned collection of fine and decorative arts, rare books, and manuscripts assembled by two generations of Baltimore’s civic-minded Garrett family (1878-1952).
Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park
1417 Thames St
Baltimore, MD 21231
The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park is a Living Classrooms Foundation campus (and headquarters) and national heritage site that celebrates the contributions of African Americans in the development of Baltimore’s maritime industry. The site honors and interprets the city’s African American maritime history, while preserving one of the city’s oldest existing waterfront industrial buildings.
Jewish Museum of Maryland
15 Lloyd St
Baltimore, MD 21202
The Jewish Museum of Maryland is a participatory museum and cultural hub in Baltimore. Rooted in Jewish history, culture, and creativity, we spark connection and curiosity while exploring ideas for the future. We invite you to learn, connect, and imagine with us.
Lovely Lane Museum & Archives
2200 St Paul St
Baltimore, MD 21218
The Museum at Lovely Lane provides an overview of the United Methodist history of this area through artwork and artifacts and the landmark 1884 Lovely Lane Church, the ME Church’s Centennial monument to the Christmas Conference.
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Ave
Baltimore, MD 21201
The Maryland Center for History and Culture — formerly the Maryland Historical Society — is the oldest continuously operating nonprofit cultural institution in the state. MCHC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that houses a collection of 7 million books, documents, manuscripts, and photographs, and 350,000 objects in its museum and library located in Baltimore.
m/ The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Museum
60 College Avenue
Annapolis, MD
Asking persistent and timely questions about the human experience, through art and with extraordinary artists
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum
1601-03 E North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21213
A visit to the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum provides both youth and adults with a deeper understanding of American heritage and the invaluable contributions of people of African descent to civilization. Through immersive exhibits and educational programs, the Museum ensures that these important narratives are both recognized and celebrated. The Museum’s wax figures bring to life the many ways African Americans have shaped the nation—from serving as soldiers in the Civil War to becoming influential members of the Freemasons.
The Peale
225 Holliday St
Baltimore, MD 21202
The Peale is Baltimore’s Community Museum, housed in the oldest museum building in the United States.
President Street Station Museum
601 President Street
Baltimore, MD
A Baltimore Landmark – When workers laid the foundation in 1849, no one could imagine the amazing history that would play out in and around President Street Station. From Lincoln’s secret passage through the station under pre-dawn stars to the first bloodshed of the Civil War, President Street Station was an eye witness to key events in our nation’s history.
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum
830 East Pratt St
Baltimore, MD 21202
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture – a Smithsonian Affiliate – documents, interprets, and preserves the complex experiences, contributions, and culture of Black people. The Lewis Museum serves as a catalyst of sustained change by providing robust programs and exhibitions and bold conversations that educate and challenge.
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and Museum
844 E Pratt St
Baltimore, MD 21202
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House is a National Historic Landmark and historic house museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The Museum preserves the historic 1793 structure and interprets the life of Mary Young Pickersgill, a nineteenth-century female entrepreneur and the craftswoman of the flag which flew over Fort McHenry and inspired the National Anthem.
The Walters Art Museum
600 N. Charles St
Baltimore, MD 21201
The Walters Art Museum is among America’s most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Through its collections, exhibitions, and education programs, the Walters engages the City of Baltimore, Maryland, and audiences across the globe.