*Disclaimer: My family and I were given complimentary admission to the Museums and Aquarium in conjunction with Visit Baltimore, thank you for your generous hospitality Abigail! Our meal at Hard Rock Cafe and admission to Medieval Times was complimentary. Our accommodations were provided by Hampton Inn. All opinions and reviews are solely my own.

A few weeks ago my family and I had the pleasure of visiting Baltimore, Maryland for a couple of days. Finding things to see and do in and around the Inner Harbor area for families was a cinch! There can be a bit of a walk from place to place so I do suggest you take your stroller or utilize the Baltimore Water Taxi. Now on to where we stayed and visited during our short trip! Everything mentioned is family-friendly and ideal for kids of all ages(mostly).

 STAY

The drive from Long Island, NY to Baltimore took about 4 hours including a little traffic. We stayed at Hampton Inn Woodlawn and could not have been happier with the service and staff. We were trying to find a hotel a bit closer to Inner Harbor but unfortunately, most of the nice ones were booked due to conferences. The great thing about the hotel was that they provided a complimentary breakfast each morning! The breakfast was abundant and filling, especially before heading out to explore for the day to Inner Harbor!

PLAY & EXPLORE

• Ripley’s Believe It or Not – My family and I were blown away by all of the cool things that they had to see! I mean they had the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower built completely out of toothpicks! We especially loved the mirror maze and 4-D Movie theater experience.
• National Aquarium Baltimore – Who doesn’t love seeing all kind of marine life, spanning 4 floors there is so much to see. Make sure you give yourself time to explore each level. All the way at the top of the aquarium is a real-life replica of rainforest! It was amazing to walk through! Tropical birds fly, poison dart frogs hop, sloths hang and golden lion tamarin monkeys scamper among thousands of rain forest plants. It is definitely a sight to see. Bring comfortable shoes because there is tons to see and make sure to grab a souvenir or a snack at their shop and restaurant!

• Maryland Science Center – I could have literally spent hours upon hours in here! Being the science buff that I am, they had something for everyone! I especially enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit, the Planetarium’s: One World One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure and the Imax Movies! Most of the exhibits are touch so you can actually get a better idea of how things work! J had a ball exploring and being able to touch everything to his heart’s content.

• Medieval Times Baltimore –  On our last night in Baltimore we headed over to Medieval Times for an amazing performance! We had the VIP Package and it was definitely a great perk to have. Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a re-enaction of 11th Century complete to its period coat of mail, arms and armor costuming, combat javelin, sword, spear, and lance weaponry, equestrian showmanship, and only fingers no utensils chicken and banquet. The food was amazing, the show was breathtaking and if you are ever near a castle I highly recommend you check out the show!

EAT

After exploring all that Inner Harbor has to offer you will be famished, fret not food is abundant in the area! Here are my top two picks!

• Hard Rock Cafe – Baltimore  – Located right on the water and easily accessible. I have been to Hard Rock Cafe’s all over the world and this one definitely did not disappoint! The staff was incredibly friendly and our waiter was attentive, chatty(in a good way) and overall had a wonderful personality that kept us entertained throughout our meal. We started off with a few drinks)Mango- Tango and Mango Berry Cooler) they were absolutely delicious! You have the option of getting your drink in a souvenir cup to take home or a regular cup, I got one in a souvenir cup but J decided to throw the box just a few minutes after we left the restaurant! For our appetizers we ordered the Jumbo Combo and Nachos, both were great! I especially loved the wings in the Jumbo Combo. For our entree’s we ordered one Impossible Burger, Famous Trio Fajitas and Classic Chicken Club Sandwich, the food was abundant and extremely flavorful! I am still dreaming about our meal! Dessert was a hot fudge brownie which we had to get in a to-go container because J was beyond cranky at this point. Kudos to the staff who checked on us and J when he was getting cranky! A huge thank you to the General Manager Sarah, she went above and beyond to make our experience wonderful! I rate this meal a 10/10!

• Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls – Every time I visit a city that is known for their lobster rolls, I make it a point to try one or two during my stay and this time was no different. After we visited the Aquarium I decided to walk a few more steps and try out this joint. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and minimalistic the place was. I order the Bar Harbor Roll Connecticut Style. My only caveat with it was that the butter was not melted properly as it should have been. Other than that the lobster meat was flavorful and plentiful! I paid $20 for my roll and that seems to be the going price for one everywhere I have had one. The bun could have been a little softer but I still enjoyed my lobster roll and I would definitely go back.

Baltimore is a beautiful city and it’s proximity to New York and the tri-state area is very convenient. I know it can be hard traveling with young children but do not let that deter you. Everything we did during our short stay was kid-friendly and we all came back home happy and relaxed. I’m still kicking myself for not making some time to eat Maryland’s famous crab dishes but I will definitely be back! I hope you guys check out some of the places! For more on our Baltimore trip be sure to check out my highlight section on my Instagram profile @themommyspice!