Baltimore Ideas

Jon, Evan and I recently enjoyed a half-day in Baltimore, first at the Aquarium, then lunch in Little Italy and then an hour at Port Discovery.

The Aquarium is a bit pricey ($25/adult minimum), although tots under 2 are free. We opted only for admission and to forego the 4D movie and the Dolphin Show which were extra. You must check your stroller but they give you a baby backpack to use. I had not been to the Aquarium since I was 8 so it was new to me again. Jon had never been. Neither had Evan. =) The highlights: 1) The dolphin tank -- we watched the dolphins from below during the show which is free. We didn't know if Evan would be into the show or not, so this was perfect. 2) The bubble tubes which are at the beginning of the Aquarium. Evan loves bubbles so seeing these tubes endlessly blurping water bubbles made his day.

We had never eaten in Little Italy and didn't know where to eat. We chose Amicci's as it was a "casual eatery" and thought likely more kid friendly. Portions were big, food was basic but tasty.

From there, we walked the 3-4 blocks to Port Discovery, Baltimore's Children's Museum. Since we got there around 330p, we paid half-price ($6/adult -- again, under 2 free.) Port Discovery really is geared towards older kids with tons of activities. I can't imagine being there during peak hours, but that last hour of the day was manageable. We made a bee-line for the Tot Room (Sensation Station) which has a ball pit, aka Evan Nirvana. After about 25 mins there we explored the other parts of the Museum. Evan climbed/traversed the rope bridge himself which was fun to watch. (Very safe, not open at all.) It was worth $12, but at this age, would not have been worth $24.

In short, a 30 min ride from SS offered a nice getaway for all of us.