Last Updated: 10/27/09
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 Baltimore, Maryland's urban hub, is one of America's most storied civic revitalizations. Since 1980, this historic city has transformed from down-and-out, gritty and industrialized to an effervescent destination for attractions, restaurants and world-class sports. That significant year was marked by the launch of Harborplace, a downtown marketplace that serves as a magnet for tourism and development. (Other successful efforts along those lines include New York's South Street Seaport and Boston's Faneuil Hall.)
Harborplace also spurred additional development along the waterfront, from the National Aquarium and the American Visionary Art Museum to the Power Plant (a dining and restaurant complex, anchored by the Hard Rock Cafe) and Port Discovery. These are just a handful of the offerings along Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
What's important to understand, though, is that Baltimore's intrinsic appeal -- depending on your interests -- spreads way beyond the Inner Harbor. The city is a mecca for baseball aficionados, but folks don't just come to see Oriole Park at Camden Yards, one of the most fabled ballparks in the country. They also visit the adjacent Babe Ruth Baseball Center at Camden Station. More homage to the local legend can be paid at the Babe Ruth Birthplace, just a few blocks away.
And more key to understanding this complex city is the fact that, while it's a darn big metropolis, it's comprised of neighborhoods with such distinctive characteristics that they're more like villages within a larger realm. Places like Fell's Point, Canton, Federal Hill, Little Italy and Mt. Vernon have treasures -- historic, culinary and otherwise -- to discover, and most are within walking distance of Inner Harbor.
The city dates back to 1729, and it grew as a major seaport on the East Coast. Its most significant moment in history occurred during the War of 1812, when the British, having triumphantly burned Washington D.C., headed toward Baltimore to ferret out what they believed to be a den of pirates. Alas, the attack on Fort McHenry resulted in victory for the Americans and is memorialized to this day by "The Star Spangled Banner," a poem written on the spot by Francis Scott Key and now known as the U.S. national anthem.
What to Do
 You can spend an entire day and then some at the Inner Harbor. Start with Harborplace & the Gallery, a waterfront complex of three buildings, connected by a public plaza where performers can be found plying their trades on weekends. There are over 100 shops, as well as dozens of restaurants and food stands. There's also a bit of history -- you can tour the U.S. frigate Constellation, which entered service in 1797.
Off to one side of Harborplace is the National Aquarium, featuring dolphin shows, a large ray exhibit and wall-size shark tanks. Also nearby is Port Discovery, a hands-on children's museum for ages 2 to 10, designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. Power Plant Live, an entertainment and dining complex with a number of bars, restaurants and clubs -- many of which host live music. Nearby are a Hard Rock Cafe and an ESPN Zone.
Off of Harborplace's other side is the Maryland Science Center, which boasts an IMAX theater and planetarium. The American Visionary Art Museum, just a bit farther along the harbor, is one of the most unique of its kind, celebrating the artistic creations of "ordinary people." (Its Joy America restaurant is fantastic.)
 Pay homage to baseball, America's pastime, by taking in a game at the new-but-looks-old Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Make time beforehand to visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Sports Legend Museums nearby, celebrating both Baltimore's baseball history and Babe Ruth, its biggest legend. While you're in the neighborhood, check out Geppi's Entertainment Museum; it explores pop culture from the 1700's to the present day, as seen through toys and comic characters like Batman and Spiderman.
Don't miss the neighborhood of Fell's Point. Baltimore's original downtown oozes ambience and features streets of Belgian blocks, seedy pubs, hippie-like boutiques, and 18th- and 19th-century restored rowhomes.
Baltimore's newest "hot" neighborhood is a few miles beyond Fell's Point. Canton, a once-blue-collar neighborhood with lots of rowhouses and marble streets, is in transition. There's a new waterfront park, but much of the action is centered in O'Donnell Square, where you'll find restaurants and shops.
The Mt. Vernon neighborhood is Baltimore's cultural heart. Located less than a mile north of the Inner Harbor, Mt. Vernon is home to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Walters Art Museum, whose diverse collection spans 55 centuries. Among the highlights are Egyptian sarcophagi, Faberge eggs, Monet paintings and an impressive collection of works from the European Old Masters, including Raphael and El Greco. Just on the outskirts is the Howard Street antique district.
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