Today’s winter weather promised to be unseasonably sunny and 60 degrees so at 7:30AM I headed out the door for Baltimore. Only an hour away, I’ve given Baltimore almost no attention over the years but after consulting AAA.com I found an abundance of interesting sites to visit. Today I hit Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and the B&O Railroad Museum.
I’m a grown man and I knew only vaguely about the War of 1812 and nothing about the Battle of Baltimore or how the British bombing of Fort McHenry inspired our national anthem. Seems Francis Scott Key was being held aboard a British ship during the battle and the sites he saw inspired the Star Spangled Banner. Such important history and less than an hour away. It’s shameful that it’s taken so long for me to visit the fort!
Much easier to understand is my oblivion about the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Even with an address and the aid of my navigation system I was lucky to find it. The building looks like a run-down waterfront warehouse and it is, sitting at a pier in the Baltimore harbor. Appearances were deceiving because once inside I was swept away.
The building houses a wide assortment of real-life scenes depicting various industries from Baltimore’s past: machining, garment, shipping, printing, etc. It’s rich with details and there are many interactive exhibits. I arrived just as their new iPod-assisted touring aids were available. Interesting and worth a return trip.
Have I ever mentioned my interest in trains? Well it’s become rather profound as I learn to appreciation how steam and later diesel locomotion helped change the world. The “B” in B&O Railroad is for Baltimore and that’s a clue that there might be a good railroad museum here. There was, and you can see a bit of their wonderful collection below:
This trip was so easy and so good that I need to return with family in tow!
by 
