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Fort McHenry National Monument
Rating Details »
7 reviews for Fort McHenry National Monument
We picked the right weekend (Defenders Day) to be in Baltimore and visit the Fort. Cannon shots, re-enactors, campsites, etc. Very interesting to see, and some nice views of the water as well.
As we chatted with the re-enactors we were shocked by the sound of jets overhead and realized it was 1pm and the Ravens were just about to start.
A lot of room to walk around and it seems to be the place to jog, sunbathe/nap and walk your dog as well. Not sure what it is like on other weekends, but the fort, giant flag and the welcome video are worth admission alone, we got the added bonus of Defenders Day.
Very worth the trip.
After living in the area for more than 20 years, you figure I'd have gone here at least once. Nope. The kids (6 and 3) needed to be outside on a nice day, so we chucked the kids in the car and got to the Fort at about 3 pm.
It's a short, easy, and well-marked route from I-95 to Fort McHenry. There's plenty of free parking, too. Public restrooms: check. OK, logistics taken care of.
You can wander the grounds for free (which are substantial and well maintained), but to get into the fort itself you need to pay at the visitors' center ($7 for adults, kids free). It's well worth the price, if you're interested in American history.
Every ranger and re-enactor that we talked to was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and was really 'into' their jobs - even running around in wool jackets and leather hats in the Maryland summer heat. We got to see them fire off a cannon (loud!) and the kids got to learn the process for prepping and loading the guns. One of the artillerymen walked us through just about everything, including the bits of his uniform, the muskets, and the cannons themselves.
The "star fort" itself is impressive and the kids loved walking on the walls, crawling into the bomb shelters, and seeing the various quarters within the walls. If you are going with kids, though, make sure you keep up with them - there's plenty of opportunities for falling off walls here.
The grounds of the fort are a great place for a picnic or for kite flying, too!
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Worth a visit if you're in the Baltimore area - good interpretive signage, nicely maintained exhibits that give you a feel of what living in the Fort must've been like, and plenty of options to self-guide around the area. Great expansive greens for strolling on a nice day.
Nice views of the port of Baltimore and the Key Bridge.
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I haven't been giving my parks pass enough use the last few months, so I decided on my recent trip to Baltimore to swing into Fort McHenry. This is apparently THE place for joggers, bike riders and people walking their pets. I only saw a handful of other people actually in the historic area (where they charge admission) but there were hordes of them in the public area getting their morning exercise.
The historic area is nicely done, with several of the buildings holding exhibits. They show a movie about the history of the fort every 20 minutes, ending with the Spar Spangled Banner being played while the curtains are being drawn so you can look out on the fort. The rangers were all incredibly knowledgeable about the history behind the fort, answering all our questions and then some. My friend's dad is a big history nut who collects US flags. He bought one of the 15 star / 15 stripe flags here and the rangers offered to fly his flag on the fort's flagpole. It was pretty neat for him and we got some great souvenir photos.
Not sure how busy this place gets in the summer (they run water taxis from the Inner Harbor during the summer months) but our quiet Sunday morning visit was great.
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I came here on field trip when i went to school in Maryland. I loved it then and now that i am adult with a love for history i know i will still love it. what is interesting about this place is it was built in a star shaped figure. cannons facing the harbor. The only attack ever made on this fort was when the british attacked. the war of 1812 for you history buffs. for over one whole day, i think it was 30 hours, the british bombed and bombed over and over. but guess what? this is my favorite part.....Francis Scott Key, a young lawyer was on a nearby ship, and witnessed the attacks, after the british said "screw this i am going home" Francis Scott Key looked up and was like, "yo the flag is still flying...."
the star spangled banner....the national anthem was composed at that moment by him.
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It's definitely worth a visit. Especially because the old rangers are so patriotic. After you watch the movie about the fort, one old army vet turned park ranger made us all sing the star spangled banner. Then we got to change the flag too. It's good every so often to instill yourself with pride to be an American. The fort has a few nice exhibits about what it looked like in 1812 and beyond too. Check it out.
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The displays and visitor center is kind of dated and I am inherently opposed to paying admission to national parks, historical sites, etc., but the fort is cool and historical (for those who care about such things). what i really like thought is the pretty walk and views along the water. I love seeing the working port of Baltimore, or at least, what is left of it!
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