We decided to take a trip to Baltimore, Maryland a few months ago with our 1 1/2 year old. We had to find toddler friendly attractions for us to do as a family. Fortunately, most of the attractions we found were right in Inner Harbor.
We wanted to stay in Inner Harbor and find a hotel with great reviews for a reasonable price. I’m a germaphobe so cleanliness is huge to me, especially for my child. I ended up choosing the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Hotel for our stay. It is one of the top rated hotels in the area and the perfect location. The Hyatt Regency is located right on the Harbor and is walking distance from most of the attractions. We ended up loving the hotel and it was one of the best hotels I have stayed at so far. The room was very nice and most importantly they are very thorough with their cleaning. I would definitely stay at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore again.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
We arrived in Baltimore in the early evening. By the time we settled into our hotel room and then ate dinner, it was getting late. We decided to go across the street to Ripley’s Believe It or Not. They have lots of cool things to look at and learn about. My toddler’s favorite part was crawling around in the subway tunnels under the little city with my husband in tow. We even went into the mirror maze which we got confused in and ended up back at the entrance. We also went into the moving theater 4D which was really neat. You have to wear 3d glasses and the chairs actually move with the movie. It even snowed and was windy in the theater. Obviously, my toddler didn’t like the moving chairs so I stood off to the side while my husband enjoyed both of the short action movies.
National Aquarium – Baltimore, MD
Who doesn’t love aquariums? We had a great time at the Baltimore Aquarium. I especially loved that they give out child carriers for parents to wear. I had my Boba 3G carrier in my backpack but we didn’t use it in the aquarium. Besides the normal aquarium exhibits, we liked going inside the Animal Planet Australia and the tropical rain forest. We didn’t stay for the dolphin show but we enjoyed watching them swim in the underwater viewing area.
Historic Ships in Baltimore
Inner Harbor has several ships and submarines available for tours. My husband enjoys learning about history so we decided to tour the USS Constellation. It was actually interesting seeing how the people lived on the ship and seeing the different levels.
Not related to the historic ships, but there is actually a pirate ship for families during the summer months. I think the Urban Pirates cruises last around 1 1/2 hours with sailing and fun children activities.
Maryland Science Center at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
I love science museums! My mom used to take us to the Baltimore science museum as children. It was my first time there again after many years. We had a fun time seeing the different hands-on exhibits and I even got to lay on a bed of nails. My toddler liked the “Room to Grow” for children under 2 in the Kids Room the best. The room had squishy waterbeds and lots of soft blocks to play with.
Port Discovery Children’s Museum
My toddler loved the Port Discovery Children’s Museum! It was fun exploring the different areas like grocery shopping and the wacky house. They had a huge kid’s climbing treehouse in the middle of the museum for children 5 and up. I even spotted some breastfeeding areas and pillows throughout the museum. We spent most of our time in Tot Trails which is a play area for infants and toddlers. My daughter really liked digging the the sand. Her other favorite part of the museum was the Wonders of Water. She enjoyed playing with the boats in the water room. She got pretty wet but they do provide slickers and body dryers.
B&O Railroad Museum
On our last day, we checked out and drove over to B&O Railroad Museum. I think it was about a mile away from our hotel which was a little too far for us to walk to anyway. They had a good many trains to look at and explore. They even had a carousel inside which my daughter wasn’t a fan of. She liked the Mile Express train ride though.
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Our last stop was Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament show which is located on the outskirts of Baltimore. It was our first time at one and it was better than I expected. I was worried that my toddler wouldn’t want to sit/ be held that long but she did great. She was entertained and we were being served different dinner courses throughout the show. The food was good and it was a fun experience.
We had a great time visiting Baltimore and going to the toddler-friendly attractions. I look forward to going back again!