Contrary to the President’s recent remarks, Baltimore has a lot to offer and we’ve lined up a bunch of great history tours and events across our city to show it. I hope to see you on some soon. Check out our calendar to see new additions!
–Johns Hopkins, Executive Director
Federal Hill
August 17, 2025, 9:30 am – 10:30 am – More information
Baltimoreans celebrated atop Federal Hill when we ratified the U.S. Constitution. We used it to defend the city from the British in the War of 1812 and to make sure we stayed in the Union in the Civil War. We have even tunnelled under it to quarry minerals. Join us on a tour of Federal Hill and the neighborhood around it to learn about this waterfront community’s rich history, including stops at one of the last wooden houses in the city, the oldest house in Federal Hill, and the wonderful alley houses along Churchill Street.
Historic Green Mount Cemetery
August 23, 2025, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – More information
Inherited from the great Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg, join Baltimore Heritage to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery. Opened in 1839, Green Mount is an early example of an urban-rural cemetery, that is, a cemetery with a park-like setting located close to the countryside. Green Mount is the final resting place of some of Maryland’s most famous, and infamous, figures including Johns Hopkins, Enoch Pratt, William and Henry Walters, Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Betsy Patterson, A.S. Abell, John H. B. Latrobe, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board! Accessibility: Although there are some paved pathways, we will be walking over mostly uneven grassy terrain and cobblestones.
Not “Too Far Gone:” A Tour Showcasing Lexington Market & Our Charming City
August 23, 2025, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – More information
You may have seen recent comments by the president calling Baltimore “too far gone.” We couldn’t disagree more. Join Baltimore Heritage’s Executive Director Johns Hopkins to learn how wonderful our city is with a special tour of Lexington Market and the neighborhood around it. For over 200 years, Lexington Market’s wooden sheds and concrete stalls have been a gathering place for Baltimoreans. And the market is still evolving! In October 2022, the new Lexington Market opened in a brand new building. On this tour we’ll first explore the area immediately surrounding the market to discover how Baltimore emerged as a leading industrial and economic city in the 19th century. We’ll see the original wagon curbstones with their vendor stall numbers and discuss underground tunnels. We’ll end at the new market to see its wonderful public art and, of course, its merchants (new and old).
The Catacombs Under Westminster: Two Hundred Years of Tombs and Edgar Allan Poe’s Gravesite
August 23, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm – More information
Join us to explore the eerie catacombs underneath Baltimore’s First Presbyterian Church, now called Westminster Hall, and the graves that surround it, including the final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe. The burial ground predates the church, which was built on arches above the gravesites, so that the graveyard and its tombstones lie both underneath and around the building. We bet you will also recognize more than a few Baltimore street names as we walk among the patriots and civic leaders buried at Westminster including Calhoun, Hollins, Gilmore, and Bentalou. All told, the compact cemetery next to the University of Maryland School of Law is the final resting place for over 1,000 individuals. We can’t wait to see you “Where Baltimore’s History Rests in Peace!”
Mount Vernon Place
August 24, 2025, 9:30 am – 10:30 am – More information
Mount Vernon began as a country estate for Revolutionary War hero John Eager Howard and grew to be the place to live for Baltimore’s rich and famous in the mid-nineteenth century. The Garrett family, owners of the B&O Railroad, the Walters, founders of the Walters Art Museum, and the Thomases, owners of Mercantile Bank, are among the families that built handsome mansions along the four parks that surround the Washington Monument. Join us on a tour to hear the stories behind the landmarks of Baltimore’s grandest historic neighborhood.
Patterson Park
September 7, 2025, 9:30 am – 10:30 am – More information
Join us to walk through Patterson Park and through time starting back when it was officially created in 1827. During the War of 1812, the park saw action defending Baltimore. And during the Civil War, troops here made sure Maryland didn’t secede from the Union. The park has been used for strolling, fishing, hockey, swimming, festivals and even as a beef market. Over its 198-year history, it has grown from 6 acres to 137 acres, partially thanks to the famous Olmsted Firm. Discover the history of Patterson Park, which is in many ways the story of Baltimore itself, and see how it really is “the best backyard in Baltimore.”
Explore Transportation History at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum
September 10, 2025, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – More information
Step back in time and experience the golden age of urban transportation at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum! Join us to see how generations of Baltimoreans traveled through the growing metropolis and beyond. The museum’s vast collection features authentic Baltimore streetcars alongside streetcars from other cities, including Philadelphia and Newark, NJ. Attendees will enjoy an unforgettable ride aboard fully restored, authentic streetcars, allowing you to see and feel history come to life! From the rich archive materials and historical artifacts to the streetcars themselves, the Baltimore Streetcar Museum offers a fascinating look into an American city’s transportation history. Don’t miss your chance to connect with Baltimore’s past and take a step into history on wheels!
The Catacombs Under Westminster: Two Hundred Years of Tombs and Edgar Allan Poe’s Gravesite
September 13, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm – More information
Join us to explore the eerie catacombs underneath Baltimore’s First Presbyterian Church, now called Westminster Hall, and the graves that surround it, including the final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe. The burial ground predates the church, which was built on arches above the gravesites, so that the graveyard and its tombstones lie both underneath and around the building. We bet you will also recognize more than a few Baltimore street names as we walk among the patriots and civic leaders buried at Westminster including Calhoun, Hollins, Gilmore, and Bentalou. All told, the compact cemetery next to the University of Maryland School of Law is the final resting place for over 1,000 individuals. We can’t wait to see you “Where Baltimore’s History Rests in Peace!”
Fell’s Point
September 14, 2025, 9:30 am – 10:30 am – More information
Join us to see how Fell’s Point developed in the 1730s to become one of Baltimore’s premier waterfront communities. Great wealth through trade was created here for the likes of Johns Hopkins, George Peabody, and William Walters. These shores were the first place over a million immigrants started their American dream, yet also where enslaved people either arrived in bondage or were shipped south in chains. As we walk, we’ll point out historic homes and industrial heritage, like the country’s first Black-owned shipyard, and share some of the rich stories that this 300-year-old waterfront neighborhood has to offer.
The Raven’s M&T Bank Stadium: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour
September 17, 2025, 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm – More information
Discover the home of the Baltimore Ravens with a tour at M&T Bank Stadium, a unique opportunity to explore the spaces that bring game day to life. This 60-minute tour takes you behind the scenes giving you a closer look at the stadium’s design and the atmosphere that defines Baltimore football. From the luxury of the suite level to the team’s locker room, we will see the spaces where players and fans alike experience the excitement of game day. We hope you’ll join us for an inside look at one of Baltimore’s landmarks.
Bmore Historic 2025
September 19, 2025, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – More information
We hope to see you on September 19 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry for Bmore Historic 2025! Students are free this year. Bmore Historic is a participant-led unconference for people who care about public history and historic preservation in and around Baltimore. Over the course of the day, conference attendees participate in hour-long discussion sessions focused on topics that the group chooses in the morning. There are no predetermined topics or speakers. Rather, the first order of business is for participants to propose and select discussion topics. There are two blocks of discussion sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon, with lunch in between, and each discussion section typically has 20-30 people in it. Topics typically include issues relating to neighborhood revitalization, civic engagement around history and heritage, and current events and issues relating to heritage in Baltimore and across the state and country.
Discover BLISS Meadows: A Family-Friendly Farm Tour Experience
September 20, 2025, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – More information
Join us for an immersive experience at BLISS Meadows, hosted by Backyard Basecamp, where nature, community, and belonging come together. Atiya Wells, founder of Backyard Basecamp, will lead us on an Urban Farm Tour, to showcase how this organization reconnects families in Baltimore, especially families of color, to local outdoor spaces. We’ll begin at the charming historic farm house, the heart of their operations, before venturing out to the land they steward. We hope you’ll join us to walk through this wooded sanctuary and for a chance to meet and feed their goats and sheep! This tour includes a complimentary coffee & tea bar. Don’t miss a chance to explore BLISS Meadows – a peaceful retreat in Baltimore City.
Mount Vernon Place
Feisty Females of Fells Point
The Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum