Originally called Laurel Factory, the town of Laurel today started as a 19th century milltown with ties to Baltimore along the B&O railroad line. Situated halfway between Baltimore and DC on the Patuxent River, it started as a small grist mill in 1811 and by 1840 had evolved into a cotton mill employing more than 700 workers. Join us and our guide Ann Bennett, Executive Director of the Laurel Historical Society, as we soak in the natural setting of historic Laurel while learning about its bustling past!

Thomas Rhodes sold his first pound of coffee at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market in November 2005 using a newly acquired one-pound coffee roaster. In doing so, Mr. Rhodes’ new business, Zeke’s Coffee, joined a long line of coffee connoisseurs in Baltimore that includes Alex. Brown and Sons, the nation’s first investment bank, which imported so much coffee that it become the firm’s main source of revenue by the late 19th century. Join us for an espresso-ily energizing tour of Zeke’s Coffee as we talk about Baltimore’s history of coffee and learn about the art of coffee roasting.

Since 1784, when 13-year-old Edward Warren became the first American to ascend in a hot air balloon above Baltimore, Maryland has been a leader in flight. The Maryland State Police has been serving the state from above since 1954. Since the 1970s, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command has transported over 150,000 patients. And its duties have grown to include law enforcement and homeland security support, search and rescue, aerial rescue and disaster assessment. We hope you will join us for this incredible behind-the-scenes tour led by some of Maryland’s own State Police pilots and medics. We’ll see you in the hangar!

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Peale’s renovations with architect Walter Schamu! Hear some of the many stories of the building, from its origins as the first purpose-built museum in the country, to the introduction of gaslight technology to the city, to its role as Baltimore’s first City Hall and public high school for people of color. Find out what is coming next as the Peale relaunches as a center for Baltimore stories and studies, and a laboratory for reinventing the museum for the 21st century in the creative and innovative spirit of the Peale family.