Gargoyles, Landmarks and Lions: Downtown Baltimore
2021-08-01 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-10-03 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-11-07 09:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | Hollywood Diner (at the Baltimore Farmer’s Market), 400 East Saratoga Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Where can you find a piece of the Berlin Wall, a cannon ball mounted on a Conestoga wagon hitch, and over a hundred lions looking down at you from the tops of Baltimore’s buildings? On our Downtown Landmarks and Lions tour, of course! In this leisurely stroll—we cover a little over a mile in a little over an hour—you’ll see and hear the highlights of downtown Baltimore’s history and architecture. Best of all, you’ll discover where all the noble lions, hellish fiends, and neo-Egyptian sphinxes are hiding—the trick is in looking up! If you are Baltimore born-and-raised or a visitor from out-of-town, you don’t want to miss this walking tour!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, and Ridgely’s Delight on the first three Sundays of each month from May through November, except holiday weekends.

Historic Ridgely’s Delight
2021-08-08 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-09-12 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-11-14 09:30 - 10:30 | Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, 216 Emory Street, Baltimore, MD, United States
For a tiny neighborhood squeezed between the University of Maryland and Camden Yards, Ridgely’s Delight contains an oversized history. George Washington slept here and Babe Ruth was born here! Join us to walk the preserved, picturesque streets of one of the earliest neighborhoods in Baltimore while we look back at the stories of both its famous visitors and the ordinary Baltimoreans who worked and raised their families here.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.
Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, and Ridgely’s Delight on the first three Sundays of each month from May through November, except holiday weekends.

Federal Hill Beyond the Views: A Monumental City Tour
2021-08-15 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-09-19 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-10-17 09:30 - 10:30, 2021-11-21 09:30 - 10:30 | Federal Hill Park (Southwest Corner), 301 Warren Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21230, United States
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.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.
Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, and Ridgely’s Delight on the first three Sundays of each month from May through November, except holiday weekends.

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2021-09-11 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-09-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-10-02 09:30 - 11:30, 2021-10-16 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
After 30 years without a break, Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg is finally taking a year off and he has kindly shared his tour notes with us. Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

“Life Goes On:” The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks and Turner Station
2021-09-18 09:30 - 22:30 | Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center, 323 Sollers Point Road, Dundalk, MD, 21222, United States
Don’t know who Henrietta Lacks was? Most of the world didn’t until about ten years ago. Mrs. Lacks is best recognized for her immortal cells, which scientists and doctors still use today to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on people without experimenting on humans. Her cells helped create the HPV and polio vaccines. Yet it took some twenty-five years before the Lacks family received any knowledge of the important contribution of their beloved wife and mother. Please join us and the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group for a walking tour of Turner Station in Dundalk, the last home of Henrietta Lacks, to hear about Henrietta, her family, and her life in Turner Station.
In 1951, Mrs. Lacks went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment of cervical cancer. Without informing Mrs. Lacks, Hopkins doctors noticed that the removed cancer cells continued to grow in the lab. This marked the first instance of continuous growth of human cells outside the body. Henrietta died on October 4, 1951 from her cancer. She was 31 years old.
Doctors named her cells HeLa (from the first letters of her first and last names) and, without Lacks family approval, began sending them to laboratories around the world for research. Mrs. Lacks’ story weaves together important ethical and racial issues of the medical industrial complex, segregation, and the polarized economy of Baltimore. We are honored to be partnering with the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group for this tour. Join guide Servant Speed as we walk through Henrietta’s Turner Station community and learn about her incredible story.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Want to learn more about Henrietta Lacks?
The Double-Edged Helix” in Rolling Stone Magazine
“The Miracle of HeLa” in Ebony Magazine
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Old St. Paul’s Cemetery Tour: A Peek Behind the Stone Walls
2021-10-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Old St. Paul’s Cemetery, 733 W. Redwood St, Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States
Old St. Paul’s Cemetery’s list of the interred reads like the Who’s Who of the War of 1812 – Samuel Chase, George Armistead, John Eager Howard to name a few. Even Francis Scott Key spent part of his afterlife in the cemetery buried in the Howard crypt until he was moved to Frederick. Founded around 1799, Old St. Paul’s is one of the oldest cemeteries in Baltimore City and is on the registry of National Historic Places. Not regularly open to the public, come with us to peek behind its large stone walls and see the final resting places of those who helped shape this city.
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

The Maryland Zoo's Main Valley: A Walk Through History
2021-12-04 10:00 - 11:00 | The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1 Safari Place, Baltimore, MD, 21217, United States
Join us for a special walking tour of the Maryland Zoo’s newly reopened historic Main Valley. Kirby Fowler, president of the Maryland Zoo, and Tony Azola, the restoration contractor who helped restore the Main Valley, will lead us as we explore the Zoo’s oldest section, which dates back to the 19th century. The Main Valley was closed to the public in 2004 and it served as the “back of house” for employees, while the antiquated cages became overgrown with vines and trees. The Zoo has just reopened the Main Valley as a walking path for guests, providing unique opportunities to learn more about the history of the Zoo and several of its historic landmarks, including iron-barred cages and other structures built when the Rogers Mansion was still a private residence. We hope you’ll join us to experience a walk through the past, which will showcase how far zoological organizations have come from menageries of exotic creatures to conservation centers for endangered species!
Due to Covid precautions, we are limiting space more than usual. All participants will be required to wear face masks and socially distance during the tour.

Historic Clifton Mansion
2022-04-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2022-05-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Clifton Mansion, 2701 Saint Lo Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
Join us for a tour inside Clifton Mansion, the unique Italianate country house that has overlooked Baltimore City for over 200 years! At one time the summer home of War of 1812 captain Henry Thompson and then philanthropist Johns Hopkins, the story of Clifton Estate is one about two prominent businessmen, enslaved & free Black people, and more. You’ll see the latest restorations made possible by the Friends of Clifton Mansion and Civic Works. You will also be invited into unrestored spaces that are brimming with stories to tell! And the tour wouldn’t be complete without climbing the tower and taking in one-of-a-kind views of Clifton Park and our surrounding city. We hope to see you there!

Out of the Ashes: The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904
2022-04-03 09:30 - 10:30, 2022-05-01 09:30 - 10:30 | The Replica Gaslight, 300 E Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
In February 1904, Baltimore’s chief firefighter cabled Washington DC: “Desperate fire here. Must have help at once!” A tremendous fire was sweeping through downtown and showed little signs of stopping. Not until 5:00 p.m. the next day was the fire brought under control. Overall, it destroyed 1500 buildings, left 35,000 people unemployed, and damaged $150 million of property. Resilient Baltimore rebounded quickly, erecting new buildings, widening streets, and improving fire safety designs. Rising out of the ashes, Baltimore used the fire to rethink the city, and the downtown we know today is shaped largely by this incident. Join us on this walking tour as we see what 2500 degrees Fahrenheit heat can do to blocks of solid stone, learn how the fire shaped architecture locally and across the country, and hear the tale of one of the fire’s great heroes: Goliath the horse.

Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Downtown, Ridgely’s Delight, Mount Vernon and Federal Hill on the first four Sundays of each month from April through November, except holiday weekends.

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2022-04-09 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-04-23 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-05-21 09:30 - 11:30, 2022-06-04 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
After 30 years without a break, Baltimore historian Wayne Schaumburg is taking the year off and he has kindly shared his tour notes with us. Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak 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, A. Aubrey Bodine, John Wilkes Booth, and Elijah Bond, who patented the Ouija Board! Join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Tim Fabiszak to tour Baltimore’s historic Green Mount Cemetery.

Historic Ridgely’s Delight
2022-04-10 09:30 - 10:30 | Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, 216 Emory Street, Baltimore, MD, United States
For a tiny neighborhood squeezed between the University of Maryland and Camden Yards, Ridgely’s Delight contains an oversized history. George Washington slept here and Babe Ruth was born here! Join us to walk the preserved, picturesque streets of one of the earliest neighborhoods in Baltimore while we look back at the stories of both its famous visitors and the ordinary Baltimoreans who worked and raised their families here.
Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, Mount Vernon and Ridgely’s Delight on the first four Sundays of each month from April through November, except holiday weekends.

Mount Vernon Place: A Monumental City Tour
2022-04-24 09:30 - 10:30, 2022-05-22 09:30 - 10:30 | Washington Monument (South Entrance), 699 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States
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.
Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, Mount Vernon and Ridgely’s Delight on the first four Sundays of each month from April through November, except holiday weekends.

Federal Hill Beyond the Views: A Monumental City Tour
2022-05-15 09:30 - 10:30 | Federal Hill Park (Southwest Corner), 301 Warren Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21230, United States
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.
Our Monumental City tours are guided walks exploring iconic Baltimore landmarks in Federal Hill, Downtown, Mount Vernon and Ridgely’s Delight on the first four Sundays of each month from April through November, except holiday weekends.

Historic Irvington
2022-05-21 10:00 - 11:00 | 240 S. Monastery Ave, Baltimore, MD 21229, Baltimore, MD, United States
Join us to discover the past, present and future of Irvington, a leafy neighborhood nestled in Southwest Baltimore! Located on the old National Road and developed in 1874, this historic neighborhood is dotted with sublime pocket parks, peaceful gardens and vibrant murals created by the non-profit Cooperative Community Development Inc Group (the Cooperative). On this walk Johnny D. Martin, Board President of the Cooperative, and Baltimore Heritage’s Executive Director Johns Hopkins will take us back through Irvington’s history and showcase its bright future!
