Baltimore Heritage

Historic Green Mount Cemetery
2026-07-18 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-08-01 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-08-22 09:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
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.
This tour is scheduled to go rain or shine, please prepare accordingly! If the weather is dangerous, we will send you an email to cancel the morning of.

Baltimore by Boat: Powered by PNC
2026-07-18 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-07-25 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-08-08 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-08-15 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-08-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-09-12 10:00 - 11:30 | Harborplace Watertaxi Stop, 201 E. Pratt St, Baltimore, 21202, United States
Join us to discover America’s history on Baltimore’s water with our new Inner Harbor boat tours! America defeated the British here. Frederick Douglass escaped from here. Today we are pioneering watershed restoration here. We will start near the Harborplace pavilions and go all the way out to see Fort McHenry from the water and back again. Join us for 300 years of history on a live-narrated tour of Baltimore’s world famous Inner Harbor. Come see how Baltimore’s wonderful waterfront connects the past with the present and Baltimore to the rest of the world.

We partner with the Baltimore Water Taxi to use their vessels. This tour starts and ends at the Baltimore Water Taxi stop at Harborplace (behind 201 E. Pratt St). This is the water taxi stop next to the USS Constellation and the Harborplace pavilions. We do the tours rain or shine.
Tickets are $27.50. Boat tours are 1.5 hours long.

Brewer's Hill: Where Immigrants Brewed a Community
2026-07-19 09:30 - 10:30 | The Knotty Pine, 801 S Conkling St, Baltimore, 21224, United States
Discover how Brewer’s Hill grew from rural farmland into a vibrant immigrant and industrial neighborhood at the heart of Baltimore’s brewing history. This one-mile guided walking tour explores historic rowhouses, neighborhood history, and the legacy of local breweries like National Bohemian and Gunther. Join us as we uncover stories of beer, bricklayers, and the communities who built this corner of the city.

Historic Ellicott Mill
2026-07-22 17:30 - 18:30 | 27 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043, 27 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, 21043, United States
In 1774, brothers John, Andrew and Joseph Ellicott built a mill on the banks of the Patapsco River in what we today call Ellicott City. It was the first merchant flour mill in Maryland and the town that grew up around it became one of the most important mill towns in early America. 150 years later, people were still building mills here, including the Ellicott Mill in 1926, the enormous structure that greets you along Frederick Road as you head into Ellicott City. Today, Terra Nova Ventures has nearly completed a top-to-bottom renovation of the mill, converting it into apartments. Join us as we walk through the historic mill to learn about its past and what it is becoming today.

Booth, Baltimore & Lincoln’s Assassination: A Walking Tour of Green Mount Cemetery
2026-07-25 09:30 - 11:30, 2026-08-08 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Join us at Green Mount Cemetery to discover the tangled history of John Wilkes Booth, Baltimore, and the plots to kidnap and assassinate Abraham Lincoln. We’ll trace Booth’s childhood on Exeter Street and how he followed his Shakespearean-trained father’s footsteps into the theater world. We’ll get to know Booth–the womanizer, the white supremacist, and the presidential assassin. We’ll also revisit major events of the Civil War, including the Pratt Street Riots and the surrender at Appomattox, and how they influenced the conspirators’ actions leading up to the day Booth murdered Lincoln.
As we walk, you’ll hear about the events of the fateful day and the fates of the Booth’s co-conspirators. And of course, we’ll see the unmarked burial site of Booth and the graves of two of his co-conspirators. We hope you’ll walk to the grounds of Green Mount Cemetery with us to discover this poignant history in a whole new light.
Accessibility: Although there are some paved pathways, we will be walking over mostly uneven grassy terrain and cobblestones.

Fell's Point
2026-07-26 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-08-23 09:30 - 10:30 | 821 S Broadway, 821 S Broadway, Baltimore, 21231, United States
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 Catacombs Under Westminster: Two Hundred Years of Tombs and Edgar Allan Poe’s Gravesite
2026-07-26 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-09-12 11:00 - 12:00
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!”
This tour is scheduled to go rain or shine, please prepare accordingly! If the weather is dangerous, we will send you an email to cancel the morning of.

150 Years & Counting: Walking through History at the Maryland Zoo
2026-07-29 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-15 09:00 - 10:00, 2026-09-12 09:00 - 10:00 | The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21217, United States
Join us to celebrate the Maryland Zoo’s 150th birthday with a new walking tour around its historic grounds led by Zoo staff. Discover the history of the zoo and several of its important landmarks, including iron-barred cages and other structures built when the Rogers Mansion was still a private residence. As we walk, we’ll hear about the zoo’s first elephant, Mary Ann, and we might even glimpse some penguins. 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 expert conservation centers for endangered species!

(This tour does not include zoo admission. If you wish to explore the zoo after our tour, please purchase a ticket through the zoo’s website).

Inner Harbor Boat & Trolley Tour
2026-08-01 10:00 - 14:30
Baltimore Heritage is excited to partner with American Limousines for a Boat and Trolley Tour! On August 1, join us for a morning boat tour around our Inner Harbor. We’ll return to land and pause for lunch. Then in the afternoon, we’ll take a trolley tour around our beautiful city! This is a package tour–one ticket gets you a boat tour, a trolley tour and lunch at Miss Shirley’s Cafe!
The Boat Tour: America defeated the British here. Frederick Douglass escaped from here. Today we are pioneering watershed restoration here. We will start near the Harborplace pavilions and go all the way out to see Fort McHenry from the water and back again. Join veteran boat tour guide, Rebecca Cohen, for 300 years of history on a live-narrated tour of Baltimore’s world famous Inner Harbor. (90-minutes long)
The Lunch: Enjoy a prix fixe lunch from Baltimore’s own Miss Shirley’s Cafe with Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins. See the menu below.
The Trolley Tour: Hop aboard an old-timey trolley for a fun-filled tour around our city! Join Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins as we wind through some of Baltimore’s most charming neighborhoods including Fell’s Point, Canton, the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Locust Point, Federal HIll and our downtown/Inner Harbor area. We hope to see you on the history-packed live-guided tour! (90-minutes long)
Parking: We have partnered with Power Point Live! to provide you with $10 parking. Please park in the 15 S Frederick Street parking garage. Before returning to your car, you can get your parking ticket validated inside Power Plant Live! (34 Market Pl. Baltimore, MD 21202) to make sure you get the rate.

Patterson Park
2026-08-09 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-09-13 09:30 - 10:30 | 28 S Patterson Park Ave, Baltimore, MD 21231, 28 S Patterson Park Ave, Baltimore, 21231, United States
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.”

Station North: A Light City Tour
2026-08-14 19:30 - 20:30 | Club Car, 12 W. North, Baltimore, 21201, United States
As artists and restaurants are throwing open their doors for the monthly Station North Art Walk, join Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins on one of our Light City Baltimore tours to learn how this arts and entertainment area combines diversity with energy. It builds on a heritage of Korean businesses and famous Black-owned nightclubs that popularized Baltimore house music and put Baltimore jazz on the national map. This neighborhood has championed reusing old buildings like theatres, car dealerships and factories for new uses. And it’s one of those places in Baltimore that is humming along even if many people don’t know about it—art thrives here. Come explore its history and renaissance with us! This tour will occur the same night as the Station North Art Walk and we encourage you to check out the dozens of open art studios and restaurants before our tour starts!
This is part of our Light City tour series–join us for a series of evening walking and boat tours to see our city in a new light. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of Baltimore’s evening offerings, including local entertainment and restaurants.
This project has been funded in part by a grant from the Moe Family Fund for Statewide and Local Partners of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Buried in Plain Sight: The Black Family Servants in Green Mount Cemetery
2026-08-15 09:30 - 11:30 | Green Mount Cemetery, 1501 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Opened in 1839, Baltimore’s Green Mount Cemetery is the final resting place of some of Maryland’s most famous, and infamous, figures. For a long time, it was believed only one African American person, Martha Ann Atavis, was buried here. After filming a video on her, Baltimore Heritage board member and volunteer, Lashelle Bynum, vowed to uncover the stories of other African Americans buried here. Since then, Lashelle and Green Mount Cemetery employees have discovered over a dozen Black Baltimoreans buried in the cemetery. Join Lashelle, and Molly Ricks, Deputy Director of Baltimore Heritage, to learn the names of these individuals—Patience Marsh, Isaac Beale, and Hester Turner, to name a few—and how they persevered.
Accessibility: Although there are some paved pathways, we will be walking over mostly uneven grassy terrain and cobblestones.

System Source Computer Museum: A Behind the Scenes Tour
2026-08-15 10:30 - 12:00 | System Source Computer Museum, 338 Clubhouse Road, Hunt Valley, MD, 21031, United States
System Source’s computer museum displays technology from the inception of computing! From the ancient Antikythera Mechanism dating to the first century BC to the Altair 8800, the early personal computer that Paul Allen and Bill Gates (then a student at Harvard) wrote code for in the mid 1970s, the Computer Museum at the IT firm System Source is a marvelous chronicle of the evolution of the computer. Please join us as we explore computers of all shapes and sizes through the ages. Who knows, maybe the museum’s Millionaire Calculating Machine from 1909 will again work its magic on our tour.

Accessibility: The museum is fully wheelchair accessible.

Federal Hill
2026-08-16 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 tunneled 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.

Dragon Clocks, Antique Musical Machines and More: An Awe-Inspring Visit to the “Clock House"
2026-09-03 17:30 - 18:30 | Clock House, 2100 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
Known widely throughout Baltimore as “The Clock House,” Mr. Durward Center’s 2100 St. Paul Street Victorian home is a Mecca for lovers of early mechanical devices. By profession, Mr. Center is a restoration expert for antique tower-clocks and organs and has worked on projects across the country and as close to home as Penn Station in Baltimore. He is even the craftsman behind the restoration of the 1898 Welte “concert orchestration” that sat in the entrance to Oakley Court, the manor house outside London that was made famous in Dracula movies and perhaps infamous in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
For his St. Paul Street house, Mr. Center has installed three clock dials on the outside (including the dragon clock) and has an almost endless collection inside. A music room contains early mechanical musical devices that he has restored. Please join us and our host, Mr. Durward Center, as we learn about (and literally hear) the fascinating marriage between a historic Baltimore rowhouse and a world-class collection of early mechanical devices.

A Walking Tour of East Baltimore’s Historic American Indian “Reservation”
2026-09-17 13:00 - 14:30 | South Broadway Baptist Church, 211 South Broadway, Baltimore, 21231, United States
The place now known as Baltimore, like the rest of what is now known as the United States, has always been home to Native peoples. Baltimore is part of the ancestral homelands of the Piscataway and the Susquehannock, and a diverse host of American Indian folks from other nations have passed through or lived here at different times — and still do! In the mid-twentieth century, thousands of Lumbee Indians and members of other tribal nations migrated to Baltimore City, seeking jobs and a better quality of life. They settled in Upper Fells Point and Washington Hill and created a vibrant, intertribal American Indian community, which they affectionately referred to as “the reservation,” in its heyday. In the decades since the community has gradually moved away from the area. Recent generations never experienced “the reservation” as such. Today, most Baltimoreans are surprised to learn that it ever existed. Join historian and artist Ashley Minner Jones to learn about places and spaces important to American Indian history and heritage in the city, with a focus on East Baltimore’s Historic American Indian “Reservation” in the 20th century.
