Join us for an upcoming heritage tour! We ride bikes, climb scaffolding, and walk up and down hilly streets on our tours of Baltimore’s historic buildings and neighborhoods all across the city. Have a question? Look through our FAQ page. Check out our calendar of events below!

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History from the Middle of the Street: A Walking Tour for the Charles Street Promenade

1 W Saratoga St, Baltimore, MD 21201 1 W Saratoga St, Baltimore, MD, United States

Baltimore is kicking cars off of portions of Charles Street for a day, and we're taking advantage of it! On Saturday June 4, only pedestrians and bicycles will be allowed on a good portion of Charles Street between Saratoga and North Avenue as part of the Charles Street Promenade. Join Baltimore Heritage’s Executive Director, Johns Hopkins, on a stroll down the middle of the street to get a perspective that we normally don't get of many of the city's most interesting historic buildings. We'll talk about some of Maryland’s oldest churches, take in architecture from Colonial Revival to Brutualist, and share stories from the founding of American philanthropy to the role rye whisky played in shaping more than a few beloved institutions...all from the middle of the street!

$10

Out of the Ashes: The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904

The Replica Gaslight 300 E Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD, 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.

$10

Historic Ridgely’s Delight

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. 

$10

Jonestown & the Shot Tower: A Walking Tour

Carroll Mansion 800 Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, United States

Originating in 1661, Jonestown is Baltimore’s oldest and most historic neighborhood. Both groundbreaking industry and vibrant communities have thrived here. On this tour, we will see the vestiges of its Eastern European Jewish residents as we pass Corned Beef Row. We hope you’ll join Baltimore Heritage and tour guide Bev Rosen as we stroll past a series of firsts: the McKim Free School, the city’s oldest education building from 1833, the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the first synagogue in Maryland and the third oldest in the country, the 1808 home of Charles Carroll, the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Hendler Creamery, the nation’s first fully-automated ice cream manufacturing plant. And of course, what is a visit to Jonestown without a stop at the iconic Phoenix Shot Tower, which until 1846 was the tallest building in the country!

$10