Baltimore

My wife and two young children recently joined me for a day in Baltimore. It was the first visit to the city for all of us, and I must say Baltimore seems like a city easily worth 2-3 days of sightseeing.

As we researched some options before going to Baltimore, the kids overwhelmingly voted for the B&O Railroad Museum. This proved to be a great choice.

We spent about two hours at the museum located about 10 minutes from the Inner Harbor. A huge roundhouse houses engines and coaches from many eras, including several that have been used in films. Numerous volunteers are available to answer questions, provide historical insights and give tours. There's also the opportunity to board several of the trains. We went on a Tuesday which precluded us getting to ride on a train - the rides are offered Wednesday through Sunday.

After the B&O Museum, we drove down to the Inner Harbor. This is an area with many options.

The National Aquarium houses more than 5,000 creatures. The Science Center features three floors of exhibits, including a planetarium and an IMAX theater.

Four ships from different eras can me toured: a Coast Guard cutter that survived Pearl Harbor, a submarine from World War II, the USS Constellation from the Civil War and the Lightship Chesapeake, a floating navigational lighthouse.

Fort McHenry, which inspired the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, is also nearby.

Of course, a lot of the fun comes from just sitting and watching different boats come and go.

We rented a paddle boat and spent 30 minutes on the water.

We were also entertained by some street performers as we walked past numerous restaurants and bars.

The area is close to both Camden Yards and M&T Stadium, the homes to baseball's Baltimore Orioles and football's Baltimore Ravens. We took in a game at Camden Yards. It's a beautiful ballpark that seems to stick to baseball - not a lot of fancy gimmicks around the park or between innings. There is a street (Eutaw Street) located beyond the right field fence that features food vendors, restaurants and bars.