Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Good Things from my In-box

More things-to-do keep filling up my in-box. I wish I had time to do them all, but here are a few that sound particularly appealing. If you have a kid-friendly event, or favorite place to share, I  encourage you to post on the Kid Baltimore Facebook page. I love seeing how many people are posting events there and hope it becomes a good resource for what is happening around town.

On to my in-box...

Charm City Kids
Charm City Kids Club is a new children's enrichment center that recently opened in Lutherville. They not only have a play town area with miniature Whole Foods Market, diner, theater and soft play area for little ones, but they also offer classes — everything from yoga to cooking to handwriting.

photos courtesy of Charm City Kids

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New Friends at the Maryland Zoo
There are two new okapi at the Maryland Zoo. They are hanging out at the giraffe house (nice of the giraffes to share because they are the okapi's closest relatives) until their 30 days of quarantine are over. Okapi are that crazy mix of beautiful and weird that I can't help but love.

 
video courtesy of the Maryland Zoo

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Dickens at the BSO
Every year I love to take the whole family to a holiday show. At the BSO, you can see a new version of "A Christmas Carol." This one has a twist. It's the first and only version of the classic Dickens tale performed as a concert with a full symphony orchestra, a rock/pop rhythm section, choir, a narrator and three soloists. Performances are December 16th and 17th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. More details are posted on their website.

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Family fun day at the BMA
Inspired by the exhibition Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa, the BMA hosts its 15th annual Kwanzaa Family Day on Wednesday, December 28, 2012.  This year’s FREE celebration of community and family features a special performance by Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company and art-making projects inspired by the exhibition.  In addition, Baltimore actress and storyteller Maria Broom will be on hand to perform never-before-heard tales about the personal treasures in our lives. For more information, contact 443-573-1832 or visit www.artbma.org

 photo courtesy of Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company

 

Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is every bit as beautiful as I remembered. I lived nearby as a teenager, but I haven't been back there for way too many years, so recently, on a visit to see family, we stopped by.

I am amazed that at this time of year, just a couple of weeks ago, the gardens were so lush.

This waterfall caught me by surprise.

The conservatories are my favorite part. They look like postcards. My photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me.

I foolishly tried to get the kids to pose for a photo.

I'm pretty sure Rapunzel lives here. But really, it's a chimes tower built by Pierre duPont. The carrilon was replaced with electronic chimes in 1956, but with the 2001 rennovation authentic chimes were re-installed. The carrilon rings every 15 minutes, from 9:00 - 5:00.

The vegetable garden is one of my favorite places, if for no other reason than walking through a garden like this reminds me how beautiful the most practical of plants can be. Swiss chard is tucked in everywhere, part function, part beauty. I need to stop planting Swiss Chard in rows.

As we headed to the gates, my kids weren't quite ready to go, so we stopped by the rose garden. There is a topiary pruned into the shape of a chicken. What more could we ask for?

The kids also tried to figure out exactly which rose smelled the best. I think it was this one.

 

Longwood Gardens
1001 Longwood Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348

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