Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Jellies Invasion at the National Aquarium

My sister and I recently headed to the Aquarium with kids in tow, five of them age 10 and under, plus a teenager. Let's just say we had our hands full. We spent most of our time counting heads and shouting directions, but we soon discovered it was as much fun to watch the kids' expressions as the exhibits.

We explored all the regular favorites: rays, sharks, dolphins, rain forest. By the time we got to the Jellies exhibit, I knew our crew was tired and hungry. We had to wait a few minutes to enter, but watching these underwater ballerinas was hypnotic. The first tank was a tangley mess of tentacles. The next, short, stout little squirts. I never knew there was so much variety and every one of them was beautiful.

The exhibit focuses on how jellies are "environmental indicators" that let us know when our world is getting out of balance. The population of these prehistoric blobs ebbs and flows as their environment changes. As predators decline or pollution increases, their numbers give us a marker of their habitat's health.

Now I feel kind of bad. I've been dodging these guys at the beach for years. Okay, I will still do that, but I now, I promise, I'll dodge them with a bit more respect.

410-576-3800

The National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

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New Dolphin Show at the Aquarium

We went to check out the new dolphin show at the Aquarium today, Our Ocean Planet. Honestly, I could watch dolphins do back flips all day long, but I was also hoping that the new show would have a little more educational value. Our Ocean Planet focuses on how all our water systems are connected. Our water at home connects to our oceans. It sounded promising.

Instead, the show was largely the same as previous shows. Happy dolphins. I can't be mad when there are dolphins around, but I sure wish the Aquarium would drop the super-scripted parts of the show and have some of the trainers and/or naturalists just come out and talk to the audience in a more candid, casual manner. I don't need 5 minutes of video explaining that our environment is in need of help, or a line of kids marching on stage waving flags for planet earth. They looked kind of confused as to what they were doing there, and I don't blame them. This is helping earth how?

So while the message of the new show is lovely, it's lost in the cold presentation. Even more so when you walk out to the Inner Harbor and see this:

That said, we had fun, and I will be back. After all, they have dolphins...

More highlights from our trip: the rays, the lionfish, and my daughter's favorite fish friend (she named him Leo).


3 photos above, © 2009 Madison

410-576-3800

The National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

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A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger

Left - Circus by Emma, 2009                           
Right - Circus by Max Pechstein, 1918

Submitted by Dave

By the time March rolls around Old Man Winter is an overnight guest still sleeping on my sofa at 10 in the morning. It's cold, it's rainy, and the kids are itching to get out of the house.

The Baltimore Museum of Art is a great place to spend a rainy afternoon.  Admission to the central part of the museum has been free for a while now but  "A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger" is the rare ticketed exhibition that's a great show for all ages.

A four gallery show of posters, prints, and paintings by Picasso, Chéret, Lautrec, Léger, and other significant  20th century artists is the perfect size and  subject matter for small kids. The exhibit is broken up by a small theatre featuring a vintage circus film and ends with a room for dress up and drawing.

The game my group likes to play? Art scavenger hunt. Dad or Mom names an object in a painting and the kids have to find it.  Your family will run out of stamina before the BMA runs out of art. Lunch is available in the museum itself (at Gertudes) or in the nearby Charles Village corridor.

A Circus Family: Picasso to Léger. February 22–May 17, 2009. Baltimore Museum of Art. (kids 6 and under and BMA members free).

Baltimore Museum of Art
443-573-1700
10 Art Museum Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218

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National Museum of Dentistry

The Museum of Dentistry?

I figured I was going to see some quirky little row home stuffed with old dentistry tools, but nothing could be further from the truth. (I'm going to make a point here of avoiding all tooth related puns. I'm so tempted though). The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry is actually 7,000 square feet of beautiful museum space. It is affiliated with the Smithsonian and houses an amazing collection of dental ephemera, from George Washington's not-so-wooden denture to a life-sized model of Penny Wilson performing her "iron-jaw" act.

I felt a little guilty walking around this great big space, practically all by ourselves. We stopped by for story time (Wednesdays through the summer) and then practiced  brushing my daughter's favorite set of chompers – appropriately named Giant Mr. Gross Mouth^TM (Yes, there is really a ^TM on that). There is so much to see here, even with little ones, including a mini-dentist's office complete with lab coats and dentist chair; vintage TV shows and films; and our favorite – old stone lithograph dental posters. Now what toddler wouldn't love those? Okay, maybe that last part was for me. 

410-706-0600

National Museum of Dentistry
University of Maryland
31 South Greene Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-1504

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Welcome BMA!

I'd like to welcome our new sponsor, the Baltimore Museum of Art! The BMA has a lot to offer families, and looking over their upcoming events I am so excited. My daughter has spent the last few days quilting with my mom, so we may just have to check out the quilting workshop next weekend. Upcoming events also include a kaleidoscope workshop, sketching in the garden and more!

B & O Railroad Museum

Today we headed to the B & O Railroad Museum to check out the trains. I'm sure all of you who travel with little ones can appreciate on-site parking and there is plenty here. I slid my oh-so-cool minivan into a spot close to the entrance next to beautiful train 2705. Okay, maybe beautiful is not the right word, but it has this great type and neat patina. Either way, it makes my minivan look that much less cool, as if it needed any help. The parking lot is surrounded by vintage trains in varying conditions, but all amazing.

We marched inside. Admission here in not particularly cheap. If you are just stopping by to ride trains, you would be better off trying the good ole MTA Light Rail. But if you are looking for trains as art, or if your kids are train-crazy (aren't all 3 year olds) you are in the right spot. The roundhouse has an amazing collection that dates back to the beginning of American railroading. Some of the trains are open for kids to explore. My kids spent way too much time playing at the Thomas the Tank Engine table. It's arguably the least impressive part of the museum, but on Toddler day it's a popular spot. Outside the roundhouse is a wooden train to climb on, a miniature train to watch, and the kiddie train ride. Check the calendar for Toddler Time, when kiddie train rides are operating.

Regular train rides are also included in the price of admission and operate at scheduled times, April through December.

410-752-2490

B & O Railroad Museum
901 W. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21223

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Baltimore Streetcar Museum

Despite the fact that our studio is just a stone's throw away from the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, I had never stopped by. But streetcars are a wonderful part of Baltimore history and this museum, staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers, has worked hard to preserve a part of the past. Volunteers man the ticket booth, restore the streetcars and even maintain the tracks here. The Streetcar Museum is open Sundays only, most of the year. In the summer, they expand their hours to include Saturdays as well.

We showed up just as the gates were opening. I would recommend arriving just a little bit later so they have time to check the tracks and get the streetcars operating. The museum itself has various miniature streetcars and displays, but the real draw here is the streetcar rides. For the price of admission, you can ride authentic streetcars as many times as you like down the track. These streetcars date from the late 1800's to the1940's, although some were in service until the 1960's. The conductors stop at the turnaround and give a brief history and then drive you back to the museum. Back and forth. Back and forth. We could do this all day long...

410-547-0264

Baltimore Streetcar Museum
1901 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21211

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College Park Aviation Museum

This week, we stopped by the College Park Aviation Museum because, well, airplanes are cool. This 27,000 facility is located on the grounds of the historic College Park Airport which is "the world's oldest continuously operating airport."

The museum itself, beautiful and thoughtfully designed, was opened in 1998 and offers a wonderful collection of aircrafts. But what I liked most about this museum was how they had managed to cater to all age groups. There is really something for everyone here.

For little ones, there is "The Imagination Plane" - a real 1939 Taylorcraft airplane that kids can climb in and explore. There are also mini flight jackets to put on. An outside play yard has hand built wooden airplanes to ride.

For older kids there are exhibits that explore air velocity and real propellers to turn although, truth be told, my 3 year olds enjoyed that too.

And for adults, there is plenty of rich history including a library for research.

301-864-6029

College Park Aviation Museum
1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive
College Park, MD 20740

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