Touring around Baltimore
Located just 40 miles north of Washington DC , the city of Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland while also an important economic center in the state. Founded in 1729 the city received its name from the barony of Baltimore. It was originally founded for the shipment of tobacco and grain, however, during the start of the American Revolution, it was focusing more on shipbuilding. In 1797 the U.S. Navy’s first ship, called the Constellation was launched. The Constellation is known to be the last warship built using only sails.
The Constellation
The first Constellation was disassembled in 1853 at the Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth and the materials were used in the construction of the next Constellation. During the 19th and 20th century the residents of Baltimore identified the ship as a rebuild of the original Constellation launched in 1797. Recently, evidence has been found that very little of the materials used for the first ship remains.
The Constellation underwent extensive restorations in the 90s and the ship can be found anchored in the city harbor. She is being preserved in the harbor as a museum ship and is a National Historic Landmark. It is a well-preserved piece of history that first-time visitors to Baltimore should consider worthwhile.
Fort McHenry National Monument
Next, to the city harbor, we can find Fort McHenry which played an important part in the city’s history. At the beginning of the 19th century, Fort McHenry defended the city from the British advance and because it was located far away from the city, the Fort provided protection without endangering Baltimore’s citizens.
Some of the architecture found in the fort remains the way it was back during the American Civil War, but the site’s main focus is on historical pieces and displays from the war in 1815 and the writing of the National Anthem. One of the main attractions of the is the well-preserved seacoast cannons from the Civil War period. The Fort is open to the public all year and provides special events highlighting the park’s history.
Horseshoe Casino
Horseshoe Casino is the second largest casino in Maryland and probably the most visited among them. The casino is a two-story building filled with a large number of video lottery terminals, table games and poker rooms. The interior design is done in such a way that provides a lot of space for the players, with lots of windows which is letting natural light enter the room.
Besides the casino games mentioned above, there is also an impressive number of slot machines available. An estimated number would be 2200 slot machines. Fans of slot machines will surely find one that is to their personal liking. The slots come in different styles and very much similar to the free slots that can be found on many online casino websites.
Among gambling there are also some recreational activities such as TopGolf, which is the first one ever opened in Maryland. Visitors to the casino can play virtual golf, as well as Zombie Dodgeball, where players throw balls at virtual undead enemies in order to knock them down. Besides the games, the Golf Suite also offer food and beverages for guests.
The Walters Art Museum
The public museum in Baltimore, formerly known as The Walters Art Gallery, was opened in 1934 and is one of the few art museums that has an artcollection from the third millennium B.C. to the early 20th century. Some examples found in the collection are many armors, paintings as well as art pieces from many different civilizations such as Egyptian, Greek, Byzanthine. Other pieces found here include art pieces from the Renaissance period as well as some Asian art.
The museum is renowned for its collection which was mostly brought together by two men William and Henry Walters, father and son. The name of the gallery was changed into museum in 2000 with the purpose of strengthening the building’s image as a public institution.
Some Final Thoughts
These places are just a glimpse of what Baltimore has to offer. Among the places of interest mentioned there are many that visitors should discover, especially Americans who want to learn more about their history. Baltimore is known as a city of monuments and is home to many memorials, statues and public works that honor the city’s past.