Fort Mchenry
As a teen going through way more than any kid should, Federal Hill became my peaceful place to go and clear my head. In retrospect, if I was forced to pinpoint a time or place that made me fall in love with this city, it was probably then and there. The architecture of the homes tied in with looking over the city at night…euphoric! But I’ll blog about that neighborhood later lol.
At some point Federal Hill became too busy for me and I wandered a little farther east to Locust Point, specifically Fort McHenry. Beyond being the birthplace of the national anthem, it is one of the most peaceful places to be on this section of the Patapsco River. You can sit there for hours unbothered and in peace. If you're a jogger / walker this is a good environment for that.
This is still the perfect mental clarity space for me so on my last visit I shared the experience with my daughter. She enjoys all things peaceful and pretty. But mostly her recent non stop singing of the National Anthem reminded me that she’s probably at a good age to absorb the information. Now if she would actually see value in the information remained to be seen.
We skipped the forts this time since my husband is going back with us next week and has never had the full experience (ill update this post with any new info we come across on that visit). There’s a 10-15 minute documentary that gets straight to the point about the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the birth of the Star Spangled Banner along with a few exhibits. It is free to watch the documentary and walk the grounds. If you would like to enter the forts and shrine, the fee is $15 per adult and free for kids 15 and younger. The $15 pass allows access for 7 days. I want to say military members are free, but don't quote me on that. There is a fair amount of parking and it is free.
For my fellow homeschool parents, my six year old was pretty enthused about this trip. She was able to comprehended the story well enough to ask follow up questions as we asked the grounds. Maybe I underestimated her mind for history, but I totally expected tolerance and not excitement. Lol. So even if your small kid displays no interest in history, It may be worth the trip anyway. Worst case scenario, they are not into it, it still counts as a field trip and you can head over to Federal Hill for the Museum of Industry, The Baltimore Visionary Museum, or The Science Center to make up for it. ☺️
Want to keep up with my moves around the city in real time? My instagram is best way to do that. See you around town! Xx