Baltimore is a great place to visit, and increasingly these days a great place to live. Many of the once run down row houses in the city’s downtown area are being renovated and are becoming prime real estate. This is due in large part to the renovation of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which is fast becoming one the most popular tourist destination in the Eastern United States.

The Inner Harbor is actually a historic seaport. The harbor itself lies at the end of the North West branch of the Patapsco River, and includes all the water between the National Aquarium, which is one of the largest and most impressive in the world, and the famous Rusty Scupper restaurant. Since the revitalization of the area began the term "inner Harbor" now extends to the entire surrounding area of the Baltimore. The home of the Baltimore Orioles, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is included in this area and the stadium is one of best examples of the new baseball stadiums that are being built all over the country and is worth a visit for more than just the baseball action. A water taxi connects the Inner Harbor to other interesting parts of the city. The Inner harbor house both great eating and shopping opportunities too,

For the history buff, Baltimore is great place too. A water taxi from the Inner Harbor can take you to the Fort McHenry National Monument. Remember it was the defense of that fort in 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner".

Over in Fell’s Point Baltimore’s past and present coexist together in surprising harmony. The cobblestone streets are the home to a number of charming and interesting art galleries, shops restaurants and pubs. Many of the buildings in Fells Point have been renovated, and are now trendy and comfortable homes for Baltimore denizens.

Baltimore is also home to two of the country’s most renowned art museums. The Baltimore Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of over 120,000 works of art, including pieces by Picasso, Matisse and Cezanne.

The Walters Art Gallery on Charles Street has over 30,000 masterpieces that cover 5,000 years of history.

For animal lovers, the Baltimore Zoo is a must see. It boasts well over a thousand birds mammals and reptiles that can be seen on foot or from the zoo tram. One feature that is a lot of fun is watching the antics of the largest colony of black footed penguins in the United States. There is also an impressive Children’s Zoo for the younger members of the family to enjoy.

Yankees fans may not be the most welcome visitors to a home game at Oriole Park, but they are welcome at the museum that is built at the site of the birthplace of George Herman Ruth, aka Babe Ruth. This museum is connected to another great sports museum, The Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards which pays tribute to the past and present heroes of all of Baltimore's sports teams.