Free things to do in Baltimore

11 places in Baltimore with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

SeeNorth Baltimore
Baltimore Museum of Art
Fantastic collection of 19th century, modern and contemporary art.
Wed-Fri 11AM-5PM, Sat Sun 11AM-6PM, Mon Tue closedFree
SeeDowntown
Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower
This beautiful old landmark clocktower dates to 1911. It was built as the clocktower for the factory (now demolished) that made Bromo Seltzer's headache and hangover cure. The city converted the building to artist studios in 2007, and installed a fire station at the bottom. The building is open to visitors on Saturdays.
Sat 11AM-4PMFree entry; $8 for clock room tour
SeeInner Harbor
Christmas Village in Baltimore
German-style Christmas market with vendors offering food, holiday gifts, a beer garden and a Santa to take photos with that is open from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Eve. Free admission on weekdays (admission fee on most weekend days — check website for exact operating hours and prices).
SeeDowntown
City Hall
A beautiful, huge post-Civil War Baroque Revival building and major city landmark, the seat of the city government is partially open for visitors, who can stop by to see exhibits on Baltimore art and history (but mostly to gawk at the architecture).
Mon-Fri 8AM-4:30PMFree
SeeFells Point
Fells Point Visitor Center and Maritime Museum
Run by the Baltimore Historical Society, the visitor center is a nice, sleek space to stop by, with exhibits and artwork related to the maritime history of the neighborhood, as well as information on what to do and see in the area.
Jan-March: Sun,Tue-Fri noon-5PM, Sat 11AM-7PM; Apr-Dec Tue-Thu noon-5PM, Fri 11AM-8PM, Sat 10AM-8PMFree
SeeWest Baltimore
Mencken House
Free public museum dedicated to work of Henry Louis Mencken- a journalist and scholar of American English. He is known for the "American Language" a study of English in the United States. This house was where he lived from 1883 to 1956 and is a national historic landmark.
Free
SeeNorth Baltimore
Negro League Baseball Museum
Free Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the Owings Mills Library which is housed on 3 floors of the library and contains artifacts, photos and memorabilia from the Negro Leagues. It is open the same hours as the library.
Mon-Thu 9AM-9PM, Fri Sat 9AM-5:30PM, Sun 1-5PMFree
SeeMidtown
The Walters Art Museum
An excellent museum donated to the city by father-and-son railroad tycoons William and Henry Walter, fervent collectors who purchased much of its massive and diverse collection as well as the buildings that host it. It is best known for its collection of 19th century European masterpieces (top floor), however, the ancient and medieval collections are excellent as well. Be sure to enter or exit from its Charles Street entrance, where you'll pass through a magnificent indoor courtyard modeled after the Palazzo Baldi in Genoa.
Wed-Sun 10AM-5PM, Mon-Tue closedFree
SeeDowntown
Westminster Hall and Burying Ground
This early 19th century church is a most atmospheric and tortuous place of famous Baltimore residents including, most famously, Edgar Allan Poe, as well as James McHenry (signer of the U.S. Constitution), Samuel Smith, former city mayors, and others. Halloween is the city's favorite time to visit, but any midnight dreary would be most appropriate (although this would involve an attempt of questionable legality to slip past the gates). It is custom to leave a penny behind his grave marker, which in turn pays for its upkeep! There are tours, but they are subect to availability April–November: F 6:30PM, Sa 10AM, minimum fifteen people, with reservations required, $5. Private tours are always an option, but must be set up at least two weeks in advance, and fees will vary.
8AM-duskFree
DoInner Harbor Not mapped
Baltimore Book Festival
3-day book festival with over 100 exhibitors/booksellers, author signings, cooking demos and other events and activities held in late September at the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore (it used to in Mt Vernon) to celebrate reading. Cancelled for 2023, set to return late September 2024.
Free admission
DoInner Harbor Not mapped
Light City Baltimore
Annual festival featuring light art installations and free concerts, held in late March/early April. Free admission. Check website for exact dates. Cancelled for 2023.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Baltimore (CC BY-SA 4.0).