SeeSouth Baltimore

Fort McHenry

Really a must-visit for any tourist in Baltimore, this is the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem. The fort's military history is best known for its central role in the defense of the country in the War of 1812, simply named the Battle of Fort McHenry. At the time, Baltimore was the industrial powerhouse of the United States, and was a critical producer of ships and armaments. Fort McHenry remained relevant in future wars: a prison for captured Confederate soldiers in the Civil War, a military hospital during WWI, and again an active Coast Guard base during WWII. Since 1925 it has been designated as a National Park (and since 1939 doubly listed as a National Monument), and is today a museum, with plenty of cannons and nooks and crannies to explore. Back to the National Anthem, it was Francis Scott Key, who escaped here from British captivity in the War of 1812, and joins Edgar Allen Poe, Thurgood Marshall, and H L Mencken as a preeminent icon of the city and the eponym for dishes at restaurants, bridges, and one impressive golden statue in Bolton Hill. He might be a little sad to see that the flag is not still there. It was getting extra raggedy after all these years, and was moved to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. for preservation.

Address: 2400 E Fort Ave
Hours: 9AM-4:45PM daily
Price: $15, children under 15 are free
Website: nps.gov (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Baltimore/South Baltimore, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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