SeeEast Baltimore

Great Blacks in Wax

Only the American Visionary Arts Museum could claim to be more unique than this very off-the-beaten-path museum, and it might be wrong. The catchy name betrays the extremely disturbing content (make sure your kids are prepared). It's appropriately disturbing, though, as much of African American history is horrifying even without seeing it reproduced with life-sized wax figures. The first room you enter sets the tone: a cramped slave ship, packed with brutalized slaves watched over by a sadistic slavemaster. The lynching scene is in a separate room downstairs, so you can get through the museum without getting those particular nightmares. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as the story of African Americans is full of personal triumphs and huge contributions to the society of not just this country, but of the world.

Address: 1603 E North Ave
Hours: Tue-Sat 9AM-6PM, Sun noon-6PM (summer days are open on Mondays as well)
Price: $12/10
Website: greatblacksinwax.org (opens in a new tab)

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

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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