Baltimore is lacking somewhat in large scale theme-park style attractions however, if you are taking a family holiday you will find a small selection of venues where the kids can enjoy themselves for a few hours, a half-day or an entire day even. Highlights include the Baltimore Zoo and the National Aquarium.

Baltimore Arena
At the Baltimore Arena, there is a variety of indoor entertainments on offer with many sports games and performances aimed at all-round family fun. In the latter category, there are shows such as Disney's World on Ice, Sesame Street Live, Monster Truck shows and circuses while in the former category, you can catch WWF wrestling matches, basketball and gymnastics. Website: www.baltimorearena.com

Baltimore Zoo
Hailed as America’s third oldest zoological park, the zoo is a 161-acre large facility offering a fun day out for all of the family. Some 2,250 animals reside here with categories including birds, reptiles, and mammals. Various guided tours can be taken around the zoo with the Harold and Selma Taylor African Journey being one of the most popular and taking in elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions and cheetahs, zebras, gazelles and giraffes and more besides. A petting zoo for small children can also be found at the facility. Phone: +1 410 366 5466

Maryland Science Centre
The Maryland Science Centre provides a fascinating insight into the world of science through a wide selection of engaging interactive displays spread across a large three-level facility. Hands-on exhibits demonstrate a variety of scientific phenomena concepts such as holograms, static electricity, light and magnetism. A prehistoric section takes visitors back in time to the days of the dinosaurs and examines specimens found in and around the Maryland area. The Chesapeake Bay area is home to a variety of animals that are indigenous to the area while the Davis Planetarium offer views of the sky and beyond. An IMAX theatre showing movies with fun but educational slants can be seen throughout the centre’s opening hours. Website: www.mdsci.org

Mimi Di Pietro Skating Centre
Situated in Patterson Park, the Mimi Di Pietro Skating Centre offers skating during both the day and night with the latter period offering romantic floodlit conditions. Ice skates are available to hire at the centre and lessons are available for those who are complete novices. Friday nights are popular with all, as a DJ spins discs and the disco lights are turned on. The rink is artificially cooled so the centre is open all year round. Phone: +1 410 396 9392

National Aquarium in Baltimore
Education meets fun at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, a four-floor centre with over 10,000 sea creatures residing in a number of different water tanks. Highlights of the aquarium include the shark pool, dolphin shows, a coral reef exhibit and a petting area. A rainforest area with live piranhas, frogs and exotic birds is also well worth a visit. Website: www.aqua.org

The legacy of Baltimore’s unique local history is evident in many aspects of its modern operations such as its ongoing status as a shipping and transportation hub. The locals are understandably proud of their city and its accomplishments and celebrate them via a variety of centres and facilities that offer both residents and visitors the chance to learn something of the events of the past that have contributed to the rich tapestry that is Baltimore’s 21st century culture.

Baltimore American Visionary Art Museum
Located on Key Highway, the Baltimore American Visionary Art Museum is an art facility where the emphasis is on displaying the work of amateur artists who are concerned more with bringing art to the people than with making money. 35,000 square feet is home to a total of six galleries where a wide variety of works in an equally wide variety of media, which are all available for public viewing. Exhibitions change throughout the year and generally focus on a specific topic or the works of an individual artist. Website: www.avam.org; phone: +1 410 244 1900

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum has been a part of the city since July 1953 and is situated at the site that is considered to have been the birthplace of railroading in the United States. The museum is home to various collections of related artefacts including items from 19th and 20th century railroad operations. From Tuesday to Saturday, it’s possible to take a train ride on a mile of track that is considered the most historically significant in the country. Website: www.borail.org; phone: +1 410 752 2490

Baltimore Clayworks
Located on Smith Avenue, the Baltimore Clayworks is an art gallery whose primary concern is the promotion of artistic work in the medium of sculpture. The facility creates an environment in which local talents can be nurtured as well as offering a platform for national and internationally reputable sculptors to display their work. Phone: +1 410 578 1919

Baltimore Maritime Museum
Baltimore is famous for its maritime history, the legacy of which is both evident and highly prominent in the city today. It’s not surprising therefore that the Baltimore Maritime Museum is one of the city’s most popular museum facilities and also one of its most culturally significant. The museum’s agenda is based around the preservation of the four National Historic Landmarks and related artefacts. At weekends, the interior of the USS Torsk submarine, a vessel from the Second World War; can be experienced through a tour given by veterans of that conflict. Website: www.baltomaritimemuseum.org; phone: +1 410 396 3453

Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art is renowned for being Baltimore’s most significant centre for traditional and contemporary art and is home to some 100,000 pieces of artwork among which are paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. In the large galleries housed in the facility, you’ll find works by famous artists such as Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Gauguin, Cezanne and Van Gogh. There’s also a collection of Andy Warhol paintings at the museum which is hailed as the world’s second largest plus a significant collection of 18th and 19th century paintings. Phone: +1 410 396 6001

Maryland Art Place
Regular exhibitions of classic and contemporary artworks in a wide selection of media are available for viewing at the Maryland Art Place while visiting exhibitions that change regularly provide a platform for local up and coming artists to display their work. The basement of the facility also stages a variety of performance art shows throughout the year. Website: www.mdartplace.org; phone: +1 410 962 8565

The Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum
This interesting historical centre is one of the oldest museums in the city having been founded in 1927. The museum is dedicated to preserving the details of the story of Mary Young Pickersgill and the 30 x 42-foot Star-Spangled Banner she made that was hoisted over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and eventually led to the writing of the poem by Francis Scott that became the country’s national anthem. A section of the museum is also dedicated to details of the War of 1812 with original artefacts from the conflict on display. Website: www.flaghouse.org

With Baltimore’s proximity to the ocean, it is no surprise that seafood dishes are such a dominant feature of Baltimore restaurant menus. Visitors with a taste for marine cuisine will find no shortage of venues offering them the opportunity to indulge their passion. The local interpretation of classic seafood dishes has come to be known as Chesaspeake Bay cuisine and includes a variety of dishes with favourites including crab soup, crab cakes, crab-stuffed flounder, tempura lobster tail, seafood paella, shellfish royale in cream sauce, grilled swordfish, and pan-seared sea bass.

Fells Point and the Inner Harbour are good places to head for a seafood lunch or dinner with venues such as McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Phillips Harborplace Restaurant, Pisces, Bertha's and Obrycki's.

Seafood aside, Baltimore is home to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants with almost every popular international cuisine represented. Restaurants are spread across the city although generally quite easy to find of an evening - one tip is just of follow your nose! In Mount Vernon, you’ll find Afghan and Indian venues, in Federal Hill there are Mexican, in Canton you’ll find Greek while in the Little Italy district, you’ll have countless opportunities to appreciate some of the finest homemade pasta dishes or authentic Italian pizzas.

The culture for eating out is both well established and highly popular with Baltimoreans and as such, prices are all reasonable in most of the city’s restaurants and it’s unlikely you’ll pay over $30 for a good sized meal unless you specifically opt for one of the more upmarket establishments.

From a shopping addict’s perspective, Baltimore is not the shopping haven that many US cities are and falls somewhat short when it comes to large shopping malls and outlets stalls, offering but a few venues of this nature. However, there is still a reputable shopping scene but with an emphasis towards hip markets and chic shopping strips with trendy boutiques. Harborplace fits into this category and is perhaps one of the city’s best places to make a good-sized dent in your finances with over 200 shops selling all manner of goods including jewellery, handicrafts and household products.

At the Village of Cross Keys meanwhile, a varied selection of shopping outlets are available in a picturesque old-world setting. Shops here are mostly independently-owned and visitors will find good opportunities for buying unique and unusual products that are not widely available.

If mall shopping is more your thing, then Baltimore offers two venues that fit the bill. Owing Mills is the first and is an impressive facility that houses over 250 shops which include big names such as JCPenney, Macy's and Hecht's. There are also fast food and regular restaurants on hand at the centre’s food court. Security Square is the second venue and is also home to a large selection of popular retailers with names such as Hecht's and Sears among them. An eight screen cinema complex can also be found here.

Baltimore is a city where you don’t need to travel to far to find refuge from the urban sprawl, with any number of greenbelt areas within the city itself and a good selection in the outer suburbs and neighbouring areas. Opportunities to get active in the great outdoors are consequently pretty good and while Baltimore is by no means a city with a reputation for sporting excellence, visitors who like to get out and about while surrounded by a little greenery, will find ample opportunity to do so.

Parks
Baltimore has a good selection of parks which are ideal locations for spending a relaxing day with a book and a picnic or participating in a variety of outdoor activities such as jogging, cycling and playing sports. The Robert East Lee Memorial Park is perhaps the city’s best park with some 450 acres of land on offer giving visitors ample chances for the pursuit of leisure activities. Other parks worthy of mention include Ladew Topiary Gardens, Herring Run Park, Druid Hill Park, Oregon Ridge Park and the Patapsco Valley State Park.

Golf
Baltimore has a wide selection of golf courses giving those who fancy practicing their swing or improving their green skills, plenty of opportunity to do so. Many of the courses are privately owned and open to members only so if you are a visitor holidaying in the city, you’re best to head to the public courses such as Carroll Park Golf Course, Forest Park Golf Course, Mount Pleasant Golf Course and Clifton Park Golf Course. The aforementioned are all 18-hole facilities and offer club and ball hire also.

Sailing
The Downtown Sailing Centre offers sailing lessons for both youths and adults and covers everyone from complete novices to those already with a degree of experience. Recreational sailing and boat racing are the two main disciplines taught by the centre with lessons generally given at weekends. If you’ve always fancied learning how to master the art of sailing a ship, albeit a small one, this is an ideal opportunity to do so.

Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park
A paved trail stretching 13 miles from suburban Glen Burnie to Annapolis offers opportunities for cyclists, runners, walkers, horse riders and skaters to indulge their passion while at the same time escaping the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. The trail is popular with both locals and visitors, attracting around 1.5 million people per year