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The Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the city. The harbor is actually the northwest branch of the Patapsco River. The harbor is also the number one tourist destination in Baltimore. According to the Baltimore Sun, 13 million tourists visit the harbor each year. The harbor is within walking distance of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium and has a water taxi that connects the Inner Harbor to Fells Point, Canton, and Fort McHenry.
A major U.S. seaport since the 1700s, Baltimore's Inner Harbor was chiefly an industrial port until the 1970s, when it was turned into the main cultural center of the city by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer. Harborplace, the waterfront festival marketplace, officially opened on July 1, 1980. Since being reincarnated as a cultural hub, the Inner Harbor has become the home to many tourist attractions.
In September 2003, the Inner Harbor area was flooded by Hurricane Isabel.
On March 6, 2004, a Seaport Taxi (now out of business, and operated by the Living Classrooms Foundation), capsized in the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River near Fort McHenry during a storm; 5 passengers died in the accident. While occurring over a mile downstream of the Inner Harbor, it nonetheless was associated with the Inner Harbor by news reports and casual observers.
Attractions in and Around the Inner Harbor
- National Aquarium in Baltimore
- Harborplace and the Gallery
- Baltimore Maritime Museum-
- USCGC Taney - last ship still floating from attack on Pearl Harbor
- USS Torsk - last ship to sink enemy vessel in World War II
- Lightship Chesapeake
- Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
- USS Constellation - last American Civil War ship still floating
- Maryland Science Center
- The "Power Plant" (containing Barnes & Noble, Hard Rock Cafe, and the world's first ESPN Zone, among other offerings; in the late 1980s, contained an indoor Victorian era "fun house"-themed Six Flags amusement park)
- Power Plant Live! (a collection of bars and clubs)
- American Visionary Art Museum
- Baltimore Convention Center
- World Trade Center Baltimore
- Port Discovery Children's Museum (on the site of the historic Baltimore Fishmarket and the 1988-1989 Fishmarket dance/music complex)
- Holocaust Memorial
- Civil War Museum
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards (home of the Baltimore Orioles)
- M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Baltimore Ravens; formerly known as PSINet Stadium and then Ravens Stadium)
- 1st Mariner Arena (formerly known as the Baltimore Arena)
- Pier 6 Concert Pavilion
- Columbus Center, home of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
- Baltimore Visitors Center
External links
"Inner Harbor"