33 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Baltimore - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Eighteen miniature death-scene dioramas.

Baltimore, Maryland

George Peabody Library

It's not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music's library has been described as a "cathedral of books."

Baltimore, Maryland

Edgar Allan Poe's Grave

The trials and tribulations of marking Poe's grave.

Baltimore, Maryland

Bazaar

Crammed into a Baltimore row house is an oddities shop that sells everything from skulls to dead insects.

Baltimore, Maryland

The Book Thing

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.

Baltimore, Maryland

Site of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

The site where Poe "in great distress, and ... in need of immediate assistance" likely died.

Baltimore, Maryland

Elijah Bond's Ouija Board Grave

The man who first patented the Ouija Board rests in peace beneath a headstone that playfully reflects that achievement.

Baltimore, Maryland

The American Visionary Art Museum

A museum dedicated to exhibiting remarkable outsider art

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Upcoming Experiences Near Baltimore

Explore Alexandria's Brewing History

Alexandria, Virginia

Cemetery Spirits & Stories — LGBT Stories

Washington, D.C.

Explore the Ruins of Seneca Quarry

Poolesville, Maryland

Unique Food & Drink in Baltimore

Smearcase

A few Baltimore bakeries still serve this cheesecake named after 19th-century cottage cheese.

Lemon Stick

This taste bud befuddler is a signature Baltimore sweet.

Berger Cookies

They're a Baltimore-specific guilty pleasure.

Small Foods Party

The competition that shrinks shrimp cocktail to the size of your pinky and fits bento into a matchbox.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Maryland: Tracing the Steps of Tubman & Douglass

Spend a weekend in historic Maryland deepening your understanding of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, visiting sites that are foundational to Black American history.

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Stories About Baltimore

One of the verses printed in the <i>Baltimore Patriot</i>, with instructions to sing to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven."

For Sale: The First Printing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

A celebration of freedom, published next to advertisements for the slave trade.

by Matthew Taub

An 1876 map showing Laurel Cemetery.

The Grim History Hidden Under a Baltimore Parking Lot

After an African-American cemetery was bulldozed, families wondered what happened to the graves.

by Sarah Laskow

October 25, 2019

Olive Wetzel Dennis in 1947, making some suggestions on how to improve a new Baltimore and Ohio Railroad buffet car.

The 'Lady Engineer' Who Took the Pain Out of the Train

Olive Wetzel Dennis spent years test-riding railways, improving everything from climate control to dining-car china along the way.

A rat explores his new creative potential.

Finally, a Theremin for Rats

With the help of human musician Dan Deacon, some rats have made a film soundtrack with it.

A stack of Berger Cookies.

The Quest to Save Baltimore's Iconic Berger Cookie

A looming ban on trans fats threatens the city's beloved dessert.

by Priya Krishna

November 15, 2017

"Edgar Allan Poe Square" in the Boston Common, near the place where Poe was born.

10 Places That Rejected Poe in Life But Celebrate Him in Death

Edgar Allan Poe gets the recognition he deserves in the afterlife.

by Molly McBride Jacobson

February 9, 2017

Work Out in a Bank Vault in Baltimore's Art Deco Gym

When your gym is this beautiful, you never want to skip leg day.

by Jessie Guy-Ryan

Is Baltimore America's Most Eccentric City?

by Atlas Obscura

February 9, 2016