Historical Baltimore Self-Driving Sightseeing Audio Tour

Overview

Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

Dive into one of America’s most historic cities with this tour of Baltimore! This storied city is chock full of essential American history, having been home to famous figures like Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, and Babe Ruth. Hear a dramatic rendition of Douglass’s escape from slavery and rise to prominence as an abolitionist and advisor to Abraham Lincoln. Delve into Poe’s life and the unsolved mystery of his death. And much, much more!

After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. These steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. From there, follow the audio instructions and the route.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

City: Baltimore

Wed 11 Jun

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $16.99

Check availability

Wed 11 Jun

Starting at $16.99

Check availability

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What's Included

Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone

Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!

Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!

Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!

Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.

Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!

Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!

Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password • Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download
How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

What To Expect

Baltimore Visitor Center

Your tour of the historic, bustling city of Baltimore begins at the Baltimore Visitor Center. Get ready to experience all the culture and history of a city that has been home to all sorts of important figures like Frederick Douglass, Edgar Allan Poe, and lots more! Note: This 10+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Baltimore in 2-3 hours. Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

USS Constellation

At the Baltimore Harbor, you'll get up close and personal with some of the oldest ships in the country!

National Aquarium

The harbor's main attraction is the USS Constellation. This three-mast ship predates the Civil War, and was actually used to chase down and apprehend vessels illegally carrying enslaved prisoners!

Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse

Next is the National Aquarium, home to over 20,000 sea and land creatures. If you're looking for the perfect family-friendly activity, you'll find it here!

National Katyn Memorial

Beyond the lighthouse, you'll find one of Baltimore's strangest attractions: Mr. Trash Wheel. This innovative device helps keep the harbor clean and looks good while doing it!

Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park

This park is dedicated to honoring African-American maritime history. It gets its name from renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass and pioneering unionist Isaac Myers. Both men worked at the shipyard that once operated here at different times.

The Horse You Came In On Saloon

Old-school watering hole in a Colonial-era building, offering drinks, pub fare & live music nightly.

Fells Point Corner Theatre

Originally founded as an independent town in 1763, Fells Point still retains much of its historic appearance. Back in the days of Frederick Douglass, this was home to a large number of free and enslaved African Americans. Many of them worked at the ship port like Douglass, and the cheap houses here were all they could afford.

Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park

You might already be familiar with Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist work, but did you know he was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights? Douglass believed “Right is of no sex, truth is of no color.” In 1848, Douglass attended the First Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Here, he met Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and committed himself to their cause. While touring the country advocating for abolition, Douglass also began arguing for women’s rights. He called for all Americans, no matter their race or sex, to be granted the right to vote.

Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Your route takes you next past the National Katyn Memorial, a striking and somber monument with some fascinating history.

Baltimore City Hall

It’s hard to miss Baltimore City Hall, that regal structure just ahead. Shortly after its completion, this was the site of a violent altercation between two Baltimore politicians. In 1883, James Busey and William Harig, both democrats, got into a heated political argument just outside the city hall. Harig, punched Busey. The two brawled, then sprang away and simultaneously drew pistols. Both men began firing wildly, but Harig’s aim was much better than Busey’s. Four bullets hit Busey in the chest, killing him. Constables arrived and arrested Harig for murder.

Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place

This pillar ahead is Baltimore’s Washington Monument. It might remind you of another Washington Monument… a slightly more famous one in a little town called D.C. Believe it or not, though, this isn’t actually a copycat! In fact, this was the very first major monument to honor George Washington. The architect, Robert Mills, just liked the design so much he decided to use it again in D.C.--only much bigger, of course.

H. L. Mencken House

You'll arrive next at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, dedicated to the two historical heavyweights in its name. Here, you'll learn all about these important figures and how they forever changed the fight for civil rights in America.

Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

After that is the oldest saloon in the US, the Horse You Came In On Saloon. In addition to having some serious character of its own, this was also a beloved drinking spot of Edgar Allan Poe... and his ghost supposedly still frequents the joint!

Federal Hill Park

The route heads into Fells Point next, probably the hippest neighborhood in all of Baltimore, and also one of the oldest.

Fort McHenry National Monument And Historic Shrine

This fort, built to defend Baltimore’s precious harbor, took the brunt of the naval assault in 1814. As 19 British warships approached, Major George Armistead told his 1,000 defenders to prepare for the fight of their lives. No sooner had the men taken their positions than the bombardment began. Cannons roared and sent cannonballs crashing into the fort. Luckily, the fort had recently been reinforced, and the cannonfire did little to damage it.

Star-Spangled Banner Flag House

Francis Scott Key was so moved by the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry that he scribbled a poem on the back of a letter he had kept in his pocket. This poem would later become the national anthem. Here is the original text of that poem, just as Key wrote it on that fateful morning:

Port Discovery Children's Museum

Then you'll pass Douglass Place, home to several homes built by Frederick Douglass. Here, you'll hear the rest of Douglass's riveting story, including how he went from an enslaved shipwright to one of the most important figures in American politics.

Mother Seton House

Off to the right here, a little way down North Paca Street is the Mother Seton House. It’s most famous for being the temporary residence of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born person to ever be canonized as a saint. Seton was born in New York City in 1774 to an Episcopalian family and lived there for most of her youth. When her husband fell gravely ill with tuberculosis, however, she moved with him to Italy’s warmer climate for his health. It proved to be a fateful decision because it was in Italy that Seton discovered Catholicism. Her husband died shortly after the move, and she dedicated herself to her newfound religion.

The Walters Art Museum

Baltimore City Hall is next, and it's pretty hard to miss! You'll definitely want to snap a few photos of this regal, Napoleonic structure.

Mount Clare Museum House

Beyond that is Baltimore's Washington Monument. This pillar might look familiar, because it was designed by the very same architect behind DC's iconic Washington Monument.

B&O Railroad Museum

After that is Edgar Allan Poe's grave, which has for decades been the site of a strange ritual conducted by a mysterious individual whose identity has never been determined. Learn all about the enigmatic Poe Toaster here!

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Even if you're not in town for a game, you'll certainly want to stop by Oriole Park, where countless baseball greats have made their names.

Maryland Science Center

More educational activities can be found at the Maryland Science Center, one of the oldest scientific institutions in the country.

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