Next time you plan to spend the day at the Inner Harbor, treat the kids to a taste of local history with a tour of the USS Constellation and a trip to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine — complete with a cruise around the harbor on a Water Taxi.
Start your day at the USS Constellation — a Civil War-era sloop built in 1853 and docked in front of Harbor Place. Pick up a complimentary audio wand — a recorded narration of each section of the ship — for a self-guided tour, but rest assured that there are plenty of uniformed crew members to answer questions on each of the four decks.
The top (or spar) deck is where all sailing operations took place. The second deck down is the ever-popular gun deck. Below, see where the ship’s crew members lived and socialized, and on the bottom deck (the ship’s hold), check out where food and water for a crew of 325 was stowed.
If a self-guided tour leaves you wanting more, the USS Constellation also offers several popular reservation-only programs. The Black Sailors in Navy Blue walking tour teaches about blacks and their experiences aboard the ship — how they worked the guns, heaved the capstan and braced the yards. This tour is popular with elementary school-aged children and has an extra cost of $7 to $10.
If your youngsters fall in love with the shipboard life, they can come back for the Overnight Adventure, where first graders through teens become powder monkeys (the nickname for young boys who served on board ships in the mid-19th century) and adults become crew members or landsmen. On the adventure, mates eat Civil War-era meals, participate in hands-on activities and learn about the life of a man-of-war by sleeping in a hammock on the berth deck.
For an extended maritime tour, families can get a package to visit all of the historic ships in Baltimore — the USS Constellation, USS Torsck, USCGC Taney and Lightship Chesapeake as well as the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse.
Be sure to time your visit to be up close and personal for the firing of the cannons which take place at noon on weekdays and noon and 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Take to the waves
After the USS Constellation, board the Water Taxi — which will be either a white catamaran or displacement hull boat (capable of carrying between 26 to 84 passengers). Take the boat from Harbor Place (Landing 2), right next to the Constellation, to Harbor East (Landing 7) then transfer to the Fells Point (Landing 11) boat. From Fells Point, take the taxi to Fort McHenry (Landing 17).
Cammie Kane, president of Harbor Boating, thinks the Water Taxi and it’s all-day access is a great way to give the kids a break from a busy sightseeing day.
“We’re designed for folks to get on and off, and explore and sightsee … It breaks up the time for kids,” says Kane, who cautions against hurrying the boating process. “We are designed as a get on/get off sightseeing boat … We are not designed as a fast boat, direct to the fort, but as a leisurely, fun way for families to take a bit more time to explore the waterfront and stop worrying about planning every minute of the day.”
The trip from the Inner Harbor takes about an hour, including boat changes to get to Fort McHenry, which offers 43 acres of open land right on the water’s edge to roam, relax, picnic and take in the historic sites. It was here that Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812.
Known as the “Star Fort,” the site and grounds have self-guided tours so families can take their time. Start by viewing a short video, “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” at the Visitors Center. Then move out to the fort, where kids will see furnished barracks from the War of 1812, a spot that was struck by a bomb during battle, and prison cells where “kids will take delight in locking their siblings,” according to Vince Vaise, chief of interpretation at the monument.
Kids ages 8 to 14, with help from their parents, can earn a Junior Ranger badge and certificate as they explore and learn about Fort McHenry by completing a worksheet with such fun activities as hunting for the coat of James McHenry, discovering how much a soldier in 1814 was paid and learning why it’s called “the star fort.”
The daily flag changes at 9:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. are also a popular attraction. Kids can help fold the flag, learn about its history and then help hoist the new flag too.
“The grounds are free and are a great place to fly a kite — (there are) wonderful breezes off the water and we allow picnicking,” Vaise says. He adds that there is construction going on as the new Visitor Center is built, but there is still plenty of space to explore and relax.
Special activities such as cannon and musket firing, fife and drum concerts, and barracks activities are ongoing through the summer and details can be found on the Web site. Additionally, Junk on a Bunk talks — where everything a soldier needs to live at Fort McHenry is laid out in the barracks — are available on weekend afternoons from 1-4 p.m..
And after the kids have soaked up all the Baltimore history and fun they can, hop back on the Water Taxi and retrace the route back to the Inner Harbor.
What You Need to Know:
USS Constellation
301 E. Pratt St., Baltimore
410-539-1797 or www.constellation.org
Price: Ages 15-59, $10; ages 60 and up, $8; ages 6-14, $5; ages 5 and under and military personnel, free. The USS Constellation also operates three other historic sites and there are package deals for those. Overnight Adventure, $50, registration required.
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Extended hours may be available in July and August.
Length of tour: 45 minutes to one hour for USS Constellation.
Ed Kane’s Water Taxis
1735 Lancaster St., Baltimore
410-563-3901 or 1-800-658-8947 or www.thewatertaxi.com
Price: (all day, unlimited rides) Adults, $9; Ages 10 and under, $4. Purchase tickets at the Visitor’s Center, Inner Harbor; or pay cash or check aboard any Water Taxi.
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. through Sept. 7. (Riders must board the route to Fort McHenry by 3:30 p.m. due to Fort McHenry closing time.)
Length of time each way: Plan for about an hour.
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
2400 E. Fort Ave., Baltimore
410-962-4290 or http://www.nps.gov/fomc/
Price: Ages 16 and older, $7; ages under 16, free. Price permits seven days of entry. There is no charge for using the park grounds, picnicking or parking.
Hours: (through Sept. 7) Park, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Star Fort, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (see Web site for hours after Sept. 7.)
Length of tour: Allow about 2 hours.