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Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, MD

Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day Pick

Maryland Science Center

601 Light St · Baltimore, MD

Why you should go…

The Maryland Science Center opened on Baltimore's Inner Harbor in 1976, near the foot of Federal Hill Park. Admission covers three floors of interactive exhibit halls, the planetarium and a science demo stage. The collection includes more than two dozen dinosaur skeletons, and the building also has an observatory and an IMAX theater with a five-story screen.

  • #science museum
  • #planetarium
  • #dinosaurs
  • #imax
  • #inner harbor

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Maryland Science Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Inner Harbor

    Free

    Stroll a waterfront promenade lined with museums, historic ships, seafood restaurants and boat tours in downtown Baltimore.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    American Visionary Art Museum

    Under $25

    Explore art by self-taught creators, from Vollis Simpson whirligigs to kinetic sculpture, on a campus beside Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    National Aquarium

    $25–$50

    See sharks, dolphins, jellies and a tropical rain forest at a large aquarium on Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Oriole Park at Camden Yards

    Under $25

    Watch the Baltimore Orioles play in a retro ballpark backed by the old B&O Warehouse, with Eutaw Street running between them.

    0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    Free

    The Walters Art Museum

    Free

    Wander free galleries of art spanning Egyptian mummies, medieval ivories, armor and Old Master paintings in Mount Vernon.

    1.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation

    Under $25

    Walk among historic locomotives and rail cars inside an 1884 roundhouse on the birthplace of American railroading.

    1.1 mi awayMore like this