Moon Baltimore Book Review: A Great Little Tourist Guide!

We used this guidebook for a long weekend in Baltimore, and never felt the need to consult any other tour books or seek out more information from the Baltimore visitor center. This book had all the information we needed. Lots of good details and neighborhood histories as well!

Moon Baltimore is chock-full of great tips and advice for the tourist. After seven easy-to-read maps, author Geoff Brown does a great job with an introductory overview of the city with a bit of history, snapshots of the various neighborhoods and a suggested two-day itinerary. Also included is a top 10 for children.

The bulk of the book is divided into the usual sections -- the sites, restaurants, nightlife, shops and places to stay. Brown, with 20 years of living in the city and eight years as editor of Baltimore magazine, does a great job of explaining the nuances of the neighborhoods, balancing his opinions with the hard facts that we visitors need.

The book is 250 pages long but is only a bit larger than a regular paperback and at 8.8 ounces won't feel like a burden.

Here is your opportunity to grab this Baltimore tour book

We found Baltimore a very easy city for tourists to travel in. We had a car with us, but never had a problem finding parking near the Inner Harbor or up by the Baltimore Museum of Art. Once parked, we used the maps in this guidebook to get around. As you can see from the sample here, the maps are very clear and easy to follow, and there are seven covering all the main tourist areas in the city as well as Greater Baltimore.

Here is a shot we took of the aquarium from a paddle boat in the middle of the inner harbor. The boating was fun, and the aquarium fantastic!

Moon Baltimore's section on the Inner Harbor has all the details on that area's main attractions, from the science center to the ships and shops. Baltimore's visitor center is located there as well, although we mainly just stopped in to use the toilets as we were walking around! Here's a photo of some of the birds that are in the aquarium's tropical rain forest.

Here is a short video my daughter shot of the Star-Spangled Banner waving proudly over Fort McHenry. Note the number of stars on the flag!

I thought Baltimore was a great city to visit for the weekend, and would highly recommend bringing Moon Baltimore with you when you go. But maybe you don't agree? Vote and let everyone know what your feelings are!

The movie Diner, which debuted in 1982, was director Barry Levinson's debut film and is set in 1959. The movie follows a group of Baltimore friends as they grow in their 20s, and has some great acting by Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon. The movie also stars Ellen Barkin, Steve Guttenberg and Daniel Stern. Here is the movie's trailer.

Now that you've seen the trailer why not buy the movie!

Great Baltimore-Area Places to Visit!

Here are two places that we strongly recommend that you visit while in Baltimore. Our family enjoyed both places, and we're sure you will too!

Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Geppi's Entertainment Museum is located in Baltimore and is dedicated to all sorts of American pop culture: comic books, television, radio, movies, magazines...

Visiting Fort McHenry, Birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner: Family Day Trip!
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is a great place to visit, full of inspiring history, lovely grounds and cool views. It's also a place to ...

Our Washington, D.C., Reviews

If you are planning on going to Baltimore you might want to combine it with a trip to Washington, D.C., which is only about an hour's drive away.

We took a family trip to the nation's capital earlier this year and wrote reviews of many places that we visited. Check these out as they will help you plan your trip!

Ford's Theatre, Where Lincoln Was Assassinated: A Washington D.C. Family Day Trip
Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. was the scene of America's greatest tragedy. On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, having successfully guided the c...

National Museum of American History: A Washington D.C. Family Day Trip
The National Museum of American History in the heart of Washington D.C. is one of those places that can really capture the attention of every member of the f...

The National Zoo: A Washington D.C. Family Day Trip
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is a great place to take the kids when they need a break from all the monuments...

Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are located in the same building, and are officially called the Donald W. Reynolds Cent...

Highlights of the Library of Congress: Thomas Jefferson, Bob Hope and the Gutenberg Bible!
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, photographs, maps and other items in its collection. The Thomas Jefferso...

Things to Do in Nova Scotia: Highlights of Our Family Vacation
Nova Scotia offered our family a good mix of what we look for on when we go away on vacation. There's beautiful scenery to hike through, historical and cultu...

Top Five Travel Tips For Tourists Going to Nova Scotia
Our family recently visited Nova Scotia, which a wonderful place that has a wide variety of things to do for everyone. We wrote an online diary of the trip, ...

Highlights of the Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum in Manhattan's Upper East Side, and is world-famous for its collection of Old Master paintings. Included in the collect...

George Washington's Headquarters in Morristown: A New Jersey Family Day Trip
The Ford Mansion in Morristown, New Jersey, served as George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters during the winter of 1779-1780, close enough to New ...

Thomas Edison House Glenmont: A New Jersey Family Day Trip!
Thomas Edison, one of America's greatest inventors, lived for more than four decades in a 29-room mansion called Glenmont in the exclusive Llewellyn Park nei...

Gettysburg Battlefield Museum: A Pennsylvania Family Day Trip
The Gettysburg Visitor Center and Museum, located in the Gettysburg National Military Park, is the best place to start any visit to the Civil War battlefield...

Thomas Edison's Laboratory: A New Jersey Family Day Trip!
The Thomas Edison laboratory in New Jersey is a great family day trip. Edison was the inventor of the first practical electric bulb, the motion picture camer...

The Deserted Village of Feltville: A New Jersey Family Day Trip
The deserted village of Feltville, which was also known as Glenside Park at one time, is in the northwest portion of the Watchung Reservation, a 1,945-acre p...

Here's your opportunity to speak your mind on this review, Moon Baltimore, Geoff Brown and Baltimore in general, or anything else that you want to focus on!