We spent last weekend in Maryland on a family trip to Baltimore. Here is the summary of our visit from the aquarium to Camden Yards.
Family trip to Baltimore
Earlier this summer, Thomas got the itch to take a family trip to a city like he did a few times when he was younger, so he planned a getaway for us to Baltimore.
I have fond memories of downtown Baltimore with my grandfather. When we were little, he would take us to his office and then out to lunch at the harbor.
After arriving at our hotel (The Marriott, booked with points, of course), we walked down to the harbor toward the aquarium.
We passed the 9/11 Memorial and many pirate ships.
The National Aquarium
Our first stop was the National Aquariumwhich was unfortunately a ZOO inside (pun intended). So many people had the same idea that you could barely move!
Still we had a pretty good time coming across some huge fish.
So crowded you could barely walk!
My favorite exhibit was the jellyfish dive!
We also enjoyed the 4D show with special effects. Although Birch cried a lot when water came out of the screen!
We had some cafeteria food for lunch that really exceeded our expectations. It was a blackened salmon BLT sandwich that I shared with T.
We walked back to our hotel and stopped for a moment at a candy store. I love nerds and I want this shirt!
AirTag Tip
A friend of mine recommended it to me Air tags For kids to wear in large places like theme parks and baseball stadiums. We used it at the downtown Cville mall so Birch has some freedom to run around the arena with his brother. You can put them in your shoe, pocket or with a clip ring Like this one we have. Highly recommended!
The Orioles / Camden Yards
The next stop on our fun family summer trip was an Orioles game. My grandpa was a huge fan, but I had never been to a game! Camden Yards was a really nice stadium, and it was huge!
We had excellent covered seating behind home plate.
I highly recommend this orange beer. It was like a Blue Moon and an IPA with orange.
Kids hated Cracker Jacks. How embarrassing!
Mazen and I had crab cake sandwiches for dinner. They were made with chunks of crab meat and were very good.
Get to bed
After the game ended (sadly the O’s didn’t win), we walked back to our hotel. While the location couldn’t have been more perfect, the hotel was so incredibly packed that we didn’t have a great experience. Our room wasn’t ready until 5:30pm (while we were at the game) and there were so many people in the lobby trying to check in that I was really glad I had the Bonvoy app with a mobile key. Getting an elevator was even worse, but we eventually made it to our room. (We tried taking the stairs, but couldn’t without a physical key!)
In the end we all took a shower and watched the Olympics in bed!
Good day
I had forgotten how noisy it is to sleep in the city! We were woken up many times during the night by various sirens, including the hotel alarm that someone set for 6am, but by some miracle, we all slept until 8am!
We surprised the boys with donuts for breakfast.
Cousins meeting
We had a quiet morning and then loaded up the car to head to Towson where my cousins live. I took the kids to my grandparents’ old house and the church where my parents got married before meeting up with family.
We had a great visit, even meeting our youngest cousin, who is a year older than Birch. We had bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and some summer fruitcakes for dessert.
After lunch, we headed back to Cville. I love overnight trips that last two full days. Memories are made!
