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Yesterday was a beautiful early Spring day here in Baltimore so I took my girls to spend an afternoon at Fort McHenry .  If you're ever in Baltimore, Fort McHenry is just a short drive from the Inner Harbor, Maryland Science Center, and American Visionary Art Museum.  It's the perfect place to learn a little history and get out a little bit of extra energy outdoors. Check out our visit... As a little history refresher, Fort McHenry is best known for its role in successfully defending the city of Baltimore during the War of 1812.   It was the morning after the British attack in September 1814, when Francis Scott Key saw the U.S. flag being raised above the fort, that the Star Spangled Banner was written. My girls enjoyed our afternoon...   Fort McHenry is part of the National Park Service and has its own Junior Ranger Program .  If you're ever at the fort, or any of the other NPS sites that have this program, definitely let your kids participate. ...

An important battle of the War of 1812 was fought in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  It was after this battle, when he saw the U.S. flag still waving,  that Francis Scott Key wrote the poem which eventually became our National Anthem.  To celebrate the bicentennial of the war of 1812, Baltimore is hosting a week-long Star-Spangled Sailabration with lots of fun events in and around the Inner Harbor. My 2nd and 3rd graders recently learned about the War of 1812 and visited the related sites of Fort McHenry, Federal Hill and the Flag House on a field trip last month.  Since yesterday was a gorgeous day and we didn't have anything special planned,  I decided to take them downtown to check out the festivities. Overall, we had an awesome time.  (I say overall because there was still a fair amount of their customary whining in between the fun stuff.)   The festivities in Baltimore continue until Tuesday, so if you're in the area, I recommend stopping by.  I ...

One of the activities in my Year of Valentine's gift for my kids was to go to a museum.  This month, it was my youngest daughter's turn and I wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before.  I decided to take her to the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore's Inner Harbor .  It had been years (like, way before I had kids) since I'd been and her first time.  It was a HUGE hit and she declared it "the coolest museum ever".  I really think I have to agree with her. The museum has some of the most unique and creative pieces that I've ever seen.  From the AVAM website is this "definition" of visionary art. "Visionary art as defined for the purposes of the American Visionary Art Museum refers to art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself." You're not allowed to take photographs inside the actu...

Every year since the kids were babies, we've welcomed Spring with a visit to the beautiful Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore, MD.  The gardens are nestled among the stately old mansions in the Guilford section of Baltimore City and it's free to the public.  Each year, nearly 80,000 tulip bulbs are in bloom as well as gorgeous azaleas and dogwood trees.   This year the tulips bloomed a little earlier than usual (thanks to the unseasonably warm weather we had in March), but the timing was perfect for a visit during our Spring break last week.  Because of terrible seasonal allergies, my son opted to go visit his grandparents for the day instead of dealing with an afternoon amongst all the pollen.  However, the girls and I packed a picnic lunch and had a really nice day admiring the many varieties of tulips and even climbing a few trees (the girls, of course, not me!) If you're ever in the Baltimore area this time of year, definitely go check it out.  There a...