4 East Madison Inn $$

4 E. Madison St., 410/332-0880,
www.4eastmadisoninn.com [1]

This massive 19th-century home (with a great little patio) is now host to nine guest rooms of varying sizes and opulence (there’s an elevator at the rear of the house). Antiques and four-poster beds fill the house, and the wonderful main parlors soothe frazzled travelers with deep-blue walls and ornate fireplaces in brightly lit bays.

Taking breakfast in the tree-canopied garden on the east side of the house is a great way to plan a day’s adventures, perhaps starting at the Walters Art Museum [2], which is about two blocks away.