Local Favorites

Sure, the Inner Harbor is great — but where do Baltimoreans go to get away from the throngs of tourists? If you’re looking to see more than the obvious choices and experience Baltimore [1] like a local, here’s a quick guide to some of the local favorites beloved by Charm City’s residents.

Sunday mornings May to December bring farmers and vendors under the I-83 overpasses downtown (near the Shot Tower [2]) to the Baltimore Farmers Market, where you can have fresh bacon and eggs, and grab some fruit for the road.

For entertainment, locals love movies, and not at the megaplex. The MICA Brown Center [3], an angular glass marvel at the Maryland Institute College of Art, is a hit with the art crowd, so expect to see experimental, challenging films, along with the occasional mainstream offering.

Sunday mornings at the Charles Theatre [4] (mean Cinema Sundays, which feature new releases and classic films, along with bagels, coffee, and guest speakers. And free outdoor movie series like the Little Italy Open Air Film Festival (www.littleitalymd.com [5]) have become a Baltimore summer tradition.

Outdoor activities for Baltimoreans mean one of the many neighborhood festivals that run almost all year long, like Little Italy’s St. Anthony Festival [6] in early June, Fell’s Point’s LatinoFest [7] in mid-June, Mount Vernon’s Artscape [8] in mid-July, and the semi-counterculture HampdenFest in mid-September.

Spring is steeplechase season; if the infield at Preakness [9] is too crass for you, pack a picnic and catch one of several races held Saturdays each season among the rolling hills of northern Baltimore County.