Baltimore's Historic Charles Street
Baltimore's Historic Charles Street is a National Scenic Byway in Maryland. Within Maryland it covers roughly 10 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Baltimore's Historic Charles Street with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Baltimore's Historic Charles Street is a dozen-mile National Scenic Byway threading the heart of the city. It runs from the Charles Street-Beltway traffic circle in Lutherville south to the Beltway viaduct in South Baltimore, one of only four National Scenic Byways in the country set entirely in an urban environment, chosen not for open landscape but for density of culture: world-class museums, performing arts venues, professional sports, and dining, all reachable along a single corridor connecting Baltimore County's wooded neighborhoods to the Inner Harbor and Federal Hill. The route captures roughly 400 years of change, including the mid-20th-century urban renewal of the Inner Harbor and Charles Center that became a model copied by cities nationwide. Along the way it passes the Walters Art Museum, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and, just off-route, Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium.
- ~12-mile urban National Scenic Byway
- Lutherville to South Baltimore's Federal Hill
- One of only 4 national byways set in a city
- Walters Art Museum
- National Aquarium & Maryland Science Center
- Inner Harbor urban renewal history
Designated for its historic qualities
Plan a drive on Baltimore's Historic Charles Street → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Baltimore's Historic Charles Street
Evergreen Museum and Library
A Gilded Age mansion of the Garrett family, now a Johns Hopkins museum with Tiffany glass and a private theater painted by Léon Bakst.
WebsiteBaltimore Museum of Art
A free museum holding the Cone Collection, among the largest groups of works by Henri Matisse anywhere, plus a sculpture garden.
WebsiteWashington Monument at Mount Vernon Place
The first major monument to George Washington, begun in 1815, with 227 steps to a view over the city's grandest squares.
Walters Art Museum
A free museum on Mount Vernon Place spanning ancient Egypt to the 19th century, known for its medieval manuscripts and armor.
WebsiteEubie Blake Cultural Center
A center honoring the Baltimore-born ragtime pianist and composer, with exhibits on the city's Black music and arts history.
Website
Where to Stay along Baltimore's Historic Charles Street
No campgrounds are listed close to Baltimore's Historic Charles Street yet, but there are rooms near the route.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of Baltimore's Historic Charles Street
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.