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Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A floating, mobile lighthouse painted in a vibrant red; it was refitted for combat duty during World War II before returning to lighthouse purposes.
United States lightship Chesapeake (LS-116/WAL-538/WLV-538) is a museum ship owned by the National Park Service and on a 25-year loan to Baltimore City, and is operated by Historic Ships in Baltimore Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. A National Historic Landmark, she is one of a small number of preserved lightships. Since 1820, several lightships have served at the Chesapeake lightship station and have been called Chesapeake. Lightships were initially lettered in the early 1800s, but then numbered as they were often moved from one light station to another. The name painted on the side of lightships was the short name of the Light Station they were assigned to and was the daytime visual aspect of the many Aids to Navigation on board lightships. The United States Coast Guard assigned new hull numbers to all lightships still in service in late 1940s, but the Coast Guard did not enforce the use of the new hull designation and number, WAL-538, until January 1951. In January 1965 the Coast Guard further modified all lightship hull designations from WAL to WLV, so Chesapeake became WLV-538.
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A World War II-era submarine.
An observation deck on the 27th floor of the 31-story "World Trade Center", designed by I.M. Pei the tallest pentagonal building in the world and located directly on the waterfront. It provides amazing views of downtown, the inner harbor and bay, and all of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Ice skating rink at the Inner Harbor open during the holidays from mid/late November to early/mid January (check website for exact hours and dates).
A Coast Guard cutter that survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy and the only Civil War-era vessel still afloat. Pay attention to the ship's schedule for the day; Civil War reenactors may be on hand to demonstrate shooting a cannon!
One of the best aquariums in the nation, the Baltimore Aquarium is famous for its tropical rain forest exhibit, its efforts to saving marine mammals, and its large shark tanks. Well worth the price of admission, it's a draw for marine scientists and civilians alike. Due to its popularity, expect to be in long lines to purchase tickets and then have to wait to enter several hours later, especially during weekends or vacation times; to avoid this, plan ahead and purchase tickets early or online.