Discover Nature's Beauty at the Cylburn Arboretum
Just north of MICA's campus is Cylburn Arboretum, a nature preserve and park spanning about 207 acres. Experience the feel of a grand estate in a rolling countryside, all within city limits. Collections of Japanese maples, hollies, conifers, Maryland oaks, tree peonies and magnolias stand on spacious lawns, while trails wind through the park's woodlands.
The Mount Vernon Place Conservancy sponsors free community events in the squares every Wednesday night. These events include music, dance and vocal performances and movies shown on a large inflatable screen.
Leave downtown behind and lose yourself in nearly 750 acres of one of America’s oldest landscaped public parks. Featured on the National Register of Historic Places, Druid Hill Park boasts miles of trails and green expanses and is home to the Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens, where you can enjoy the scenery inside, too.
Get off the road and enjoy a leisurely (or rigorous) bike ride along the recently expanded 15 miles of trails, which follow the Gwynns Falls and finish near the Inner Harbor.
Take in a Free Concert at Harborplace
Located between the Harborplace Pavilions, the Harborplace Amphitheater hosts free performances by singers, dancers, magicians and more. Street performers entertain by day, while bands of all genres ranging from Motown and funk to R&B and country perform live, free concerts Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Where can you find an open-air, rooftop observatory in the middle of the city? Just head to the Maryland Science Center, where every Friday from 5:30-9 p.m. you can stargaze like an astronomer with the help of the center’s 10-foot telescope. Fun fact: The refurbished telescope was built in 1927!
Park yourself on a bench atop Federal Hill Park and drink in the sprawling vista of the Inner Harbor. Whether you’re enjoying your lunch on the green expanse or taking your kids to the park’s playground, you’re sure to witness a gorgeous panorama of the city. Once a well-known lookout point during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, the historic park lies on the south side of Baltimore.
Get geared up to throw down on ramps, rails and stairs at the Carroll Park Bike & Skate Park, located just behind the Carroll Park Recreation Center on Bayard Street. The park is open year-round from dawn to dusk.
Free Summer Outdoor Movies
Films on the Pier in Fell's Point features free movies on Wednesday nights beginning at 8:00 p.m. on the Broadway Pier.
On Thursdays in July and August at 9 p.m., grab a blanket or a folding chair and catch a free film after dusk on Federal Hill. Flicks from the Hill is sponsored by the American Visionary Art Museum, and admission into the museum is free on these "flicks days" between 5 and 9 p.m. before the film.