Parks & Recreation - Parks And Recreation
Meander through Baltimore and you’re sure to be delighted with all the green space.
Every community has a park, a playground, school fields, or some kind of green space that allows for getting out among trees and grass. Recent (at least the last 30 years) credit goes to the state for its Program Open Space that targets one-half of 1 percent of all real estate sales to protecting and enhancing with green areas.
The funds are also used to buy land for state parks and state forests. Maryland has 47 state parks and forests, areas where people can take part in activities ranging from hiking and biking to hunting and camping, swimming and boating to birding and fishing. About a third of these areas are within the Baltimore area. The state has about 2,000 campsites and 120 full-service and camper cabins that are available from May 1 through September 30 through a central number (888) 432-2267 or online at www.dnr.state.mud.us. Call the specific park for information about camping the rest of the year.
A few parks within the city limits deserve special attention.
Parks & Recreation - On The Water
Since settlers first encountered what is now Baltimore, a main attraction has been its waters, hundreds of big and small tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. Beautiful rivers, gentle and serene coves, an open harbor, and streams perfect for spending time with a fishing pole or a rudder in hand—these are some of the area’s most respected and protected resources for anglers, boaters, windsurfers, and personal watercraft operators.
If you’re looking for a place to fly fish, the Gunpowder River offers one of the best trout streams on the East Coast. If you’re eager to practice steering a catamaran, try the rivers lining eastern Baltimore County. Their many coves and inlets offer calm and shallow waters that enable the novice or the most experienced skipper to practice his or her skills.
If you want tidal waters, the Chesapeake Bay and some of its larger tributaries provide what you’re looking for. If you seek nontidal waters, some of the rivers flowing in eastern Baltimore County are your best bet.
1. Druid Hill Park
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 396-6106
Description: The park, the first large municipal park in the city and one of the largest inner-city parks in the country, surrounds the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Development started in 1860 (Manhattan’s Central Park was started in 1858), with the lake construction beginning in 1863. The lake’s dam is supposed to be the largest earthen dammed lake in the country. The Baltimore Zoo was created because people started donating animals to the park. Also within the grounds are the Baltimore Conservatory, the Palm House, tennis courts, public swimming pool, fields, and trails. Birding is particularly rewarding here.
2. Federal Hill Park
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Overlooking the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill offers one of the best views of the Inner Harbor. There’s a playground, a small basketball court, and an open section for throwing a ball or a Frisbee. For a real walking workout, try climbing the 100 steps from Key Highway to the hilltop a few times. Benches are available for a post-workout rest. Park on the street or at the harbor and walk over.
3. Gwynns Falls Park/Leakin Park
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 396-7931
Description: Spread out among several miles of land along the Gwynns Falls, this park offers hiking, biking, bird-watching, sightseeing, and relaxing spaces. It serves as a stop on the Gwynns Falls Trail. Formed to protect the Gwynns Falls from development all around it, it’s filled with grass, trees, and other natural amenities that provide a strong contrast to the nearby housing. You can access the park from a variety of sites along Edmondson Avenue. Leakin Park, a portion of the facility, offers tennis courts, a track, abundant parking, and a ropes course, which tests even the best athletes with climbing, balance, and endurance testing. The ropes course is operated by the city and several other agencies, primarily for children in summer camps and school day trips.
4. Patterson Park
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 276-3676
Address: 27 South Patterson Park Ave.
Description: Patterson Park is one of the city’s oldest parks and provides a welcome respite from the demands of city life. Within its 137 acres are sports fields, an ice-skating rink, tennis courts, a 60’ tall pagoda (tours on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.), a lake where you can fish (you should have a license), jogging/running trails, a fountain, two playgrounds, summer swimming pool, winter skating rink, and so much more. Open areas where the bothers of urban living seem to take a backseat await you when you head toward East Baltimore’s crown jewel of parks whose centerpiece is the 1890 Pagoda. There’s even a small stadium, named Utz Towardowicz after the person who gave the funds for it, that hosts baseball and softball competitions. Parking is available on the streets surrounding the park.
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 3001 East Dr.
6. Baltimore Area Boardsailing Association
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 315-8481
Description: The membership association organizes regular competitive boardsailing events with prizes. Membership for a year is $20 for an individual or a family and runs from April 1 through March 31.
7. Charm City Swing
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Charm City Swing is operated by a U.S. Naval Academy math professor and a doctor who met while swing dancing in 1999. Learn swing dancing at the Austin Grill, 2400 Boston St. in Canton and the Vietnam Veterans Hall off Holabird, 6401 Beckley St. You can start with videos posted on the Web site or look to YouTube. Classes are $10 or $80 for eight weeks of lessons.
8. Greater Baltimore Swing Dance Committee
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: This nonprofit group hosts dances on the second Saturday around town. Lessons precede the dances. Tickets are $12 and $15. Check the Web site for details.
9. The Friday Night Swing Dance Club
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 583-7337
Address: 8520 Drumwood Rd.
Description: The Friday Night Swing Dance Club promotes swing, Latin, and social dancing in the greater Baltimore area. It encourages dancers of all levels to participate and has weekend dances that are regularly attended by 300 to 400 people. Sessions are generally $12 and that includes light refreshments. With more than 6,800 people on the mailing list and more than 3,500 on the e-mail list, this is one of the largest dance groups on the East Coast.
10. The Chesapeake Fencing Club
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 532-7445
Address: 201 Homeland Ave.
Description: Just north of the College of Notre Dame in North Baltimore, this club offers open practice Monday nights, with supervised junior practice Monday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings for children age 6 through 12 years. Foil, saber, and epee lessons are conducted by Moniteur Ray Gordon by appointment and for a varying fee.
11. Carroll Park Golf Course
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 685-8344
Address: 2100 Washington Blvd.
Description: This course is the closest to downtown Baltimore. It’s a good course to walk, featuring eight par 4 holes and four par 3s. The course’s newest hole, the 232-yard No. 4, requires a low, down-the-middle approach to set you up for a slight right dogleg. For an afternoon golfer looking for a quick game, this course can be completed in about two hours, even when it’s busy. A round costs $11 to $18. Cart rental is $6 per person and pull carts are $3.50.
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 2701 St. Lo Dr.
13. Forest Park Golf Course
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 448-4653
Address: 2900 Hillsdale Rd.
Description: What is said to be the largest sand trap on the East Coast at the number 2 green and covering three-fourths of the green (about 120’ by 10’), according to the operators here, is something to admire. You do not have to become intimately familiar with it. The mega-bunker on this 5,815-yard course used to be a water hazard but was covered with cement and sand some years ago. The 18th hole features a par 5 double-dogleg, forcing you to avoid the slice for two successive shots; if you can’t, you’re in big trouble trying to make par at 71. A round costs between $8 for juniors to $35 depending on what day and time you want to play. Tim Sanders offers golf lessons at the course. A snack bar and shower facilities are available.
14. Mount Pleasant Golf Course
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 254-5100
Address: 6001 Hillen Rd.
Description: Municipal doesn’t mean easy. Arnold Palmer won his second PGA tournament, the old Eastern Open in 1956, and Sam Snead also won on this 6,003-yard course. In 2008, it was ranked the 12th best municipal golf course in the United States, according to Golfweek Magazine. This par 71 is set on rolling hills and tight fairways. On a breezy day, the back nine can be a duffer’s nightmare. It’s one of the busiest courses in the area; 85,000 rounds of golf are played each year, so reservations are necessary. Greens fees run from $10 to $44 (pre-noon on weekends). Golf pro Jim Deck provides lessons. A snack bar is on-site.
15. Gerstung
City: Baltimore, MD
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (410) 337-7781
Address: 1400 Coppermine Terrace
Description: In northern Baltimore City, Gerstung offers gymnastics programs and movement education to children from 1 through 13 years of age in a large building off Falls Road near I-83. Skills classes are also presented to children age 5 through 13. Dance classes and rock climbing are also available. Call for rates and information on special summer programs.