I’m sure you guys are all veterans of the Baltimore’s Inner Harbor or the National Aquarium in Baltimore day trip. But those trips are often exhausting, crowded and the fun does not come cheap. An alternative Charm City family destination is The Walters Art Museum. It’s FREE and it’s awesome.
Open Wednesday-Sunday 10 am-5 pm., the Walters’ Family Art Center gives kids interactive gallery materials any time they visit. ArtCarts for children full of free in-gallery materials are placed throughout the museum. The ArtCarts have drawing kits and art books that make the nearby regular, adult exhibits accessible for young visitors.
Every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., the Walters provides free Drop-In Art Activities for children. No registration is required! August Drop-In sessions focus on people and portraits, and children will learn how to draw, paint and sculpture each other and themselves. 
September Drop-In sessions have a book theme in honor of National Literacy Month. Families are encouraged to bring the kids in to make 3-D books, work with secret codes, draw comics and draw picture books. (Note: Saturday and Sunday September 25 & 26 there will be no Drop-In at the Walters because the education staff will be at the Baltimore Book Festival, where they’ll have a booth. Check it out!)
The third Saturday of each month at 11 am, the Walters offers a free, special tour for kids ages 6-8 and their families (one guardian per two children required). Called The Walk, Wonder and Create Family Tour, it’s a 45-minute age-appropriate tour of the museum collection and subsequent art activity. For this monthly tour, pre-registration is required by calling call (410) 547-9000, ext. 325 or emailing Family Programs.
But don’t just take my word for it:
Rockstar mom blogger Scary Mommy, aka Jill Smokler of Baltimore, says of the Walters, “The Walters is free, sweet and manageable. I never know what the mood of the day is going to be with my three kids, if after I pay the admissions the tantrums are going to start. We can duck in there for a short visit and my daughter Lilly can copy the pictures in her notebook. The café is also good for lunch with kids.”
The museum also has 3-hour studio workshops for kids age 7-10 in October (registration and more info here) and is hosting a Free Family Festival of Wonders on October 23 in which kids take over the museum with art activities, performances and interactive fun. The museum also does birthday parties and field trips.
For more information on The Walters Art Musuem, please visit their website.
To see photos of families having a great time The Walters, take a look at their pics on Flickr (which is where I grabbed the images above via a Creative Commons license).
