On Friday we are taking a day-trip to Baltimore. We want to hit up the aquarium and then find a place close by....preferably walking distance so we don't have to drive somewhere else!

Can anyone rec. and decent seafood type places walking distance from the aquarium? Reasonably priced for the portion....good quality?

Also...does anyone know where I can buy discount tickets for the Aquarium...any other advice for our trip!?!

We are coming from Harrisburg, Pa...it's about a 2 hr drive! Any advice would be helpful! Thanx!

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Bekah
Co-founder and CEO of the NOVITZKE FAMILY INC.

Pre-order the tickets for the Aquarium from their website - it's a real time saver. I don't recall if they were discounted or not.

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Baltimore Aquarium tickets are expensive but well worth the money. I'm not really sure about availability of discount coupons though as my parents have been members for years and my sister volunteers there so we usually go on their free tickets.

Get there as early as you can as it can get very crowded - although it might not be quite as bad now that school is out for the summer and there shouldn't be any school groups there.

Make sure to get your tickets for the dolphin show (they are free with admission but you do have to get the ticket on the way in and they are for specific times). You should also try to plan and watch the divers feed the sting rays and turtle - feeding times will be posted (I think it's around 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. but I'm not completely sure).

You will NOT be able to bring a stroller into the aquarium as there is very limited space there. There is a stroller check area on-site though if you need to use a stroller for transportation to and from the aquarium. They used to have backpack carriers available (for free I think) but I'm not sure if they still do that.

As far as seafood is concerned - my husband says that there is a Phillips Seafood restaurant on the harbor that he thinks isn't too terribly expensive. Here's a link to their website (you can download their menus): Phillips Seafood .

Unfortunately, most of the restaurants in the Inner Harbor aren't cheap. Within walking distance of the aquarium there is an ESPN Zone, Cheesecake Factory, and Hard Rock Cafe among others. Here's a website with a listing of restaurants in the Inner Harbor that you also might find helpful: Click Here.

If you're looking for another place to visit while you're here both Port Discoveryand the Maryland Science Center are a couple blocks away. Maryland Science Center tickets aren't cheap either, but my boys had a blast there (they are 2 and 4) and there are actually a ton of child friendly things to do as well as an I-Max theater. Port Discovery is geared for children, but neither my husband or I were very impressed when we went. Tickets are cheaper than the Maryland Science Center though. There are also a couple ships on the water around the aquarium that you can buy tickets for and "tour" but we've never done that so I'm not sure if it's worth it or not.

One more thing, plan to pay $15-$20 to park for the day in one of the garages or parking lots. Parking in the Inner Harbor (along with everything else) is NOT cheap. You can park on the street if you don't mind going to feed the meter every couple hours, but it will probably be easier just to find a garage. There are a few garages that are a little cheaper - we found one close to the Maryland Science Center (it's small though) that was less than $15 I think.

That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try to answer them although, ironically, we're leaving tomorrow for Pennsylvania and won't be back until Thursday . Like I said, my sister does volunteer for the aquarium so if you have any specific questions, I might be able to get an answer from her. Hope you enjoy your trip!

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)

Wow! Thanks for the advice!

Yikes! No strollers?!?! We have a friend coming in from out of state and we have been wanting to go down there. Problem: 16 month old daughter!!! So we were going to leave at like 9am...after she wakes up and we get her ready, be down there by 11am...go for a couple hours...catch a lunch around 1 or 2....so Ann could fall asleep on the way home!

This will be much easier when she is older! Of course, by then..we will have another one! ;-).

We have a backpack...picked it up at a yardsale but never used it. She likes to walk..but if I remember back from years and years ago...it's a pretty big place right?!

Geez...between gas...3 tickets..parking..and lunch...this is going to be a pretty expensive day-trip!!!

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Bekah
Co-founder and CEO of the NOVITZKE FAMILY INC.

I hope you enjoy your Friday.

I agree with all the previous posters and try to buy your tickets ahead of time and get there early. The aquarium can get rather busy. And the dolphin show is a must see. The strollers aren't allowed becuase of the escalators and such.

There are a lot of good places to eat around the inner harbor, but you definitly pay a little more for being in the harbor. There are several versions of Phillips there (buffet, sitdown and express). ESPN zone is decent, but you won't get more than a chain style crab cake sandwich really, so nothing extrodinary. We tried J. Pauls last time - they have a nice patio to eat on overlooking the harbor and had a pretty good menu. We were sans child, so I don't remember what they had chihld wise, but there were kids there! It was located in the harbor place shops across from the dine in Phillips.

I hope you have a nice day trip. I wish I could be there!

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!

I was there a couple months ago. The restaurants overlooking the harbor fill up quickly - so get there early or make a reservation. I ate at La Tasca. The food wasn't great, but the sangria was good.

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Really - get the tickets on their website. I think they do it by assigned times for entry. If you have them prepaid, you just pick them up at the kiosk & then go and wait until your time is called. If you just go up and buy tickets, the next available time opening might be hours later.

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Inner harbor seems to be a popular destination. We are planning on a day trip on 4th of July. Is it advisable to take a 5 yr old for the fireworks? What is a good spot to see fireworks? is it even worth it?

As of now we are planning to drive back after the fire works. I am expecting major traffic jams right after the fireworks.

Any advice, tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

We are going to the Aquarium next week or two I believe, we've been meaning to go for months now! I have the VA entertainment book, but I've been wondering if the MD book has coupons in it? Anyone know? I think it might be cheaper for us to buy the MD entertainment book since they are so cheap right now.

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

Yes, the aquarium is fairly large but if you have one child and two adults it should be fairly easy to get around - as long as you don't mind carrying her if she gets tired. We've done it before with two small children and three adults (no backpack) and we were fine. She should be able to walk (assuming it's not REALLY crowded), just watch her closely near the railings and such and on the escalators.

Stacia - I know that there have been some sort of aquairum discount tickets in the MD Entertainment Book in the past, but I've never bought one so I can't tell you for sure if there are this year. With two adults and three children you might want to check into the price of a season pass - it MAY be cheaper than buying a one day ticket for everyone.

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)