Home Activities USA Baltimore Baltimore Walking & Driving Self-Guided Audio Tour

Activity Baltimore, USA

Baltimore Walking & Driving Self-Guided Audio Tour

3.5 (31 reviews) 1–3 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

31 reviews

3.5

Baltimore Walking & Driving Self-Guided Audio Tour — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Baltimore Walking & Driving Self-Guided Audio Tour, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

Dive into one of America’s most historic cities with this tour of Baltimore! This storied city is chock full of essential American history, having been home to famous figures like Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, and Babe Ruth. Hear a dramatic rendition of Douglass’s escape from slavery and rise to prominence as an abolitionist and advisor to Abraham Lincoln. Delve into Poe’s life and the unsolved mystery of his death. And much, much more!

After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

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At a glance

Duration: 1–3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–4
Audio guide: English
Written guide: English
Operated by: Action Day Trips

What is included

Included

Included: Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
Included: Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
Included: Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
Included: Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
Included: Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
Included: Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
Included: One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
Included: Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
Included: Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
Included: Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

Not included

Not included: No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

Itinerary

Baltimore Visitor Center

5 min Admission not included

Your tour of the historic, bustling city of Baltimore begins at the Baltimore Visitor Center. Get ready to experience all the culture and history of a city that has been home to all sorts of important figures like Frederick Douglass, Edgar Allan Poe, and lots more!

Note: The tour is over 9 miles long, with more than 42 audio stories, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

For the best experience, bring headphones/earbuds for your walking tour.
Stop 2

5 min

The first part of the city you'll see is the Inner Harbor, the hottest tourist destination in the city.
USS Constellation

5 min Admission not included

At the Baltimore Harbor, you'll get up close and personal with some of the oldest ships in the country!
National Aquarium

5 min Admission not included

The harbor's main attraction is the USS Constellation. This three-mast ship predates the Civil War, and was actually used to chase down and apprehend vessels illegally carrying enslaved prisoners!
Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse

5 min Admission not included

Next is the National Aquarium, home to over 20,000 sea and land creatures. If you're looking for the perfect family-friendly activity, you'll find it here!
National Katyn Memorial

5 min Admission not included

Beyond the lighthouse, you'll find one of Baltimore's strangest attractions: Mr. Trash Wheel. This innovative device helps keep the harbor clean and looks good while doing it!
Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park

5 min Admission not included

This park is dedicated to honoring African-American maritime history. It gets its name from renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass and pioneering unionist Isaac Myers. Both men worked at the shipyard that once operated here at different times.
The Horse You Came In On Saloon

5 min Admission not included

Old-school watering hole in a Colonial-era building, offering drinks, pub fare & live music nightly.
Fells Point Corner Theatre

5 min Admission not included

Originally founded as an independent town in 1763, Fells Point still retains much of its historic appearance. Back in the days of Frederick Douglass, this was home to a large number of free and enslaved African Americans. Many of them worked at the ship port like Douglass, and the cheap houses here were all they could afford.
Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park

5 min Admission not included

You might already be familiar with Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist work, but did you know he was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights? Douglass believed “Right is of no sex, truth is of no color.”

In 1848, Douglass attended the First Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Here, he met Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and committed himself to their cause. While touring the country advocating for abolition, Douglass also began arguing for women’s rights. He called for all Americans, no matter their race or sex, to be granted the right to vote.
Reginald F. Lewis Museum

5 min Admission not included

Your route takes you next past the National Katyn Memorial, a striking and somber monument with some fascinating history.
Baltimore City Hall

5 min Admission not included

It’s hard to miss Baltimore City Hall, that regal structure just ahead.

Shortly after its completion, this was the site of a violent altercation between two Baltimore politicians. In 1883, James Busey and William Harig, both democrats, got into a heated political argument just outside the city hall. Harig, punched Busey. The two brawled, then sprang away and simultaneously drew pistols. Both men began firing wildly, but Harig’s aim was much better than Busey’s. Four bullets hit Busey in the chest, killing him. Constables arrived and arrested Harig for murder.
Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place

5 min Admission not included

This pillar ahead is Baltimore’s Washington Monument. It might remind you of another Washington Monument… a slightly more famous one in a little town called D.C. Believe it or not, though, this isn’t actually a copycat! In fact, this was the very first major monument to honor George Washington. The architect, Robert Mills, just liked the design so much he decided to use it again in D.C.--only much bigger, of course.
Stop 14

5 min Admission not included

In the 1930s, this gravestone started seeing a mysterious visitor. On January 19th, Poe’s birthday, a man appeared at the marker wearing all black, a wide-brimmed hat, and a white scarf to hide his face. He poured himself a glass of cognac and toasted Poe’s grave. Then he left three roses and the unfinished bottle and disappeared. The man returned the following year, and the year after that. The so-called “Poe Toaster” arrived at odd hours, usually under cover of darkness, and fled before anyone could discover his identity.
H. L. Mencken House

5 min Admission not included

You'll arrive next at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park, dedicated to the two historical heavyweights in its name. Here, you'll learn all about these important figures and how they forever changed the fight for civil rights in America.
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

5 min Admission not included

After that is the oldest saloon in the US, the Horse You Came In On Saloon. In addition to having some serious character of its own, this was also a beloved drinking spot of Edgar Allan Poe... and his ghost supposedly still frequents the joint!
Federal Hill Park

5 min Admission not included

The route heads into Fells Point next, probably the hippest neighborhood in all of Baltimore, and also one of the oldest.
Fort McHenry National Monument And Historic Shrine

5 min Admission not included

This fort, built to defend Baltimore’s precious harbor, took the brunt of the naval assault in 1814. As 19 British warships approached, Major George Armistead told his 1,000 defenders to prepare for the fight of their lives. No sooner had the men taken their positions than the bombardment began. Cannons roared and sent cannonballs crashing into the fort. Luckily, the fort had recently been reinforced, and the cannonfire did little to damage it.
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House

5 min Admission not included

Francis Scott Key was so moved by the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry that he scribbled a poem on the back of a letter he had kept in his pocket. This poem would later become the national anthem. Here is the original text of that poem, just as Key wrote it on that fateful morning:
Port Discovery Children's Museum

5 min Admission not included

Then you'll pass Douglass Place, home to several homes built by Frederick Douglass. Here, you'll hear the rest of Douglass's riveting story, including how he went from an enslaved shipwright to one of the most important figures in American politics.
Stop 21

5 min Admission not included

Let’s return to Edgar Allan Poe. See that big brick hospital off to your right? That’s Church Home and Hospital, the site where Poe drew his last breath. Poe’s death remains mysterious to this day, but here’s what we know about it:

In September of 1849, Poe boarded a train in Richmond bound for Philadelphia. He was supposed to meet a poet in Philadelphia to do some editing work, but he never showed up. For some reason, he never made it to Philadelphia at all, and nobody knew his whereabouts for the next week.
Mother Seton House

5 min Admission not included

Off to the right here, a little way down North Paca Street is the Mother Seton House. It’s most famous for being the temporary residence of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born person to ever be canonized as a saint.

Seton was born in New York City in 1774 to an Episcopalian family and lived there for most of her youth. When her husband fell gravely ill with tuberculosis, however, she moved with him to Italy’s warmer climate for his health. It proved to be a fateful decision because it was in Italy that Seton discovered Catholicism. Her husband died shortly after the move, and she dedicated herself to her newfound religion.
The Walters Art Museum

5 min Admission not included

Baltimore City Hall is next, and it's pretty hard to miss! You'll definitely want to snap a few photos of this regal, Napoleonic structure.
Mount Clare Museum House

5 min Admission not included

Beyond that is Baltimore's Washington Monument. This pillar might look familiar, because it was designed by the very same architect behind DC's iconic Washington Monument.
National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation

5 min Admission not included

After that is Edgar Allan Poe's grave, which has for decades been the site of a strange ritual conducted by a mysterious individual whose identity has never been determined. Learn all about the enigmatic Poe Toaster here!
Oriole Park at Camden Yards

5 min Admission not included

Even if you're not in town for a game, you'll certainly want to stop by Oriole Park, where countless baseball greats have made their names.
Maryland Science Center

5 min Admission not included

More educational activities can be found at the Maryland Science Center, one of the oldest scientific institutions in the country.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Begin from Light St at Visitor's center, Baltimore, MD 21230, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.

End point

Using your ticket

IGNORE THE QR CODE ABOVE

The QR code CANNOT be presented for a ticket onsite.

The QR simply contains your tour access instructions. Please follow these instructions BEFORE you’re onsite because they require WiFi/signal.

1. Download my Action Tour Guide app:

actiontourguide.com/app

2. Sign in/ register with your email (this is will automatically generate a one-time verification sent to your email. That code is NOT your tour password).

3. Go to “My Tours” and select “Enter Password”. Find your password in the instructions email sent by “Action Tour Guide” to you by email and text.

4. Download your tour NOW. Do not wait until you are onsite.

BEFORE YOU START

This is a self-guided audio tour. No guide will meet you.

Entrance tickets, attraction tickets, parking, and transportation are not included.

Your tour has lifetime access with no expiry. Use it on any date—no need to change your booking date.

For walking tours, we recommend headphones.

See how it works: actiontourguide.com/tutorial

NEED HELP?

Setup: actiontourguide.com/redeem

FAQs: actiontourguide.com/faq

Call: 1-508-506-1844

Email: [email protected]

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.
Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.
Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.
Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.
The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.
For walking portions, we recommend using headphones or earbuds for clearer audio and to avoid disturbing others nearby.