The Atlas Obscura Guide To Baltimore

43 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Baltimore, Maryland

Updated October 10, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Baltimore

Nutshell Studies Diorama

Baltimore, Maryland

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Eighteen miniature death-scene dioramas.

Baltimore, Maryland

George Peabody Library

It's not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music's library has been described as a "cathedral of books."

Baltimore, Maryland

Edgar Allan Poe's Grave

The trials and tribulations of marking Poe's grave.

Bazaar

Baltimore, Maryland

Bazaar

Crammed into a Baltimore row house is an oddities shop that sells everything from skulls to dead insects.

Inside the stacks at The Book Thing

Baltimore, Maryland

The Book Thing

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.

Plaque that marks the former hospital

Baltimore, Maryland

Site of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

The site where Poe "in great distress, and ... in need of immediate assistance" likely died.

Baltimore, Maryland

Elijah Bond's Ouija Board Grave

The man who first patented the Ouija board rests in peace beneath a headstone that playfully reflects that achievement.

Baltimore, Maryland

Papermoon Diner

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

See All 43 Things To Do in Baltimore

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland

Papermoon Diner

This beloved Baltimore spot features caged dolls, a giant Pez collection, and many, many mannequins.

Baltimore, Maryland

Ministry of Brewing

An abandoned church gets a second life as a massive beer hall and event space.

Owls still keep watch over the bar.

Baltimore, Maryland

The Owl Bar

At this former Prohibition speakeasy, electric birds signaled the arrival of hooch.

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History 6

Collections 5

Aletrail 5

Museums And Collections 4

Literature 4

Art 4

Cemeteries 4

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Stories About Baltimore

Podcast: Ouija Board 7-Eleven

A visit to the site where the famed party game and occult tool got its name.

by The Podcast Team

Marguerite Harrison was raised at the turn of the century to be a Baltimore socialite. Instead, she traveled the world as a reporter, filmmaker, explorer, and spy.

The Society Editor Who Just Walked Into Soviet Russia and Started Spying

Marguerite Harrison was the United States’ first female foreign intelligence officer.

Meet the Woman Preserving 125 Years of Black History in Baltimore

The “Afro-American” is in her blood.

January 6, 2022

Podcast: The Scarpetta House

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 5, 2021

Podcast: Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

October 4, 2021

David Zamudio, one of Alma's O-1 recipients.

With Venezuela in Crisis, This Restaurant Offers Its Chefs a Landing Pad

By taking on the U.S. visa process.

by Laura Kiniry

September 8, 2021

One of the verses printed in the Baltimore Patriot, with instructions to sing to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven."

For Sale: The First Printing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

A celebration of freedom, published next to advertisements for the slave trade.

by Matthew Taub

An 1876 map showing Laurel Cemetery.

The Grim History Hidden Under a Baltimore Parking Lot

After an African-American cemetery was bulldozed, families wondered what happened to the graves.

by Sarah Laskow

October 25, 2019

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