It’s the perfect day to visit the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, one of the area’s best-kept secrets for families.

With more than a half dozen antique streetcars, visitors of all ages can take unlimited rides.

Before the widespread use of automobiles, streetcars were essential to the workings of city life, and Baltimore was no exception. Streetcars, also known as trams or trolleys, are vehicles that operate on rails in urban areas. Cities such as San Francisco and New Orleans still rely on streetcars as a major means of public transportation. With a network running as far west as Ellicott City and as far south as Curtis Bay, Baltimore’s streetcars served as the primary transportation of the city until the 1950s — and this museum is a tribute to those days gone by.

“Without streetcars, Baltimore would have never grown the way it did,” says museum volunteer Jerry Kelly. “Streetcars allowed expansion throughout the city and surrounding counties.”

Today, visitors can appreciate the charm of the beautifully restored cars by riding on various models on the mile and half of track operable from the museum just north of the city. Inside the visitors’ center and museum, see an authentic dispatcher’s office and streetcar mock-up, complete with a built-in theater. Browse the historic displays, a timeline and photos documenting the streetcar’s role in the development of Baltimore City.

Baltimore Streetcar Museum
1901 Falls Road, Baltimore
Admission: Adults $10, children $8, children under 4 free. Includes unlimited rides on authentic streetcars as well as museum admission.
Hours: Sundays (March-December): noon-5 p.m., Saturdays (June-October) noon-5 p.m.
Phone: 410-547-0264

For more family fun visit our calendar of events.