Historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort best known for its role in the War of 1812 and inspiration for "The Star-Spangled Banner"
General Information
Park Grounds & Visitor Center: 9:00am–5:00pm daily
Last park entry: 4:45pm
Visitor Center and Historic Star Fort close 15 minutes before park closing.
Children under 16: Free
Annual Fort McHenry Pass: $45
Visitor Center, museum exhibits, and park grounds: Free
How to Get There
From Baltimore Inner Harbor (approximately 3 mi): Follow Key Highway southeast toward Locust Point and continue to Fort McHenry. Free on-site parking is available, though it can be limited during peak visitation periods.
Overview
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Locust Point in Baltimore Harbor is the star-shaped fort that defended Baltimore against the British navy on September 13-14, 1814, in the War of 1812. The sight of the huge American garrison flag (30 by 42 feet) flying at dawn inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." The original flag is now at the National Museum of American History.
Visiting
- The fort: restored barracks, defensive walls, artillery, and exhibits on the War of 1812, Civil War, and World War I
- Ranger flag program: the history of the flag and the raising or lowering of the flag in the fort
- Visitor center: exhibits and a short film on the Battle of Baltimore
- Waterfront trail: an easy paved loop of about a mile with harbor views
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for Fort McHenry, released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
