Maryland designated walking as the official state exercise in 2008. Walking is the most basic and common mode of transportation, is recommended for a healthy lifestyle, and has numerous environmental benefits. The city of Baltimore offers a fascinating historical walk named Heritage Walk (text on the Heritage Walk map pictured below):

WELCOME Discover Heritage Walk, a 3.2 mile walking trail through four fascinating centuries. Within a compact area, Heritage Walk connects some 20 historic sites and museums, traversing four city districts of remarkable diversity and significance.

The sites on Heritage Walk are uniquely Baltimore, yet they also tell American stories of a young nation’s determination to defend itself; of the Civil War that tore apart a city and a country; of commerce and industry in a rising port city and the challenges that come with urban growth; of the struggles and triumphs of the diverse peoples who make up the American mosaic.

Follow the trail markings embedded in the sidewalk to experience this Baltimore adventure. Rest stops and restaurants offer places to relax along the way. Length of Trail: 3.2 miles / 5 kilometers, Time required to walk: 2 hours

ENCOUNTER

• The site where the first fatalities of America’s Civil War occurred in 1861.
• The house where Mary Pickersgill made The Star Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem.
  
• The largest museum of African American history and culture on the East Coast.
• The mansion of Charles Carroll, the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.
• The nation’s third oldest synagogue building, alongside the nation’s largest regional Jewish museum.
• The Phoenix Shot Tower, tallest in the country, where shotgun pellets were manufactured by dropping moleten lead into a pool of water from a height of more than 200 feet.