American Visionary Art Museum
2018 is looking to be a big year for Baltimore, with many developments in the pipeline to build upon 2017’s stream of openings including the Sagamore Pendry Hotel in Fell’s Point and Sagamore Spirit distillery in Port Covington. Read on for more of what’s going on in Charm City in the coming months, year and beyond.
New Hotels, Renovations and Waterfront Developments
Hotel Revival—Hotel Revival, a Joie de Vivre property, opens in the Mount Vernon Cultural District early 2018. Highlights include a ground-floor signature restaurant and bar on Cathedral Street; three private karaoke boxes; a second-floor reception and lobby lounge with a dedicated bar; and an enclosed rooftop bar and restaurant with prime views of the Washington Monument and surrounding neighborhoods.
Canopy Hilton– Coming early 2019 to Harbor Point, a three million square foot waterfront development site between Harbor East and historic Fell’s Point, is Canopy, Hilton’s newest hotel brand that redefines the lifestyle space. The 156-room hotel will feature a first floor waterfront lobby and a restaurant with an outdoor terrace offering dramatic views of the Inner Harbor atop the 12-story Wills Street Wharf mixed use building.
Sagamore Spirit Distillery and Rye Street Tavern – This five-acre complex offers a closer look at how Sagamore Spirit whiskey is made. The 22,000-square-foot distillery building houses the production equipment, including a 6,000-gallon cooker and nine 6,500-gallon fermenters. Next door is a 27,000-square-foot ‘welcome and processing’ center with two tasting rooms. Opening next to the distillery in September 2017 is a two-story restaurant called Rye Street Tavern by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini and NoHo Hospitality Group.
The Sandlot – One of Baltimore’s newest developments is “The Sandlot”, the latest food-and-beverage project by James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Spike Gjerde. Debuted summer of 2017 in Harbor Point—the 30,000 square foot harbor front beach oasis of open space used for outdoor dining, recreation, live performances and family-friendly games.
Cultural Happenings
Light City Baltimore—For the first time ever, Light City Baltimore, America’s first international light, music and innovation festival, will be held over three consecutive weekends with Neighborhood Lights kicking off April 6 – 8, 2018 and the BGE Light Art Walk transforming Baltimore’s Inner Harbor into an interactive playground of light and music April 14 – 21, 2018.
American Visionary Art Museum—The Great Mystery Show (Oct. 7, 2017 – Sept. 2, 2018)
From psychics to physicists, AVAM’s new exhibit will artfully peel away the veil from the unknown! The exhibit playfully explores mystery as that one secret power behind great art, science, and pursuit of the sacred. Mysteries personal and universal, punctuated by the out-of-this-world testimony of astronauts, mystery writers, theoreticians, poets and psychics, aim to inspire the “sleuth for the truth” detective within each of us.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Film Center—Debuted in May 2017, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Film Center, located in Baltimore’s up-and-coming Station North Arts & Entertainment District, is the new home of MdFF, the organization that creates and delivers the annual Maryland Film Festival. An $18.2 million “rescued ruin,” the Parkway features year round curated, bold programming that showcases films from every era, region, and genre, with a focus on independent, international, documentary, classic, and cult-favorite films.
Motor House Baltimore and Showroom —A new café, bar and performance venue will open inside of the Motor House, a creative artist performance space, incubator and gallery housed in Baltimore’s first Ford dealership built in 1914. Showroom will offer locally sourced breakfast and lunch options by day, cross-cultural street food, craft cocktails, and local beers at night.
The Dish on Baltimore
Union Collective – Baltimore-born UNION Craft Brewing will be the anchor tenant of a major commercial project, UNION Collective, transforming 10.5 acres of warehouse space into a destination for locally-minded consumers to interact with Baltimore makers, purchase Baltimore-made products and get an authentic taste of the area’s growing craft beer and food scene.
Bygone – This restaurant, opening atop the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences this winter, will serve a menu of upscale, classic American cuisine in a swanky space reminiscent of the 1920s with sweeping views of the city.
Tagliata and The Elk Room – Tagliata is an Italian Chophouse located in Harbor East featuring handmade pastas, hand-cut steaks & chops, charcuterie and Baltimore’s largest wine line consisting of over 1,000 varieties. Adjacent to Tagliata is The Elk Room, a speakeasy-style spot with handcrafted cocktails, charcuterie and bites, where cell phones and photographs are not allowed.
Minnow – From the brothers behind La Cuchara comes this South Baltimore seafood specialist offering regionally-sourced catches (think rockfish crudo, cornmeal-crusted soft shell crabs) alongside non-fish options like a burger and fried chicken, plus beer, cocktails and a deep wine list. The rustic-modern corner digs boast a communal chef’s table with a view of the open kitchen.
Gordon Ramsay Steak – Chef Gordon Ramsay, of “Hell’s Kitchen” and “MasterChef” fame, is opening a new steak house at the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore later this year serving signature dishes from his Las Vegas restaurant, such as beef Wellington and sticky toffee pudding, as well as more seafood dishes and regional specialties.
Charm City Cakes – The cake shop, founded by Duff Goldman and popularized by the Food Network show “Ace of Cakes,” has opened a second Baltimore location in Harbor East. The 200-square-foot space at 618 S. President St. features the shop’s traditional items, such as cakes, cupcakes and macarons as well as bakery merchandise.
R. House – Set inside a rehabbed historic auto shop, R. House is a 50,000-square-foot space that features 15-foot tall windows with roll-up garage doors, 12,000 square feet of open seating and 10 chef-driven food and drink concepts so guests can get a taste of the best bites in Baltimore.
Charm City Helicopters
Getting Around Town
Charm City Helicopters – Experience fall foliage from a brand-new vantage point with a 30-minute private charter. This scenic aerial tour features views of Baltimore’s Route 83, and is complete with a flyover of Sagamore Farm and spring house.
Baltimore Bike Share – Baltimore City is spending millions to grow its cycling infrastructure and launched the largest pedelec (electric-assist) bicycle fleet in North America this past October. Baltimore Bike Share is available 24/7 and offers both pedelec and traditional 8-gear bicycles for residents and visitors to explore the City car-free.
Baltimore Water Taxi – Under Armour founder Kevin Plank recently purchased the Baltimore Water Taxi to upgrade its fleet of passenger vessels and routes. The new boats are designed to reflect a sleek look that also reflects Baltimore’s rich port history.
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