It’s been a little more than a year that I moved to Baltimore, and I still struggle to chaperon my visitors for the city and it’s vicinities tour. If someone is in Baltimore area for a very short visit, then it’s a piece of cake, I take them to the Inner Harbor. The Inner Harbor has it all; the aquarium, the science center, lot’s of chain restaurants, boat rides, and tons of other potential spots and scenes to capture for their Facebook :D There is also Fort McHenry close by to wrap up the combo Harbor trip.

If it’s slightly longer than a day visit, then it spells trouble for me. Not all want to go to the zoo, not all want to go for a hike in the trails, and going to a museum is an absolute no. Interests and time limits (enough for the harbor visit, but not for hours of hike) makes the above choices more difficult. I don’t know if its because that Nepal is blessed with so many natural wonders, we Nepalese want to see more physical structures. For any natural phenomenon to catch our attention, it has to be of a big magnitude, like Niagara Falls or Grand Canyon. Washington DC (less than an hour drive to my west) is always there to bail me out, but after multiple visits through the same routes has made it a very dull place for me. Even when it is extremely fascinating for the new visitors, I only go there if I am made to :P

There are lots of parks around here in Baltimore, but someone visiting briefly won’t be much enthusiastic about an afternoon picnic or a barbecue in those parks. My friend Bishal, thankfully, provided me with a link from NY Times on how to spend a weekend in Baltimore. I am grateful for that article, as it will help quench the interests of certain type of my visitors, but the spots mentioned there, unlike Harbor, are not definitely ‘one size fits all’ type.

After some research, I found Hershey’s Chocolate World a close match. I know it’s outside Maryland, but it’s less than 80 miles from where I live. As most people enjoy chocolates, knowing more and seeing the largest chocolate factory in the world can be extremely fun. There are many things to do there: Chocolate tasting, simulated factory visits, guided trolley rides, 3D shows, theme parks, etc. It’s a fun packed place for people of all ages, and the prices are reasonable too.
Hershey

I have already been there twice, and I don’t mind going their again :D But I also don’t want to end my quest of exploring other “one size fits all” locations around the Baltimore area. I haven’t been to the National Harbor and Annapolis yet, but if you know anything else, please do pass it on :)