Best Public Parks in Baltimore

Baltimore is home to a number of fantastic public parks that offer an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Whether you’re looking for a space to jump in a pool, play disc golf, have a picnic, or take a hike, there are plenty of things to see and do at these green spaces in Baltimore.

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Druid Hill Park

Pavilion in park — projectart69/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

This 745-acre public park is Baltimore's largest and oldest green space. Inaugurated in 1860, the park ranks with Central Park (1858) in New York and Fairmount Park (1812) in Philadelphia as the oldest landscaped public parks in the United States. The Maryland Zoo, Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens, a public pool, a hiking and biking trail, and an 18-hole disc golf course are all located within the park's bounds. The R&B group Dru Hill took its name from the park.

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Patterson Park

Pagoda at a park — sneakerdog/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Nicknamed the “Best Back Yard in Baltimore,” this sprawling green space is a welcomed retreat for nearby residents living in rowhomes (especially those with only a patch of concrete behind their homes). The 155-acre park features a pool, two playgrounds, an ice skating rink, basketball and tennis courts, a recreation center, and many fields for sports. It also has plenty of historic charm, as evidenced by the park’s boat lake, Victorian pagoda, and 19th-century marble fountain.

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Wyman Park Dell

Set in a dell directly in front of The Baltimore Museum of Art, this 16-acre park is the biggest and best green space in the Charles Village neighborhood. The park has no formal courts or fields for sports, but residents and students from nearby Johns Hopkins University can often be found playing frisbee, kickball, or football. The park also hosts a free outdoor movie series each summer, as well as the Charles Village Festival.

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Federal Hill

This flat, grassy hilltop might not be very large, but it has a lot of history: it's where 4,000 patriots celebrated Maryland's ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. Located on the south side of the Inner Harbor, the offers one of the best views of Baltimore in the entire city. Close by is the American Visionary Art Museum, a wacky museum dedicated to showcasing folk art.

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05 of 06

Carroll Park

Mount Clare Museum House, rear — presmd/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

This 117-acre park is located in southwest Baltimore. Originally part of an estate, the park includes one of the oldest of two Federal-style mansions still standing in Baltimore City. Today the park is home to a variety of athletic fields, a playground, an outdoor skating facility, and a nine-hole golf course. The park’s biggest event is its German festival—a day of music, performing arts, food, and crafts.

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Clifton Park

People visiting urban farm — mdagdept/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Once the estate of Johns Hopkins, 259-acre Clifton Park is home to an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and a public pool. Hopkins’ mansion has been transformed into offices and a clubhouse for the golf course, but the property still maintains its rolling topography and character as a typical English landscape garden.