by Debby Dyess

Created on: March 04, 2009

If you dream of a week of historic buildings, museums, waterfront walks and quiet coffees, and your children imagine a vacation full of fun, noise and adventure, what do you do? How about a week of ghost hunting, pirateering, clubbing in the oldest pub in the United States and taking in quaint shops historical sites as old as the United States itself? If that sounds like a solution to the family-vacation-dilemma, pack your bags and head for Fells Point.

Fells Point was dubbed Long Island Point' by its original European discoverers, but the name was changed in 1730 with the development of a small township there. Fells Point became a part of Baltimore in 1773. But history in this unique
Maryland neighborhood is alive and well. Try sharing a drink at The Horse You Came In On Saloon, the oldest running bar in North America. Legend has it that Edgar Allan Poe took his last drink inside those walls, and that his ghost still makes an occasional visit. Or how about coffee in the nation's oldest coffee house? Established before the Revolutionary War, The London Coffee House business gives you the best of the old and the new. In Fells Point you don't just hear about history; you live it.

Fells Point is proud of its waterfront prominence. Life for generations of Baltimore families have been associated with the sea. Dozens of businesses thrive off of the Harbor, giving tourists the ability to immerse themselves in it, literally and figuratively. The Baltimore Maritime Museum gives visitors a chance to wander out onto a Lightship (yep, that's a lighthouse that floats). Are you a WWII buff? The cutter USCGG TANEY, which battled Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor is here, as is the USS TORSK, a submarine that saw action in the Pacific. Museums not your thing? Fish with Captain Don, take a scenic tour of the Inner Harbor with Captain Virgil Hobbs on the Cattywampus II or become an Urban Pirate aboard the Fearless, where you and your family can learn to swagger, speak and swear like a pirate (well maybe not swear ) And, just in case you've had your fill of walking, or just want to relax and enjoy the harbor, Fells Point's water taxi is ready to help.

There's so much to see in Fells Point that tours are a natural part of the day. There are walking tours, biking tours and even a ghost tour. That's right; Fells Point boasts its own fair share of restless spirits. It's not only Edgar Allan Poe you may bump into; Fells Point has 250 years of orbs, voices and spirits to draw from.

Whether you're looking for a quiet, peaceful vacaton or a fun-filled, party-hearty time, Fells Pont is the perfect destination for you. Its wide variety of activities offers something for everyone. So start packing.

Where to find them:

1. The Horse You Came iIn ON Saloon

1626 Thames St.

Baltimore, MD 21231

(410)327-8111

http://www.thehorselive.com/

2. London Coffee House & George Wells House - Northwest Corner of Bond & Thames Sts.

3. Baltimore Maritime Museum

802 S. Caroline St., (410)396-3453

4. Captain Don's Fishing Charters, Henderson Wharf Marina

1001 Fell St.

(410)342-2004

cell (443)857-4238

5. Captain Virgil Hobbs, HarborSail LLC

Swan's Wharf

(410)428-1711

6. Urban Pirates (410)32-QUEST

http://urbanpirates.us/

7. Water Taxi

(410)563-3901

(800)658-8947

8. For information on walking tours see the Preservation Society website: http://www.preservationsociety.com/FPwalkingtour2008 .html

9. Bike Baltimore Bike Rentals and Tours

1001 Fell St.

(410)342-2004

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