Getting to Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry is located in Baltimore, Maryland, about 3 miles south of the Inner Harbor. At only 15 minutes away, BWI is the closest airport. If you are flying in to see other sites in the area, Dulles is a good option, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes away. Of the two, BWI tends to be the cheaper airport.
Fees & Cancellation Stamp
It cost $15 per person over the age of 16 to see Fort McHenry; under 16 gets in for free. If you live in the area and might want to visit multiple times throughout the year, they do offer an annual pass for $45 (covers the pass holder + 3 adults).
The cancellation stamp can be found in the lobby of the Visitor Center and in the gift shop.
Time Required at Fort McHenry
Touring the fort will only take a few hours. However, if you plan to tour the entire fort, watch any of the live demonstrations, or attend any of the ranger talks, I would go ahead and plan for a full day. There is no food on site, but there are picnic tables if you want to pack a lunch.
The fort is huge and there are a lot of rooms inside of it to see. You are also able to walk the perimeter above the fort, which has awesome views of the Patapsco River.
Flag Raising Ceremony
Fort McHenry is one of 8 locations in the United States that is required to fly the flag at all times. Over night, they fly a traditional, 50-star American flag. Each morning that flag is lowered, and a replica of either the garrison flag, or storm flag, is raised. The type of flag raised depends on the weather.
Each morning park rangers will hold a ceremony to raise the replica flag. Each evening before the fort closes, they hold another ceremony to raise the traditional flag. I was able to attend the morning ceremony and it was incredible. Plan your trip around the flag raising ceremony, even if it’s only one of them. During the raising of the flag, someone will sing the Start Spangled Banner.
Know before you go
I recommend getting to Fort McHenry right when the gates open, or even a little bit before if you are visiting on a weekend. The line to get in can get long and while the last street you drive down to enter is a back road, the others surrounding it are not.
If there is a flag demonstration while you’re there – DO IT. It is a really cool experience. I posted the picture at top of this page on my Instagram and National Park Geek actually featured it on their page! Note: this flag demonstration is a lecture, it is not the same as the flag raising ceremony.
Last updated: April 7, 2023
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