Once a private art collection, the Walters Art Museum houses an immense collection of paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts.

The Walters Art Museum is one of the best-kept secrets in the city of Baltimore. Located in the Mount Vernon district, the museum consists of the original Hackerman House, the Centre Street annex building and the Charles Street main building. Several of the structures themselves are works of art—living displays of 17th century Italian and 19th-century American architecture. The galleries feature a wide variety of ancient, Asian, Islamic, European, and American art, and thanks to public grants, admission to the Walters Art Museum is free.

Things to See

The Walters Art Museum is home to over 36,000 pieces of art dating from 5,000 BCA to modern-day. The collection consists of paintings, ancient sculptures, Chinese porcelain, religious artifacts, and jewelry. The museum also has a conservation and technical research department that works to restore damaged works of art. Visitors can watch the technicians work every Friday and Saturday afternoon at the conservation window. Self-guided tours and programs are available or you can schedule a variety of docent-led tours in multiple languages.

Programs and Special Exhibitions

In addition to the art galleries, the museum hosts an extensive schedule of workshops, lectures, musical performances, and other special events. The family art center offers weekend activities, camps, and classes designed for the little ones. The Walters Art Museum also has a rotation of special exhibitions like the St. Francis Missal, a collection of 12th-century manuscripts, and art pieces considered a relic of touch to St. Francis of Assisi.

Visiting the Museum

Admission to the Walters Art Museum is always free! The museum is located at 600 N. Charles St. in the heart of historic Mount Vernon, Maryland. Parking can be found in several lots around the museum along with free and metered street parking. Visitors can enter at Charles St. or at the corner of Centre and Cathedral St.

Memberships to the museum are also available and include different benefits depending on the level of contribution. The Walters Cafe serves up drinks, sandwiches, and salads, or you can visit one of the restaurants in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

Have you been to the Walters Art Museum before? What did you think? Tell us in the comments!