A Baltimore Museum Day: The BMA, the American Visionary Art Museum and the Walters

Baltimore punches well above its size when it comes to art. Within a few miles of each other sit a major encyclopedic museum with one of the world's great collections of Matisse, a museum spanning thousands of years of art housed in a Mount Vernon landmark, and a museum devoted entirely to self-taught visionary artists that looks like nothing else in the country. Seeing all three in one day is ambitious but very doable, especially if you do not have to think about parking three times.

The Three Museums at a Glance

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA)

The BMA sits in Charles Village, next to the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University, about three miles north of the Inner Harbor. Its best-known treasure is the Cone Collection, assembled by Baltimore sisters Claribel and Etta Cone, which includes an extraordinary group of works by Henri Matisse along with Picasso, Cézanne and others. The museum's holdings span African, Asian, American and European art, contemporary work and prints and drawings.

Outside, two sculpture gardens set modern and contemporary sculpture among trees and terraces. On a nice day, they are worth a slow walk.

The Walters Art Museum

The Walters, in Mount Vernon at the foot of the Washington Monument, grew out of the collections of William and Henry Walters, a father and son who gathered art from ancient Egypt through the 19th century. Its galleries include ancient sculpture, medieval manuscripts and armor, Renaissance and Baroque paintings and a "Chamber of Wonders" that re-creates a 17th-century collector's cabinet. The setting, in a group of historic buildings around Mount Vernon Place, is part of the experience.

The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)

On Key Highway at the base of Federal Hill, AVAM is devoted to art made by self-taught creators — people with no formal art training, often working outside the art world entirely. The exhibits change regularly around big themes, and the building is covered in mirrored mosaics, whirligigs and sculpture. It is joyful, strange and moving, and it is the stop visitors most often say surprised them.

Choosing a Route Order

The three museums sit roughly on a north-south line: the BMA at the top, the Walters in the middle and AVAM at the bottom near the harbor. That makes two natural orders.

North to South

1. BMA in the morning. Start when it opens, when the galleries and sculpture gardens are quiet.
2. The Walters at midday. A short drive south down Charles Street. Have lunch in Mount Vernon before or after.
3. AVAM in the afternoon. End near the water, with a walk up Federal Hill for the skyline view if you have energy.

South to North

Reverse the order if you are staying near the Inner Harbor or want to end the day near Johns Hopkins or the northern suburbs. Starting at AVAM in the morning also gets you there before its busier afternoons.

Either way, the driving segments are short — typically 10 to 20 minutes each — but parking is different at each stop, which is where a chauffeur saves real time.

Drop-Off Points

• The BMA has an entrance facing the Johns Hopkins campus and a drop-off area near the main entrance off Art Museum Drive.
• The Walters is entered from Charles Street or Centre Street, depending on the building; drop-offs happen on the surrounding streets as traffic allows.
• AVAM sits on Key Highway with its main entrance facing the street, and drop-offs are typically right in front.

Our page on limo service near the Walters Art Museum has more detail on getting in and out of Mount Vernon.

How Long to Spend

Trying to see everything in all three would take days. A realistic museum day picks highlights:

• BMA: about two hours for the Cone Collection, one or two other wings and the sculpture gardens.
• The Walters: about 90 minutes for a few favorite floors.
• AVAM: about 90 minutes for the current exhibition and the building itself.

With lunch and transit, that adds up to a full day of six to seven hours. If that sounds like too much, drop one museum and give the other two more time.

Where to Eat

Mount Vernon, around the Walters, is the easiest lunch stop, with a wide choice of restaurants and cafés on Charles Street and its side streets. The BMA has had its own café, and the blocks around Johns Hopkins in Charles Village have casual options. Near AVAM, Federal Hill's restaurants are a short drive or walk away.

Admission, Hours and Special Exhibitions

Each museum sets its own hours, closed days and policies for special exhibitions, which sometimes require separate timed tickets. Before you plan the day, check each museum's official website for:

• Days of the week they are open
• Hours, including any late evenings
• Special exhibition ticketing
• Bag, stroller and photography policies

Some museums are closed on Mondays or Tuesdays, so confirm that all three are open on your chosen day.

A Good Day for Visitors and Conference Guests

A museum day is a natural add-on for visitors in town for a wedding, a family event or a conference. Johns Hopkins, in particular, brings a steady stream of medical and academic visitors, and the BMA is next door to the Homewood campus. Our post on Johns Hopkins medical conference transportation covers getting around for those visits.

Pacing the Day with Kids or Older Relatives

Three museums is a lot of walking. With children, consider letting AVAM, with its playful building and outdoor sculpture, be the reward at the end of the day, and keep the BMA visit focused on a few rooms. With older relatives, build in a seated lunch and plan on using museum benches and cafés as rest stops. Because the car is waiting between stops, no one has to walk from a distant garage, and anyone who has had enough can rest in the vehicle while the others finish a gallery. That flexibility often decides whether a three-museum day feels pleasant or exhausting.

Booking the Day

With three stops and a lunch break, this is a classic hourly trip. Our Maryland hourly chauffeur service keeps the same vehicle and chauffeur with you all day, so coats, shopping bags and museum-shop purchases stay in the car between stops. A sedan is ideal for a couple, and a Lincoln Navigator or GMC Yukon XL Denali works well for a family or small group.

When you are ready, book online or call 877-609-1919. Tell us which museums you would like to see and in what order, and we will plan the timing.