A Walking Tour of Historic Bars & Fun Kitsch in Fells Point

Baltimore is one of the very few cities in America where you can soak up real beer and history at the same time. Here's a nice opportunity to walk around one of the city's most historic and scenic neighborhoods while sampling its historic bar culture and observing things that are only seen on the streets of Baltimore. I've included several photos of bars and kitschy stuff below to give you a taste of how cool this event is going to be, so keep scrolling...

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Fells Point

Baltimore is rich in history as a center of early American commerce, with its own unique charms and a thriving bar scene that's centered on Fells Point, once the city's main port area.

Fell’s Point was founded in 1726 by William Fell, a shipbuilder from England. As Baltimore’s original deep-water port for over a century, Fell’s Point shipbuilders developed the famed Baltimore Clippers, built two of the first ships in the US Navy (the USS Constellation and the USS Enterprise), and financed the “privateers” that helped win the War of 1812. These days, Fells Point is a trendy and vibrant modern neighborhood showcasing its historic charm, cobble stone streets, and much of its original architecture. You can actually feel the history and imagine how it was 200 years ago, especially after having a few beers. ;-)

Touring the Historic Bars and Streets (Scroll Down for Samples of Kitsch)

We will meet up and hang out for awhile at "The Horse You Came In On", a large and friendly place with barstools shaped like saddles and a sign over the cash register that reads: "If a**holes could fly, this place would an airport". If we're lucky, Vicki (pictured) will be tending bar and regale us with her Bal'mer chatter, charm, wit, and uncensored opinions. Believe me, I've seen her in action, so I know she's the REAL thing...

The Horse You Came In On

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After tasting some liquid gold at the Horse, we'll walk around Fells Point visiting a number of other historic bars and looking at whatever neighborhood kitsch is on display. Everything is within a few blocks of where we start, so it will be a nice walk around the neighborhood. Here are some of the well-known bars we plan to visit, among others:

The Wharf Rat

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Max's Tap Room

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Bertha's Mussels

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The exact number of bars we visit depends upon our mood and whims, but we want to end up eating around 4 pm at "The Red Star" which has a cool vibe and good food. It's named after the red painted nautical stars used by clever local ladies to attract lonely sailors back when the City of Baltimore's morality laws prohibited them from using red lights.

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After an early meal at "The Red Star", we'll move two blocks to "The Cat's Eye Pub" where there will be a live band playing to an interesting mix of customers who are well into their second half of life, and are usually rallying pretty good. It's a fun place. Everyone is cool and they boogie on the dance floor by the bar, so we'll fit right in. I can guarantee "The Cat's Eye" is one bar where you won't feel old...

The Cat's Eye Pub

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Kitschy Fun in Fells Point

You never know quite what you'll see on the streets in Fells Point, but here are some pics taken on my visit just two months ago. You'll see religious window dioramas, painted screens, and various curious items on display, but my favorite street shots are the imposing lingerie fortress (no loitering), a bar named "Make Some Bad Decisions", and another bar simply entitled "Bar". Inside there's a sign saying "Yes, the name of this place really is Bar". You can't be any clearer than that...

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This is going to be a great "Bal'mer Culture" event and a ton of fun. Please call Jake at 703-798-8435 with any questions. I hope to see you there!

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