Guide To Visiting Baltimore/Washington for Amber & Brian’s Wedding
The location for Amber & Brian’s wedding, the Elkridge Furnace Inn, is located between Baltimore and Washington but closer to Baltimore. The best airport to use to attend the wedding is Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
The hotel is convenient to the airport and wedding venue, but there is not a lot to do in the immediate vicinity, especially within walking distance. However, there will be a hospitality suite at the hotel where out-of-town guests can mingle and relax. Details on the hospitality suite, transportation from the hotel to the wedding and other events will be provided to you upon check-in at the hotel.
Transportation Logistics
If you are flying into BWI for a short visit to attend the wedding and related events, it will not be necessary to have a car. If you want travel farther afield and decide to rent a car or if you are driving to the area, the Hyatt Place hotel offers plenty of free parking. There is also free parking at the Elkridge Furnace Inn, which at 5745 Furnace Avenue, Elkridge, MD 21075, is about a 10 minute drive from the Hyatt Place BWI. We will provide a shuttle bus from the hotel to and from the wedding so you won’t have to drive unless you prefer to do so.
You can reach any of the destinations described below by car but there are also train, light rail, subway and bus, shuttle, and taxi connections from BWI airport to Baltimore and Washington. Taxis, Uber and shuttles also connect BWI airport with Annapolis. The hotel can advise you on your transportation options or you can check on line but here are the basics.
Train Service – Both Amtrak and the far less expensive MARC commuter trains stop at the BWI rail station, to which the hotel provides free shuttle service. MARC fares to Baltimore’s Penn Station or DC’s Union Station are $5 to $7 one-way with Amtrak fares $25 to $40. Trips to either city are about 30 to 45 minutes.
Light Rail/Subway Service – There is a light rail station in BWI airport with a line that will take you into and through downtown Baltimore. It will take about 25 minutes and a fare of $1.70 one-way or $4.00 for a day pass to reach the Camden Yards stop, which is the most convenient for reaching downtown Baltimore sites or the ballpark. The hotel shuttle will take you to the BWI light rail station. You can also drive to or take a bus to the Greenbelt or Glenmont station of the Washington, DC subway (Metro) and subway into Washington but the train into DC is probably quicker and cheaper.
Shuttles/Taxis – Like at any major airport, there are a variety of shuttles, and taxi services available to Baltimore, Washington or Annapolis. Taxi fares into Baltimore are about $40 one-way, with shuttles likely cheaper. One of these may make sense if you have a group or if you want a safer and more convenient option when coming back to the hotel late at night. Taxi fare to Annapolis is about $65 and into DC is about $90 and again shuttles are likely to be less.
Points of Interest
At or Near BWI – You can reach the National Electronics Museum located at 1745 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090 via the hotel shuttle and it is only about a mile from the hotel if you don’t mind walking along major roads. This is a radar/defense avionics museum sponsored by Northrup Grumman, which has major facilities that pioneered radar near BWI. Along the same lines but a drive or cab from BWI is the National Cryptologic Museum at 8290 Colony Seven Rd, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701, which is the museum of the National Security Agency (NSA) on code making and code breaking. This museum gets good reviews online but be sure to follow the signs to the museum and not to the NSA or you may end up being arrested – this is not a joke. There is also a museum at the Goddard Space Flight Center at 8800 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771. Check details, hours and ratings for these online. Also within easy cab or car distance from BWI are the large Arundel Mills Mall and Maryland Live Casino. For the joggers and walkers, there is a 12.7 mile paved trail, the BWI trail, around the airport. The hotel should be able to give you detail and the hotel shuttle can take you to a location to meet the trail.
Baltimore – Baltimore has a very attractive waterfront known as the Inner Harbor with the National Aquarium, a large Science Center, shopping, historic neighborhoods like Federal Hill and Fells Point, and bars and restaurants ringing the harbor. There is also the Visionary Arts Museum, Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Fort McHenry National Monument, where the Star Spangled Banner was written. The Inner Harbor, Federal Hill and the Visionary Arts Museum are within walking distance of the Camden Yards Light Rail station. Ft. McHenry and Fells Point are connected to the Inner Harbor by Water Taxi, and there is a free shuttle bus, known as the Circulator that can get you to the Walters and to some other sights. The Baltimore Museum of Art is about 3 – 4 miles to the north of the Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Orioles are playing the Tampa Bay Rays the weekend of the wedding and light rail will take you right to the ballpark at Camden Yards. There is also the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore just south of downtown, easily reached by car or cab but not easily accessible by public transit.
Washington – All of the Smithsonian museums are free and are within walking distance or a short subway or cab ride from Washington’s Union Station. The International Spy Museum is a popular private museum but you may need to reserve ahead and there is a fee. Tours of the Capitol Building and the White House must be booked ahead through your Congressional representative but can be done online. There are also lots of bars and restaurants.
Annapolis – Not as easily reached as Baltimore or Washington by public transportation but easily reached by car, Annapolis is a colonial city featuring historic homes, Maryland’s capital (1783 – the oldest in continuous use in the U.S.), the U.S. Naval Academy and shopping, restaurants and bars. Once in the historic downtown, everything is within walking distance.
Broader Region – Everything here probably requires a long weekend or longer visit to make sense but you might want to consider:
- Civil War Battlefields – Gettysburg, Antietam and Harpers Ferry all within two hours drive.
- Atlantic Ocean Beaches – Ocean City, Maryland or Bethany Beach or Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
- The Mountains – Areas along the C&O Canal in Western, MD or farther afield in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Virginia. If you drive from the Midwest, a stop in the mountains can break up the trip.