The star fort that survived a 25-hour British bombardment in 1814 and gave America its anthem.
Watch rangers raise a 15-star flag over the ramparts, then see the fort as Francis Scott Key did, from the water.
Off-season on the water. The Water Taxi to the fort stops after 31 October, the harbor cruise and history boat end their season in late October, and the sails reopen in spring 2027. The fort itself and the van tours run all winter. Winter 2026-27 guideUpdated 16 October 2026
Entry, spelled outWhat the $15 covers and what costs nothing
Two platforms, one comparisonGetYourGuide and Viator side by side
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
Checked against the NPSFees, hours and rules from nps.gov
Fort entry
Fifteen dollars, and most of it is free.
There is one ticket for Fort McHenry and only the National Park Service sells it: $15 for each adult aged 16 and
over, valid for seven days. It covers the historic zone, which means the star fort and the outer battery inside the
wooden fence. Everyone under 16 gets in free. You buy it at the front desk of the visitor center, or ahead as a digital
pass on recreation.gov. Bring a card: the park takes no cash.
Everything outside the fence costs nothing. The Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor Center, its museum and the 10-minute film,
the mile-long seawall trail, the Orpheus statue and the parking lot are all free. No harbor cruise or city tour sold on
GetYourGuide or Viator includes fort entry, whatever the listing photo suggests. What they add is the view from the
water, which is where the British fleet and Francis Scott Key watched from in 1814.
25
Hours the British fleet shelled the fort on 13 and 14 September 1814,
between 1,500 and 1,800 shells by Major Armistead's count. Four defenders were killed.
Star fortOuter batterySeawall trailVisitor center
A full-size 15-star flag at the fort: the original, made in 1813, is in the Smithsonian.
01
Can a tour get me in?
No. Entry is sold only by the Park Service, at the desk or on recreation.gov.
02
What does $15 cover?
The star fort and outer battery, for 7 days. Outside the fence it is free.
03
Do kids pay?
Never under 16. An annual pass is $45 and covers you plus 3 adults.
04
Can I pay cash?
No. The registers take credit and debit cards only.
Harbor tours
Choose your Fort McHenry tour
In the centre, the 45-minute cruise that most visitors book to see the fort from the water. Either side,
a cheaper history boat with a live guide and a small-group van tour that stops at the fort. Every card opens a full tour page.
Baltimore Heritage, the city's preservation nonprofit, narrates 300 years of harbor history live on a Water Taxi boat. Twice as long as the cruise and cheaper, but too new for reviews.
What's included
90 minutes on the water with a live guide
Views of Fort McHenry from the water, no stop
Boards at the Water Taxi dock behind 201 E Pratt St
Watermark's 45-minute loop of the harbor, past the Domino Sugars sign and out to the star fort on its point. The quickest way to see Fort McHenry the way the British fleet did.
A local guide drives up to 14 guests through Mount Vernon, Federal Hill and Locust Point, then stops 20 minutes at Fort McHenry. Good for context, short on fort time.
What's included
90-minute guided tour by air-conditioned van
20-minute stop at the Fort McHenry visitor center
Fell's Point, Mount Vernon, Federal Hill and Locust Point
The column that matters is the third one. A boat shows you the fort from the river; only the Park Service
gets you inside it. Most people do one of each.
Fort entry: $15 for adults 16+, free under 16, valid 7 days, card only. Every tour above cancels free
up to 24 hours before. The sails take six guests at most and have no open dates until spring 2027.
Your visit
How a visit to the fort runs
The Park Service plans about an hour inside the fort and two hours for the whole visit. This is the order that works.
01
Visitor center and film
Buy entry at the desk, look at the museum, then catch the 10-minute film. It runs every 30 minutes from 9:00 to 4:00.
30 minutes
02
Into the star fort
Barracks, officers' quarters, the powder magazine. Time it for the 10:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. flag change on the parade ground.
About an hour
03
The outer battery
Huge Rodman guns from the 1860s point at the river. Then walk part of the free seawall trail around the point.
30 to 45 minutes
04
Back to the harbor
The free Circulator bus, the Water Taxi on weekends, or your car. Then see the fort again from a boat.
Daily: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., last entry to the fort 4:45 p.m.
Memorial Day to Labor Day: gates close at 6:00 p.m.
Closed: Thanksgiving (26 November 2026), 25 December and 1 January.
Flag changes: 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the parade ground, weather permitting.
The film runs every 30 minutes, first at 9:00, last at 4:00. More in the hours guide.
Address: 2400 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230, about 3 miles southeast of the Inner Harbor.
Car: I-95 Exit 55 to Key Highway, then Lawrence Street (not Woodall). Parking is free.
Free bus: the Charm City Circulator Banner Route, every 40 minutes from the Inner Harbor.
Boat: the Water Taxi's Outer Harbor route stops at the fort on weekends until 31 October 2026, $18 a day.
Type the address, not "Fort McHenry", or your GPS may send you into the tunnel. See getting there.
Dogs on a 6-foot leash on the grounds, never inside the fort or buildings.
No drones, skateboards, motorized scooters or team games.
Picnics on the West Lawn by the Orpheus statue, not inside the historic zone. There is no restaurant.
Free wheelchairs to borrow at the visitor center; the fort interior is mostly accessible.
Fee area$15, 7 daysThe star fort and outer battery. Adults 16 and over only.
FreeUnder 16And the visitor center, film, seawall trail and parking for everyone.
VisitAbout 2 hoursAn hour in the fort, the rest in the museum and on the grounds.
Flag change10:00 & 4:00On the parade ground, inside the fee area. Kids can help.
From downtown3 milesSoutheast of the Inner Harbor, on the tip of Locust Point.
PaymentCard onlyThe park takes no cash, at the desk or in the gift shop.
Where it is
Getting to the fort
At the end of Locust Point
2400 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230
The fort sits on the tip of the Locust Point peninsula, where the Patapsco River opens into the harbor. Most
visitors come from the Inner Harbor, three miles away. The harbor cruises on this page leave from there too, so it is
easy to do the fort in the morning and the boat in the afternoon.
Watermark Cruises is a great company! The staff is friendly. I enjoyed the tour and seeing Fort McHenry from the inner harbor.
★★★★★
This 45 min harbor boat tour is a lot of fun. Narration is informative. Staff is super friendly. Vessel is nice. Covered space below and open space above.
★★★★★
He gave serious knowledge about the history of Baltimore. He took us to areas of town showed us a lot of places to eat, but also gave us the history. We also ended up at Fort McHenry at the end of the tour.
★★★★★
It was very enjoyable and relaxing. We saw the recently damaged Key Bridge further out in the harbor! We also got a good view of Fort McHenry with the Star Spangled Banner yet waving!
★★★★★
Wonderful and informative tour of the harbor. Sit on the right side of the boat - to see the places they are speaking about.
★★★★★
Gave an overview of the city and information on neighborhoods we wouldn't have visited otherwise. Recommend to do early in your trip to get ideas for places to visit.
★★★★★
A nice and breezy activity on a very hot day. The crew were so nice and helpful. Learned some history of Fort McHenry.
★★★★★
Our Captain was very knowledgeable about the Harbor and she was very friendly too! [...] definitely a full hour and a half ride through the Harbor and an awesome opportunity for photographers!
★★★★★
A delicious way to learn about American history :) I was surprised at how much I was included. It was a great way to explore the area as well. All of the food was tasty!
Same day, other side of the harbor
Add Fells Point after the fort
The fort takes a morning. Spend the afternoon where the 1812 privateers sailed from.
Fells Point is where Baltimore's privateers sailed from in 1812, and where Francis Scott Key came ashore with his poem. Bite of Baltimore walks you through it in 3.5 hours, with four tastings that add up to a meal and one drink.
A site called "Fort McHenry tickets" should start with the awkward part: you cannot buy the ticket through
us, or through anyone but the Park Service. Here is what to do instead.
What the $15 gets you
The fee covers the historic zone: the brick star fort with its five bastions, and the outer battery of 1860s Rodman
guns around it. Inside are the barracks, the officers' quarters, the powder magazine that a British bomb hit and failed to
blow up, and the rooms that held prisoners in the Civil War, when the fort earned the nickname "the American Bastille". About
80 percent of the brick is original. Rangers run the flag change on the parade ground at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and
children can help carry the flag.
The pass lasts seven days, which matters more than it sounds: you can walk the fort in the morning, leave for lunch in
Federal Hill and come back for the evening flag change. Everyone under 16 is free. If you hold an America the Beautiful
pass, it covers you and three other adults.
The Rodman guns on the outer battery date from the 1860s, not 1814.
What costs nothing
The visitor center is free, and it is good. The museum lays out the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore, and the
10-minute film is worth a seat before you walk out to the fort. Outside, the seawall trail loops about a mile around the point with
views across the working harbor and the river the British sailed up. Orpheus, the 1922 statue honouring Key and the defenders,
stands on the West Lawn where you can picnic. Parking is free too.
The honest small print: no cruise, sail or city tour on GetYourGuide or Viator includes entry to the
star fort. The boats pass it; two van tours stop for 20 minutes at the visitor center. Buy the $15 pass from the Park Service and
treat any tour as the harbor half of your day.
Why see it from the water
Key watched the bombardment from a truce ship about two miles downriver, and the British bomb ships fired from about
the same distance. From a boat you see why the fort mattered: it sits right at the mouth of the harbor, and the city could
only be reached by water past its guns. The cheapest look is the 45-minute Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise;
a live historian narrates the Baltimore Heritage boat tour; and the small schooner sail
goes out to the fort under canvas. Our boat guide compares them, and the
Water Taxi that actually lands there.
The star fort from above, at the tip of Locust Point.
The flag is not here
People are often surprised. The huge garrison flag Mary Pickersgill sewed in 1813, the one raised on the morning of 14
September 1814, is in Washington at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. It has been there since 1907,
and entry is free. What flies over the fort today is a replica, swapped for an all-weather flag in the evening so that a
flag is up around the clock. Read the battle and the flag
before you go: the fort makes far more sense when you know what happened on its ramparts.
Restored barracks rooms show how the garrison lived.
Straight answers to what people ask most about visiting Fort McHenry.
How much are Fort McHenry tickets?
Entry is $15 per adult aged 16 and over, valid for 7 days, and it covers the star fort and the outer battery inside the wooden fence. Visitors under 16 are always free. The visitor center, the film, the grounds, the seawall trail and parking cost nothing. A Fort McHenry annual pass is $45. Details in the tickets and prices guide.
Where do you buy Fort McHenry tickets?
Only from the National Park Service: at the front desk of the visitor center, or in advance as a digital 7-day pass on recreation.gov. The park is cashless, so bring a card. No cruise or tour on GetYourGuide or Viator includes fort entry.
Is Fort McHenry free to visit?
Most of it is. The 43-acre park, the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor Center, its museum and 10-minute film, the seawall trail and the parking lot are free. You pay $15 (adults 16+) only to go inside the star fort and the outer battery.
What are Fort McHenry's opening hours?
The park is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last entry to the fort at 4:45 p.m. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the gates close at 6:00 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving (26 November 2026), 25 December and 1 January. See the hours guide.
How long do you need at Fort McHenry?
The Park Service plans about an hour inside the fort and two hours for the whole visit. Add 30 minutes if you want a flag change (10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.) or the full loop of the seawall trail.
Is the original Star-Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry?
No. The original garrison flag has been at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, since 1907, where entry is free. A replica 15-star flag flies over the fort, raised at the 10:00 a.m. flag change. The story is in the battle and the flag.
Can you take a boat to Fort McHenry?
Yes, in season. The Baltimore Water Taxi's Outer Harbor route stops at the fort on weekends until 31 October 2026, $18 for an adult day pass. Sightseeing cruises and sails pass the fort but do not dock. Compare them in the boat guide.
Is there parking at Fort McHenry?
Yes, and it is free, next to the visitor center, with space for buses. Follow the brown signs and use Lawrence Street, not Woodall Street, even if your GPS disagrees. Without a car, the free Charm City Circulator Banner Route runs from the Inner Harbor every 40 minutes. More in getting there.
Are there fee-free days at Fort McHenry in 2026?
Two are left: 27 October and 11 November (Veterans Day). In 2026 the Park Service gives free entry on these days to U.S. citizens and residents only. See the fee-free days post.
Is Fort McHenry good for kids?
Very. Under 16 is free, the free Junior Ranger booklet (ages 5 to 13, about an hour) ends with a badge, and children can help rangers with the flag change. The powder magazine and the cannons do the rest.
Can you bring a dog to Fort McHenry?
On a leash of 6 feet or less, on the grounds and the seawall trail. Pets are not allowed inside the historic zone, the star fort or any building, carried pets included. Ask at the desk for the B.A.R.K. Ranger sheet.
Ready to plan
Ramparts on foot, harbor by boat.
Fort entry from the Park Service; the water from one of these. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour.
Lowest price
New1.5 hoursFree cancellation
