Fort McHenry in winter 2026-27

What are Fort McHenry's winter hours?

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, last entry 4:45 p.m. The star fort, visitor center, shop and restrooms close at 4:45.

The NPS hours page (updated 5 October 2026) puts last entry at 4:45 p.m., says the fort and visitor center close 15 minutes before the gates, and keeps the registers open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The gates close at 5:00 p.m. outside summer, according to the NPS page for the main gate. Summer hours, with a 6:00 p.m. gate close, come back on Memorial Day, 31 May 2027.

Pay attention to the 4:00 p.m. register close. Arrive at 4:10 and you can walk the seawall, but you cannot buy the $15 entry for the star fort at the desk. A pass bought ahead on recreation.gov skips the desk, but the star fort itself still closes at 4:45.

Dress for the river. January at BWI averages a high of 43°F and a low of 25°F (WMAR, 1991-2020 normals), and the point catches every gust off the Patapsco. The NPS warns that ice and snow can change hours at short notice, so look at the park alerts on a bad-weather morning.

Is Fort McHenry closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day?

Yes. Those are the only three days it closes: Thursday 26 November 2026, Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027.

The NPS says the park is "open year-round with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1" (hours page). Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are not on that list, so expect normal hours on 24 and 31 December.

Planning a DC day around the holidays as well? The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, home of the original Star-Spangled Banner, also closes on 25 December and opens 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the rest of the year, free.

What ranger programs and flag changes run in winter?

Every day: flag change at 10:00 a.m., Ranger's Choice talk at 11:15 a.m., flag change at 4:00 p.m. Flag changes are inside the star fort and need the $15 entry.

The NPS winter schedule is short and reliable. "Ranger's Choice" (listed from 15 September 2026 to 28 May 2027) lasts 25 to 45 minutes, starts at the concrete Chesapeake Bay map behind the visitor center and is free, though some versions walk into the fee area. The NPS events calendar also lists a 20 to 30-minute Flag Talk at 2:15 p.m.

The flag changes are the reason to time your visit. In the morning rangers raise a replica of the 15-star historic flag; in the afternoon they swap it for an all-weather flag that flies overnight, because Fort McHenry flies the U.S. flag 24 hours a day by presidential proclamation. Visitors can help hold and fold the big flag. Both changes take 10 to 15 minutes and depend on the weather. By late November the sun sets around 4:45 p.m., so the 4:00 change happens in low, golden light. That is our pick.

Does the Water Taxi run to Fort McHenry in winter?

No. The Baltimore Water Taxi's Outer Harbor route stops at the fort on weekends only until Saturday 31 October 2026, then shuts for the season.

The operator's FAQ lists April weekends, Friday to Sunday from May through Labor Day, then "weekend service again from September 8 through October 31". On those weekends there is no pickup at the fort after 5:00 p.m. An adult day pass is $18 online ($1 more on board), seniors $16, children 3 to 12 $8, and military, veterans and first responders $13. You cannot buy tickets at the fort, so board at Fell's Point or another stop first.

From 1 November until the April weekends return, get there by land:

• Car: 2400 East Fort Avenue, free parking. Turn onto Lawrence Street, not Woodall, whatever the GPS says.
• Charm City Circulator: the Banner Route runs from the Inner Harbor to the fort every 40 minutes, and it is free.
• MTA bus or ride share: buses stop outside the main gate; ride shares drop off in the main lot.

Details and the tunnel-toll trap are in our guide to getting to Fort McHenry.

Which harbor cruises and tours still run in November and December?

Almost none of the boats. The Watermark cruise, the Baltimore Heritage history boat and the schooner sails all pause for winter; the van tours with a fort stop and the Fells Point food tour keep going.

Watermark sells its Baltimore sightseeing cruise for April through October. Baltimore Heritage runs its history boat "almost every Saturday from March through October" (Baltimore Heritage). When we checked the American Sailing Tours listings on Viator on 16 October 2026, the first open dates shown were in spring 2027.

On land the picture is better. The small-group neighborhoods tour has guest reviews from November 2025, December 2025 and January 2026, and one December guest wrote: "Also looking at the lights was an added bonus." The food tour in Fells Point has reviews from November and February too. City Cruises' Spirit of Baltimore lunch and dinner boats, from 561 Light Street, list Fort McHenry on their route according to Visit Baltimore; we could not confirm their winter 2026-27 calendar.

The off-season way to see the fort with a guide: up to 14 guests, a van and a 20-minute stop on the grounds.

★ 4.6 · 1.5 hours · from $48

Explore the neighborhoods tour with a fort stop → Tour details

Is there a Christmas cruise in Baltimore in 2026?

Not announced yet. Watermark ran a 45-minute "Christmas Express" from the Inner Harbor in 2025, but as of 16 October 2026 it had posted no 2026 dates.

The 2025 version sailed from the finger piers at 555 Light Street, on weekends and holidays from 22 November to 24 December, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., at $28 per adult and $15 per child (Visit Baltimore listing). WMAR described hot chocolate on board and a route out toward the Fort McHenry marine terminal and back. That terminal is part of the port, not the monument, and the listing never promised the fort itself.

The cruise was tied to the Christmas Village in Baltimore, the Christmas market in West Shore Park, which returns from 21 November to 27 December 2026. If Watermark repeats the cruise, that is the window to expect. We will update this post if dates appear.

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