Fort McHenry hours & best time

What are Fort McHenry's opening hours in 2026?

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, with last entry at 4:45 p.m. In summer, Memorial Day to Labor Day, the gates close at 6:00 p.m. and the star fort stays open until 5:45 p.m.

Each part of the park keeps its own clock. The star fort, visitor center, gift shop and restrooms all close 15 minutes before the gates, and closing time means everyone is out.

Mind the gap between the desk and the gate. Off-season the desk stops selling at 4:00 p.m., while last entry to the fort is 4:45 p.m. If you're running late, buy the 7-day pass on recreation.gov on the way; the tickets guide has the details.

When is Fort McHenry closed?

Three days a year: Thanksgiving Day (26 November 2026), Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Bad weather and large events can also change the hours at short notice.

Otherwise it is open every day, Mondays and federal holidays included, the Fourth of July too. What can change things:

• Weather. The Park Service warns that "inclement weather may impact park hours of operation year round": ice and snow in winter, storms in summer. Check the alerts page or call 410-962-4290 before a winter trip.
• Big events. During Sail250 in June 2026 the park closed to cars and shut parts of the seawall and bastions. On Defenders' Day the seawall trail and West Lawn close at 5:30 p.m.
• Now: the alerts listed in mid-October 2026 are informational (plaque repairs in Orpheus Grove, a scooter ban, Key Bridge traffic). No closures.
• Live view: the Park Service runs a live webcam of the fort, linked from its home page, handy for checking snow or crowds.

What time is the flag change at Fort McHenry?

Every day at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., on the parade ground inside the star fort. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, depends on the weather, and needs the $15 fort pass.

In the morning rangers raise a replica of the 1814 flag; in the evening they swap it for an all-weather flag that flies overnight. Visitors, children included, are often asked to help hold it. On several late-October weekends the NPS calendar also lists a 5:00 p.m. evening change. The daily program from the ranger programs page (fall and winter schedule):

What is the best time of day to visit Fort McHenry?

Arrive at 9:00 a.m. The first film runs at 9:00, the fort is quiet, and you reach the parade ground in time for the 10:00 flag change. Late afternoon is a close second.

The morning plan: park, buy your pass at the desk, catch the 9:00 or 9:30 film, then walk the few minutes out to the fort. After the 10:00 flag change, do the barracks and the powder magazine while they are still empty, and finish on the seawall trail.

The afternoon plan: see the film first (the last one is at 4:00 p.m., the same minute as the evening flag change), join the 2:15 flag talk, explore, then help lower the flag at 4:00. The light on the river is better too.

Skip midday in July and August. The fort is almost all outdoors, with little shade on the parade ground and the batteries.

What is the best time of year to visit Fort McHenry?

Spring and fall: mild weather, cherry blossoms on the seawall trail in spring and Defenders' Day in September. Summer brings longer hours and weekend living history, at the cost of heat.

Our pick: a weekday in late September or October, when the river light is soft and the weekend boat still runs. 2026 is also America's 250th year, with extra programming at the fort: see the America 250 post.

How long do you need at Fort McHenry?

About two hours. The Park Service plans one hour for the self-guided fort and two for a whole visit; add 30 to 60 minutes for a flag change or the full seawall loop.

The NPS basic information page says: "Plan to spend about one hour touring the fort - all self-guided. An entire visit usually requires two hours." Tripadvisor reviewers land in the same place, at 1.5 to 3 hours. How it breaks down:

Children doing the Junior Ranger booklet need about an hour for it, which fits inside the two-hour visit. Everything to see, in order: what to see at Fort McHenry.

Is Fort McHenry worth visiting?

Yes, for almost anyone with a passing interest in American history. It holds 4.7 from 3,489 reviews on Tripadvisor, ranks #5 of 438 things to do in Baltimore, and most of it is free.

This is the actual place: the walls the bombs fell on, the parade ground where the big flag went up on 14 September 1814, the ramparts of the anthem. About 80% of the brick is original. The film ends with a window opening onto the fort, which gets people every time, and at the flag change visitors hold the flag. About 394,000 people visited in 2024.

Who might skip it: anyone expecting the original flag, which is at the Smithsonian in Washington (see where the flag is now), and anyone with a single wet winter afternoon. The fort is mostly outdoors, and one Tripadvisor reviewer felt the $15 wasn't worth it in bad weather. On a dry day, with the film and a flag change, it is the best two hours you can spend on Baltimore's history.

What can you combine with Fort McHenry on the same day?

A harbor cruise, Federal Hill or Fell's Point. The fort is a short ride on the free Circulator from the Inner Harbor, so a morning there leaves the afternoon for the water.

The classic order is fort first, boat second: you see the walls up close, then from the river the way the fleet did. Watermark's 45-minute cruise leaves from 555 Light Street on the Inner Harbor promenade. In the evening, the Fells Point food walk ends the day where Francis Scott Key came ashore with his poem. The full plan, boat by boat, is in Fort McHenry by boat, and transport in getting to Fort McHenry.

See the walls from the water after you've walked them: 45 minutes past the Domino Sugars sign and out to the fort.

★ 4.7 · 45 minutes · from $34

Explore the Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise → Tour details

Frequently asked questions