Fort McHenry tickets & prices

How much are Fort McHenry tickets in 2026?

$15 per person aged 16 and over, valid for 7 days. Visitors 15 and younger are always free, and a Fort McHenry annual pass costs $45.

The fee has stood at $15 since 1 June 2018. Every price the Park Service lists for the fort:

A worked example: two parents with children aged 12 and 16 pay $45, because the 16-year-old counts as an adult. A grandparent with a Senior Pass brings in three more adults for nothing. Every pass holder needs photo ID at the door.

Is Fort McHenry free to visit?

Mostly, yes. The grounds, the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor Center with its museum and 10-minute film, the seawall trail and parking are free; only the star fort and outer battery, inside a wooden fence, cost $15.

The Park Service calls the paid part the Historic Zone. Everything else on the 43-acre point is open to anyone during park hours:

You can easily fill an hour without paying: the museum, the film and a loop of the seawall. Some older guides promise two free hours on the grounds from 7 a.m. The Park Service lists no such window. The gates open at 9:00 a.m. all year, as the hours guide explains.

Can you go inside Fort McHenry?

Yes. The $15 pass opens the star fort itself, with its barracks, officers' quarters, guard house cells and powder magazine, plus the brick paths along the ramparts and the outer battery.

About 80% of the brick is original, according to the Park Service. Inside you walk through the enlisted men's barracks set up as in 1814, the commanding officer's quarters with an exhibit on Major George Armistead, the small Civil War prison cells and the magazine a British bomb hit without exploding. There are restrooms inside, and rangers or volunteers are on duty every day.

It is self-guided and takes about an hour. The fort closes 15 minutes before the park, and the interior is "mostly accessible": a few buildings and paths are stairs only. Room by room, it's all in what to see at Fort McHenry.

Where do you buy Fort McHenry tickets?

Only from the National Park Service: at the front desk of the visitor center, or online as a digital 7-day pass on recreation.gov. The park is cashless, so bring a card.

No third party sells admission. Not GetYourGuide, not Viator, not the cruise lines, and not this site. If a page offers "Fort McHenry tickets" at a mark-up, it is selling a tour that passes the fort, or nothing at all.

• At the desk: the front desk of the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor Center, next to the main parking lot. Credit or debit card only.
• Online: the 7-Day Entry Pass on recreation.gov, the government booking site. You show it on your phone.
• Desk hours: the registers run 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., to 5:00 p.m. on summer weekends. Last entry to the fort is 4:45 p.m., so a late arrival needs the online pass.
• Groups: there is no group rate. Groups of 16 or more pay $15 per adult; commercial tour groups need a Commercial Use Authorization, and their guides and drivers enter free.

Not a fort ticket, and we won't pretend it is: 45 minutes on the water past the star fort, the way the 1814 fleet saw it.

★ 4.7 · 45 minutes · from $34

Explore the Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise → Tour details

Should you buy Fort McHenry tickets online in advance?

On busy days, yes. The Park Service encourages buying ahead on recreation.gov to skip the desk line, but the pass is non-refundable and non-transferable, so wait until your date is firm.

1. Open the Fort McHenry site pass on recreation.gov and pick the 7-Day Entry Pass, one per adult.
2. Save the digital pass on your phone, or print it.
3. Bring photo ID: the pass holder must be present each time it is used.
4. Skip it entirely if you hold an America the Beautiful or Senior Pass. Recreation.gov itself tells you not to buy one.

Buy ahead for summer weekends, the July 4 holiday and Defenders' Day in September, and if you plan to arrive after 4:00 p.m. On a weekday in November we wouldn't bother: the desk is a few steps from the film you were going to watch anyway.

When are the Fort McHenry fee-free days in 2026?

Two are left: Tuesday 27 October and Wednesday 11 November (Veterans Day). In 2026 they give free entry to U.S. citizens and residents only; international visitors pay the usual $15.

The full 2026 list from the NPS fees page:

The residents-only rule is new this year; older pages that say "free for everyone" are out of date. Since children under 16 are free every day, a fee-free day only saves money on the adults. Veterans Day is also one of the fort's living-history days, so expect more people. Dates and what is free anyway: the 2026 fee-free days post.

Is the America the Beautiful pass worth it for Fort McHenry?

Only if you will visit other parks within the year. For one couple's visit it costs $80 against $30 in fort tickets; for four adults it pays off on the second visit.

An interagency pass admits the holder plus 3 adults at Fort McHenry. Four adults pay $60 a visit, so the $80 resident pass wins on a second fee site. A solo traveller needs six fort visits to break even.

• Visitors from abroad: the $250 non-resident pass, on sale since 1 January 2026, is aimed at 11 big-name parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Acadia, which now add a $100 surcharge for non-residents. Fort McHenry is not on that list, so you pay the same $15 as anyone else.
• Locals: the $45 Fort McHenry Annual Pass pays for itself on the third visit, useful if you come back for flag changes and living-history days. The seawall trail is free anyway.
• Free passes: current military and dependents (annual), veterans and Gold Star families (lifetime), U.S. residents with a permanent disability (Access Pass, issued at the visitor center desk) and every U.S. 4th grader through Every Kid Outdoors.

Do any tours include Fort McHenry entry?

No. Every cruise, sail and tour on this site, and every one we found on GetYourGuide and Viator, leaves the $15 to you. The boats pass the fort without docking; two van tours stop 20 minutes on the grounds.

Twenty minutes is enough for the gate, the Armistead statue and a look at the walls, not for the fort. If the fort is the point of your trip, go on your own, see the film and the flag change, and add a tour on another half day. The boat guide compares the water options.

Frequently asked questions