Why is Fort McHenry famous?
The short version of the fame
The site was bombarded in 1814, a flag flown here became the Star-Spangled Banner, and that flag is now a Smithsonian object in another city. Fort McHenry keeps the name, the designation and the ground; Washington keeps the flag. Almost every disappointed visitor I met in five summers here had missed that last sentence somewhere on the way over.
The song, and what this page will not claim
People search for why the whole anthem is not sung, how many verses there are and who wrote what. Those are questions about a piece of music, not about a park, and this site has not verified the answers, so it does not give them. The Park Service does publish material on the site’s history: the National Park Service page for Fort McHenry. The museum in Washington is the place for the flag itself.
The two things this site is confident about are worth more than a paragraph of half-remembered history: the flag is in Washington, and most of the park in Baltimore is free.
What you get for coming anyway
A large waterfront park at 2400 East Fort Avenue, about three miles from the Inner Harbor, open from 7:00 a.m. in the summer season, with a free visitor center and a free film. The star fort and outer battery inside the wooden fence are $15 for an adult aged 16 or over, valid seven days, free for under-16s. Whether that adds up for you is argued out on is it worth it.
Seeing the famous outline from the water
The 45-minute Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise names Fort McHenry as a sight and passes it from the water. None of it includes entry to the star fort. That is a National Park Service ticket, sold at the gate and nowhere else.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fort McHenry famous for?
For the flag associated with the 1814 bombardment, which became known as the Star-Spangled Banner. That original flag is now in Washington, DC, at the National Museum of American History, where admission is free.
Is the Star-Spangled Banner kept at Fort McHenry?
No. The original flag is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. Fort McHenry is a 43-acre park in Locust Point, Baltimore.
Why don't we sing the whole Star-Spangled Banner?
That is a question about the song rather than the site, and we have not verified an answer, so we do not give one. The National Park Service publishes material on the site's history.