BALTIMORE — I think the first time I ever went to Baltimore it was 105° out. I remember standing under a white canopy waiting to get into the aquarium. By coincidence, my son’s first trip to Charm City had similar weather conditions, though we were going to the Maryland Zoo (formerly Baltimore Zoo) instead which meant we were mostly outside. The good news — small crowds!

[flickr : Photos from the set Baltimore Zoo trip/slideshow]

We specifically went to the Maryland Zoo because they have giraffes (unlike the National Zoo right now) and for a long time, my son seemed very interested in them. Or at least the cartoon versions on the wallpaper border in his room. As it turned out, he was not that interested in them in person, even though we were very close to them, but enjoyed the elephants and zebras an awful lot. We enjoyed the frogs and turtles because they were housed inside an air conditioned building.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit. Admission for 2 adults and one 2 year-old wound up being $43 I think. Parking was free. There is a tram from the main gate to heart of the zoo. There is also a small-scale railroad, but we didn’t ride it this time.

This was the first time in 7 years I had actually spent any of my money in the city of Baltimore on something other than tolls. It was only the second time I had set foot there in that time frame, the other time, somebody treated.

The Maryland Zoo is located in Druid Hill Park off of Interstate 83. Signage was decent between I-83 and the zoo.