Page 23 - Visit Baltimore - 2018 Meeting and Event Planner

BALTIMORE PRIDE
In recent history, Maryland has played a key role in securing rights for same-sex couples. Maryland voters approved Maryland Question 6, known as the same-sex marriage referendum, in 2013, which marked the first time a popular vote extended marriage rights to same-sex couples.
For those planning weddings, Baltimore features a variety
of unique and creative spaces that can accommodate a range of guests, from an intimate ceremony to a ballroom-size celebration.
With event venues for every need, the city is perfect for your organization’s next meeting, workshop or multi- day conference. In fact, several prominent LGBT conferences have met in Baltimore over the past few years, including the Out & Equal Workplace Summit and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Creating Change Conference.
Baltimore hosts LGBT-centric events throughout the year, including the Gay Maryland Pageant, Baltimore Pride and Baltimore Black Pride. Head
to the Mount Vernon or Old Goucher neighborhoods for lively gay nightlife venues, or take in a show at Iron Crow Theatre for performances with a queer perspective.
For more information about Baltimore’s LGBT community, visit baltimore.org/guides- interests/lgbt.
African American Heritage
Home to more free African Americans than any other U.S. city before the Civil War, Baltimore also played a key role in the lives of two revolutionaries during the struggle to end slavery. Harriet Tubman, born into slavery in Maryland, became a conductor on the Underground Railroad and is credited with bringing more than 300 people to freedom — many of whom passed through Baltimore. Frederick Douglass, born a slave in Maryland and raised in Fell’s Point, escaped to the North and became an author and abolitionist. His eloquence has inspired countless others throughout time.
Long Lunch
> Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park — Follow the saga of African American maritime history, including
the establishment of the first African American-owned shipyard and railway in 1866, spearheaded by Isaac Myers.
LOCATION 1417 Thames Street; 410-685-0295; www.douglassmyers.org
> Retrace the African American journey at The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, where you can learn little-known facts about famous figures in African American history.
LOCATION 1601-03 E. North Avenue; 410-563-3404; www.greatblacksinwax.org
> You’ll find multi-media exhibits at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture that highlight the trials and triumphs of African American families, how slave labor enriched America and the culture’s countless artistic and creative contributions.
LOCATION 830 E. Pratt Street; 443-263-1800; www.lewismuseum.org
Staying the Weekend?
Put on your sneakers and jump on various walking tours that illuminate African American history, from the Underground Railroad to the Black Renaissance of 1930s Baltimore and beyond.
> Baltimore Heritage Walk — Follow the city’s oldest urban trail, which includes the Star- Spangled Banner Flag House Museum. Tours depart from the Baltimore Visitor Center at the Inner Harbor from spring to late autumn.
> Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail — Learn about Baltimore’s Black Renaissance at the markers paying tribute to civil rights leaders, artists and musicians. Each historic African American church along the path has a story to tell. Download the trail map to take a self-guided tour or call to book with a guide.
LOCATION Baltimore Visitor Center, 401 Light Street; 410-878-6411; www.explorebaltimore.org
WHO’S MEETING HERE?
Baltimore has more than 14 meetings on the books between 2018 and 2019 that showcase a variety of diverse groups. These include:
> The Black Geeks, LLC (2018)
> Islamic Circle of North America (2018)
> National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
(2019)
> Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles
Mystic Shrine (2019)
> Americans of Indian Descent (SANSKRITI) (2019)
Pennsylvania Avenue was known for its jazz and theater and
was a stop along the famed “Chitlin’ Circuit” — the collective name given to venues where African Americans could safely perform during the age of racial segregation. The Circuit nurtured some of America’s most important musicians, comedians and other performers
— among them pianist Eubie Blake, bandleader Cab Calloway and the incomparable Billie Holiday – and was instrumental in the birth of Rock ‘n Roll and R&B. To learn more, visit the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Mount Vernon, which features performances, exhibits, film series, dance workshops, speakers, youth programs and more.
LOCAL
LORE
Baltimore attracts more African American visitors than most cities. In 2016, 17 percent of our overnight and 14 percent of our day visitors were African American — more than double the national averages of 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
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