Discover great museums, chic boutiques and restaurants serving mouthwatering food from all parts of the world, all set inside the former homes of industrialists.

Striking architecture and pretty parks line up alongside museums, pubs and shops in Mount Vernon. This trendy and refined section of Downtown Baltimore is a designated National Historic Landmark District. Visit Mount Vernon for exquisite art exhibits, exciting concerts, exotic culinary flavors and dynamic nightlife.

Mount Vernon Place, the district’s elegant central plaza, features a cross-shaped arrangement of elegant gardens. Gaze up at the Washington Monument, the nation’s first monument to honor George Washington. Climb its 227 steps for an uninterrupted city panorama. Architectural wonders, such as the Beaux-Arts style Washington Apartment House and Norman-Gothic Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church, frame the gardens.

Visit the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University, one of the nation’s pioneering and most celebrated music conservatories. Notable composers Earle Brown and Henry Cowell honed their talents here. Within the university, the George Peabody Library holds hundreds of thousands of books and features delightful Baroque, Rococo and Greco-Roman architecture. Attend a recital at one of the performance venues, including Friedberg Concert Hall.

The Walters Art Museum has exhibits of art and artifacts that cover over seven millennia. Find delights from paintings by Delacroix and Monet to armor, Egyptian statuary and Greek gemstones. At Maryland Historical Society, porcelain, furniture, paintings and textiles showcase the history of Maryland. Browse displays about the life of ragtime pianist Eubie Blake and enjoy intimate jazz concerts at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center.

Prepare for sensory delights with some of Baltimore’s most varied culinary styles at the district’s restaurants. North Charles Street is a great place to enjoy authentic dishes from Afghanistan, Italy, Nepal, Mexico and Japan. Cocktail lounges, sports bars and taprooms lure a mix of college students, office workers and the LGBT crowd.

Mount Vernon is the northernmost region of Downtown Baltimore. Get here using public buses and the light rail system. Other notable nearby city attractions and landmarks are the Baltimore Basilica, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Preston Gardens Park.