From the dynamic Inner Harbor to the rolling estates on the edges of the city, Baltimore is a community for people of all backgrounds and interests. The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is located fewer than five miles from the Inner Harbor on the fringe of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest tidewater bay. The Inner Harbor features a variety of shops, food stands and restaurants at Harborplace. The National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center and Fort McHenry are other popular landmarks.
Summer festivals highlight the many different nationalities and cultures in the area.
Baltimore's entertainment and cultural attractions include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , which performs in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Lyric Opera House, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery. The Morris Mechanic Theater and Center Stage theater present traditional and contemporary plays and musicals. The Peabody Conservatory of Music, affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University, offers concerts throughout the year. Concerts at the Pier Six Pavilion, the Baltimore Arena and the nearby Merriweather Post Pavilion run the gamut from swing to jazz, country music and rock. The Chesapeake Bay provides diverse opportunities for boating, fishing and water sport enthusiasts, and the hills and mountains of Western Maryland and West Virginia welcome hikers, campers and skiers.