If you're wanting to see historical sites in Baltimore, but the weather is either too wet or too hot for a trip to outdoor venues, consider a visit to the Mount Vernon neighborhood where many excellent Baltimore attractions are located. All of those listed here are free of admission charge.

A short taxi ride or walk north of the Inner Harbor up famous Charles Street leads you to attractions that include Johns Hopkins’ Peabody Institute, the gothic Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, the George Washington Memorial, The Walters Art Museum, and the Basilica of the Assumption Cathedral.

At the renowned Peabody Library and Conservatory,  five stories of wrought-iron balconies make for a stunning interior that has been featured in many movies. The conservatory hosts free performances throughout the year, and also boasts an extraordinary pipe organ and large tapestry.

Across the street sits the 130 year-old United Methodist Church designed with gorgeous Gothic architecture. If it happens to be closed, you might find a Vietnam War veteran named Norman sitting on the steps of the Asbury House next door, which houses the church offices and apartments where the decades of pastors and their families lived, and where Francis Scott Key, author of The Star-Spangled Banner, died. Norman was happy to give us a comprehensive tour of the house, small library, and the inside of the church, in which you can view the stained glass Connick Cross, sister to the rose window at Notre Dame. The American walnut pews were hand-carved by one gentleman over a period of seven years.

Don’t miss a visit to the Walters Art Museum , you can view more than 28,000 objects from Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine, Ethiopian, and Western Medieval art collections, and Renaissance and Asian art. More amazingly, Friday through Sunday you can visit the conservators’ window on the fourth floor, where conservators display objects they are working to restore and preserve. One day they may feature ivory objects and another day, Mycenaean pottery. The renowned department has worked with Iraqi conservators as well as consulted on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Well worth a visit for history and art buffs, and they are happy to answer your questions.

Finally, be sure to stop by the oldest cathedral in the country, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The skylights of the cathedral, suggested by Thomas Jefferson, let in a remarkable quality of diffuse light. They were once covered and darkened by excess ornamentation, but the cathedral was restored to its original glory in 2006, and they hold tours of the cathedral and crypt below daily