Downtown | Greater Baltimore
601 E. Pratt Street, 21202; 410-385-1709
The local Barnes & Noble book retailer is located at the Inner Harbor in the old Power Plant building. Unlike most other Barnes & Noble stores, many will consider this location a tourist attraction. Unique to other Barnes & Noble stores, this location maintains modern architecture that includes the intact, original structure and smoke stack remnants that have been converted into bookshelves. The store includes a large children’s book area with reading tables and chairs, a little stage for story times, and a train table complete with trains, tracks, and a seating area for parents. Children will also marvel at the large fresh water aquarium. The store includes a full-service Starbucks on the second floor next to the outdoor balcony overlooking the harbor. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.–10 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Enoch Pratt Free Library is the public library system of Baltimore City and one of the oldest free libraries in the United States. With multiple locations downtown, the Pratt library offers several free children’s programs that include storytelling, small dramatic performances, a summer reading program, and the popular nursery rhyme program, Mother Goose on the Loose, for children from birth to 5 years old. The Central branch is also home to the Meyerhof Children’s Garden, which offers a weekly program for 2-year-olds.
1030 S. Ellwood Avenue, 21224; 410-396-8548
400 Cathedral Street, 21210; 410-396-5430
1251 Light Street, 21230; 410-396-1096
1303 Orleans Street, 21231; 410-396-0970
158 N. Linwood Avenue, 21224; 410-396-0983
3601 Eastern Avenue, 21224; 410-396-1580