Although not as famous as the Baltimore Museum of Art, this free Mount Vernon museum covers art across a 5,000-year time span. Since it opened in 1909, the museum has expanded into a total of three distinctive buildings. Featuring Renaissance paintings, Asian art, Byzantine and Ethiopian art, and an extensive Egyptian collection, among other works, the exhibitions offer a diverse selection of art styles. The Walters is also known for its medieval galleries, which include artifacts like suits of armor from the Middle Ages. The Walters Art Museum also offers a variety of family-focused programs, as well as free drop-in art activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, which allows little ones to participate in arts and crafts projects. Recent visitors praise the museum's comprehensive collection and stunning interior design. "The range of the collection is utterly amazing — pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th century Europe to Greek and Roman treasures to Old Masters paintings," raves one TripAdvisor reviewer. Free tours are offered on Sundays for those who want a more in-depth look at the galleries. While the museum itself is free to the public, keep in mind special events and lectures require a $10 admission fee for non-members. For further details on current exhibitions, consult The Walters Art Museum's official website. The museum welcomes visitors Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Thursdays, visiting hours are extended to 9 p.m. The easiest way to reach the museum if you're using public transportation, is taking the purple route from the Inner Harbor to stop No. 307 on the Charm City Circulator, a free bus that offers frequent shuttle service around popular Baltimore locations. You can also take Nos. 23, 11, 31, 61 or 64 MTA bus lines or the Light Rail to the Centre Street stop, which is situated within walking distance of the museum's main entrance near the intersection of Cathedral and Centre streets. The museum also has an on-site parking lot and limited street parking surrounding the property is available as well. Note: The museum is currently undergoing a $5.5 million renovation; maintenance work is expected to be complete in 2016; however — all of its galleries with the exception of the Hackerman House — will remain open while repairs take place.

William Thompson Walters and his son Henry Walters accumulated an impressive art collection in the 19th century, and in 1934, the Walters Art Museum—located in the family's impressive Mount Vernon mansion—opened to the public. Items on view include masterworks from ancient Egypt, Greek sculptures, bronze Renaissance sculptures, 19th-century paintings, Chinese ceramics, and Art Deco jewelry. Best of all, the Walters is free for everyone, all the time.

The Walters Art Museum houses a vast selection of world art, including Greek sculpture, Roman sarcophagi, Art Nouveau jewelry, and medieval ivories, as well as Old Master and 19th-century masterpieces. Named for William Thompson Walters and Henry Walters, the father and son duo who collected a significant portion of the museum’s pieces, the museum opened in 1934 following Henry’s death and subsequent donation of his collection to the city of Baltimore. An audio guide is available to talk you through each exhibit. Make your Baltimore itinerary with Inspirock to find out what to see and where to go.

The Walters Art Museum is a public museum located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere neighborhood of Baltimore, opened in 1934. Most of the museum's collection was amassed by major American art collectors, a father and son William Thompson Walters and Henry Walters. Henry Walters occasionally allowed the Baltimore public to visit his father's and his collection at his West Mount Vernon Place mansion in the late 1800s, and in the early 20th century he built nearby a lavish stone palazzo to store his growing collection. The collection includes priceless artworks from ancient Egypt, large Greek sculptures, Roman sarcophagi, Renaissance bronzes, illuminated manuscripts, Old Masters and 19th-century European paintings, and Chinese bronzes and ceramics. Upon his death in 1931, Henry Walters bequeathed his entire collection of over 22,000 works of art and the buildings that housed them to the city of Baltimore.

This museum is an unmatched example of a dream of a father and his son. The joint effort of William Thompson Walters and his son is this beautiful museum. Henry Walters, who later took over the responsibility of beautifying and expanding the magical collection, has been immensely successful in his efforts. The whole mansion and the penthouse had been built in such a way as if it was meant to be set up as an internationally famous museum. It was earlier on known as The Walters Art gallery and later shifted name to The Walters Art Museum when the number and quality of exhibits increased for the better. The permanent collections of this museum ranges from ancient art, contemporary, folk, raw, and other modern art forms though the most talked about has always been the displays depicting ancient past of several parts of the world. This includes excellent collections from Egypt, Nubia, Greece, Rome, Etruria, Ancient America, Asia, etc. The other art forms include ones from the Islamic and Medieval Era. The contemporary collection has an exclusive part consisting of pieces symbolizing the European Renaissance and Baroque art times. There is also a fantastic collection of sketches and other 19th century artifacts. Ancient art gallery features the statues of Egyptian lion Headed goddess Sekhmet, The Walters’ Mummy, alabaster reliefs from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Greek Jewelry, Roman masks, Roman bronze banquet couch, a marble sarcophagi, etc. The American art gallery includes mostly native arts from the Aztec and Mayan cultures. The Asian section consists of Japanese weapons, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, laquer and metal work, Cambodian statue of the bronze Avalokiteshvara, T’ang and Ming dynasty art work. The most attractive piece here is the oldest Buddha statue made of wood and lacquer. The Islamic section includes works of religion in the forms of Korans in various scrips and art exhibits from the Mamluk, Mughal and Turkish Era. The other works include those from the Medieval Era, Gothic art, Byzantine pieces, Renaissance revival art, Baroque examples and 18th century art forms. Apart from just art and paintings, you will also be pleased to see the variety of architectural pattern applied on the different buildings that form a part of the museum campus. These buildings include Charles Street- Old Main Building, Centre Street Annex Building and Hacker man House.

East meets West at The Walters. The museum was established in 1934, with a gift from prominent art collector Henry Walters as its initial collection. On one hand, its collection spans nearly the entire history of Western art. Its spacious galleries are home to Greek and Roman statuary, Baroque carvings and a large collection of Renaissance paintings. On the other hand, its elegant Hackerman House wing holds one of the largest collections of traditional Asian art in the United States.