Garnering national attention as a great travel destination, Baltimore, Maryland, has lots of culinary and literary offerings to enchant visitors. Soon to join the city’s dining scene in the Old Goucher neighborhood, Socle is planned as a complex comprised of Larder café, Fadensonnen beer garden, Sophomore Coffee bar, plus an artist’s residency.

© Greedy Reads

On McHenry Row, The Urban Oyster will open in February 2019, with a full-service raw bar, seasonal seafood dishes (think Maryland crab cakes on homemade potato bread) and a brunch menu. For vegan and organic fare, L’Eau de Vie brasserie in Fell’s Point will serve up dishes such as frites with garlic aioli and seitan sausage Reubens; while the Little Fig Bake Shop’s menu includes all-vegan chickun[sic]-and-waffles donuts, custom cakes and pop tarts. The shop is located at Stall 11 in the R. House food hall.

Fiction Table © Atomic Books

Post meal, slow down and wander through the city’s collection of charming bookshops. At Atomic Books in the Hampden neighborhood, indie comics reign (this is the address where John Waters’ fan mail collects), while browsers can pause for beer and wine in the shop’s Eightbar lounge. New York publishing veteran turned Maryland resident Julia Fleischaker just opened Greedy Reads in Fell’s Point, where shopping for books is augmented with events, book clubs and literary discussions. At the café-bookshop Bird in Hand, linger for a bite or a cup of steaming coffee while perusing the shop’s selection of books.

Book Wall © Bird In Hand