North of downtown, on Charles Street near the Johns Hopkins campus, Evergreen is the Baltimore house museum for people who like their history ornate and a little eccentric. The mansion was built in 1858 for the family of Stephen Broadbent and later became the home of the Garrett family, whose collecting turned it into a showcase of books, art and decorative objects. It is now run by Johns Hopkins University and holds the John Work Garrett Library of about 30,000 volumes along with Tiffany glass, Asian ceramics and paintings by artists including Picasso and Modigliani. The mansion also contains a small theater designed in the 1920s by the Russian artist Leon Bakst, a surprise that visitors often single out. The house can be seen only on a guided tour that takes about 75 minutes and is limited to ten people, so it feels more like a private visit than a museum rush. Outside the tour you can stroll the grounds and visit a gallery of Asian decorative arts and a temporary exhibition space, which makes Evergreen useful even if tour places are full.
Planning your visit
Evergreen is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 16:00, and the house can be entered only by guided tour, so reserve online in advance and do not count on walking in. Tours hold up to ten people and last about 75 minutes. Drop-in options include a free grounds tour, the Gallery of Asian decorative arts, which is free, and a temporary exhibition gallery with a small charge or none at all.
The museum is cashless and adds a small service fee to tour tickets, and all visitors check in at the gift shop on arrival. Parking is free.
What to expect
The tour involves stairs and about 75 minutes of standing, so the house tour is not accessible to visitors with limited mobility, including wheelchair and walker users, though canes are accommodated. The North Wing, with the gallery, the Far East Room, the Bakst theater and the gift shop, can be reached by wheelchairs and walkers. Service animals are welcome, but other pets are not allowed in the museum or on the grounds.
Making the most of it
Book early for weekend tours, wear comfortable shoes and allow time on the grounds. Evergreen is about a ten to fifteen minute drive from the Inner Harbor, so it fits an afternoon after a morning at the Walters or Baltimore Museum of Art, which sits close by. It appeals most to lovers of books, decorative arts and architecture, and to anyone who wants a quieter, more personal side of Baltimore.
What to expect
The experience
A guided house tour of about 75 minutes in groups of up to ten, with free grounds and gallery options.
Best time
Tuesday to Sunday between 11:00 and 16:00; reserve a house tour online.
How long
About two hours including check-in and the grounds.
Tips
Reserve ahead, expect stairs and standing, and bring a card because the museum is cashless.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Lovers of books, decorative arts, architecture and quiet historic houses.
- Families
- Better for older children who can stand through a 75-minute tour.
- Couples
- A refined, uncrowded afternoon, ideally paired with the nearby art museums.
- Pair with
- The Baltimore Museum of Art or the Walters Art Museum.
- Time needed
- About two hours.
Good questions
Where is Evergreen Museum and Library?+
At 4545 North Charles Street, north of downtown Baltimore and close to the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus.
Can I walk in without a booking?+
The house is open only by guided tour and walk-ins are not guaranteed a place, so reserve online in advance.
How long is the tour?+
About 75 minutes, with a maximum of ten people.
Is it accessible?+
The house tour involves stairs and standing and is not accessible to wheelchair or walker users, but the North Wing is.
What is free?+
The grounds tour and the Gallery of Asian decorative arts are free, and parking is free.
