Where is the Star-Spangled Banner? In Washington, not Baltimore
The question I answered most
Five summers as a seasonal interpreter here, and this was the one. Somebody would walk up to the visitor center, look pleased with themselves for finding the place, and ask where the flag was kept. There is no gentle way to say it: in another city, in a museum that does not charge to get in.
People take it two ways. Some are annoyed, reasonably, because nothing they read on the way over told them. Some shrug and go and look at the water, and those are usually the ones who enjoy the day. I would rather you found out here than at the register.
What I will not tell you about it
How big the flag is, and whether you may photograph it in that gallery, are both things I have not verified and will not guess at. Museums change display rules and I am not going to have you argue with a guard on the strength of a page written in Baltimore. Ask the museum for its own rules. What I can tell you is the part that governs your trip: it is free to get in, you do not need a ticket, and it is not here.
If the flag was the whole reason for the trip, the flag is in Washington and the fort is in Baltimore. Those are two different days out, not one.
So what is at Fort McHenry?
A 43-acre waterfront park in Locust Point with a star fort in the middle of it. The fort and the outer battery sit inside a wooden fence and cost $15 for an adult aged 16 or over; everything outside that fence, the visitor center and the film included, is free. A run-through of what is actually in front of you is on what to see, and the reason the site carries the name it does is on why Fort McHenry is famous.
Seeing the fort without going in
The Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise runs 45 minutes and names Fort McHenry as a sight, seen from the water. It does not stop there. None of it includes entry to the star fort. That is a National Park Service ticket, sold at the gate and nowhere else.
Frequently asked questions
Does the flag that flew over Fort McHenry still exist?
Yes. The original Star-Spangled Banner is held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, where admission is free and no tickets are required.
Can you see the Star-Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry?
No. The original flag is in Washington, DC, not in Baltimore. Fort McHenry is a 43-acre park whose fee area is the star fort and outer battery inside a wooden fence.
Do you need tickets for the museum that holds the flag?
No. Admission to the National Museum of American History is free and tickets are not required. Check the museum directly for its own gallery rules.