Baltimore, MD : MAY 2013 : ATTRACTIONS

Kinetic Sculptures and spectators before the race starts at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore

The reason we went to Baltimore was so we could attend the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship which is held the first weekend in May.

And they're off! Taken from on top of Federal Hill with the Inner Harbor in the background.

Kinetic Sculptures are custom built human-powered amphibious works of art (above is Bumpo the Elephant and Purple PLATYPUS). The all-day race covers covers 14 miles and includes climbing Federal Hill, a water challenge in the Chesapeake Bay, a sand trap, and a mud climb.

 Dr. Vlad's Mad Lab

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore sponsors the event, which starts at the museum. They also have some of the sculptures on display in their museum year-round, including the one above which won the art award. The museum features art produced by self-taught indivduals without formal training and is worth a visit.

Loose Cannon in Patterson Park.

Click here for more lots of great photos and details on this year's race in Baltimore

We were able to see the Graand Kinetic Challenge at the DaVinci Days festival in Corvallis, OR in 2010 (blog post here). While on that trip we also visited the Kinetic Museum in Ferndale, CA, where the race first started. Sadly the museum is now closed.

 Other cool stuff to do in and around Baltimore

Oriole Park at Camden Yards : Take in a baseball game or tour the stadium.

National Aquarium : There's one in Washington, DC, and one in Baltimore.

Duck Pin Bowling : The pins are shorter and the balls are smaller without finger holes. And trust me, you'll use leg muscles you didn't know you had.

Ellicott City : This cute little town is 15 miles west of downtown Baltimore. We ate pastries at the Little French Market Cafe then did some window shopping in the antique stores.

Patapsco Valley State Park : Just north of Ellicott City this park has a bike trail along the river and other hiking trails.