Lush Bed-and-Breakfast in Converted 19th-Century Row Homes

Within a short walk of the Inner Harbor and Little Italy, and smack dab in the middle of historic Jonestown's Heritage Walk, the 1840s Carrollton Inn thrums with the bustle of today's Charm City while celebrating its past. Next to the Carroll Mansion—a tribute to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, signer of the Declaration of Independence—the boutique bed-and-breakfast rises out of a stretch of traditional row homes and boasts some rooms dating back to the early 19th century.

Visitors get the choice of one of eight rooms, each of which highlights the inn's rich hardwood floors, in-room marble-and-oak fireplaces, and handcrafted Kingsdown mattresses with a flood of natural light. The Patriot's room boasts a regal four-poster king-size bed draped in elaborate linens, and a bathroom with a double whirlpool tub in the equally ornate Scholar's room allows guests to challenge one another to bubble-bath-sculpture contests. No matter the room, the Carrollton gilds guests in plush robes and bedecks chambers with fresh flowers, cable-equipped flat-screens, and high-speed wireless Internet.

Upon rising from a well-padded and patriotic slumber, visitors can indulge in a full American-style breakfast, served in the hotel's first-floor parlor, garden courtyard, or in the privacy of one's room. Breakfast feasts proffer thick-slice italian-bread french toast, fruit-infused buttermilk pancakes, and house omelets filled with seasonal veggies from the nearby Gramercy Mansion's Koinonia Farm.

Jonestown: A Historic, Walkable Charm City Neighborhood

Travelers can kick off urban excursions by heading one block south of the inn for an authentic meal in one of Little Italy's nearly 30 restaurants, or take in one of the neighborhood's Tuesday-, Wednesday-, or Thursday-evening bocce-ball leagues. A collection of restaurants in the area—many along the water—provides the opportunity to compare and contrast traditional and modern interpretations of the regions' iconic steamed blue crabs.

With a stop just outside the Carrollton's entrance, the free, eco-friendly Charm City Circulator shuttle service ferries adventurers to area attractions such as The Walters Art Museum. During the summer and fall, the city's host of herbaceous farmers' markets are accessible by foot, and a journey 30 miles north to Ladew Topiary Gardens reveals a 22-acre expanse of greenery- and flower-filled gardens favored by locals, visitors, and discerning gnome statues.