Baltimore

Baltimore needs 1 day: touring the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, housed in the home where America's most famous baseball player was born, and strolling through the Inner Harbor, the historic port converted into a tourist promenade with the National Aquarium, the same afternoon. April-June and September-October bring the mildest weather. It's cheaper than Washington D.C., just 60 km away. Its Fort McHenry flag, bombarded by the British in 1814, inspired the lyrics of the US national anthem, and its Chesapeake Bay blue crab industry made it a must for the country's seafood cuisine.