101 Famous Locations Of Movies Filmed In Baltimore

By / Baltimore, Things to Do

Lights, camera, action! Baltimore has made an appearance in many of your favorite movies and TV shows.

When you think of television shows or movies filmed in Baltimore, I’m sure ‘The Wire’ is one of the first things to pop up in your mind. And why wouldn’t it? The hit HBO drama documented Baltimore’s good, bad, and everything in between and made a significant impact on the city’s image.

Movies filmed in Baltimore

While all of it might not have been so pretty, you’ll be surprised to find that many other of your favorite TV shows and movies have also been filmed right here in Charm City! Do a drive-by tour or stop and wander whenever you’re in BMore.

The Wire

Okay, let’s get this one out of the way. A majority of the television series was filmed in Baltimore, and you’ll see various aspects of the city in all of the seasons but here are a couple of crowd favorites.

Inside Lexington Market (400 W Lexington Street), you’ll find Faidley’s where the character McNulty gets food for police officers on a stakeout. You’ll find Viva House at 44 S Mount Street, where Bubbles cooked and served at the soup kitchen. And the McCulloh Homes, which were the low-rise housing projects you see in season one, can be found on Preston Street. There are tons of landmarks and restaurants like Penn Station (1500 N Charles Street), Sterling’s Seafood (401 W 29th Street), and Greenmount Cemetery (1501 Greenmount Avenue) throughout the series.

House of Cards

Starring Kevin Spacey, this popular Netflix drama hit the airways in 2013 and chronicles the behind-the-scenes of our nation’s government. Structures in both Baltimore and Annapolis were depicted as buildings in Washington, D.C. The show ran for five years and was filmed in Baltimore throughout its run. You’ll find staples such as The Bun Shop (239 W Read Street), Cunningham’s (1 Olympic Place), and the Baltimore County Council Chambers (400 Washington Avenue) all make an appearance.

Enemy of the State

This political thriller had Will Smith fighting off special agents all over Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The old Dr. Pepper plant on Boston Street was where one of the operatives hid and was eventually demolished for the movie. You’ll also recognize Newgate Avenue (near the Patapsco River) in one of the chase scenes.

Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle is a romantic comedy that climbed the charts in 1993 and is still favored by many. The movie stars Meg Ryan, who plays a Baltimore Sun reporter – so obviously there are tons of Charm City scenes in the background. You’ll see exterior shots of the former Baltimore Sun headquarters at 501 N. Calvert Street as well as interior shots of the stunning George Peabody Library (17 E Mount Vernon Place).

VEEP

With all the traffic and the red tape, D.C. isn’t the easiest location to film in – so many directors turn to Baltimore, including those of the TV series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, VEEP. You’ll recognize a scene in the pilot episode to be the beautiful white-marble stairway entrance of MICA’s main building (1300 W Mt Royal Avenue).

The Ottobar on 2549 N Howard Street depicted the Black Cat nightclub in DC, while other locations include The Belvedere Hotel (1 E Chase Street), a stretch of row homes in Canton, and the now-closed Donna’s in Charles Village (3101 St. Paul Street).

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Based on the nonfiction book of the same name, this movie tells the story of a Baltimore native whose cancerous cells were harvested by Johns Hopkins Hospital without her consent and were eventually used for research that led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs.

They obviously had to tell the story in Baltimore, where it all happened. Much of the film was shot on location at the actual hospital (1800 Orleans Street) while the Fells Point pier and several East Baltimore neighborhoods make an appearance.

Step Up

Before Channing Tatum mesmerized us with Magic Mike, it was his dance moves on the romantic drama ‘Step Up’ that had people talking. The movie, which focuses on troubled teens, romance, and dance, used a fictitious Maryland School of the Arts as a backdrop.

The huge rehearsal room that you see in the movie was filmed inside the Sagamore Pendry (1715 Thames Street), which was a warehouse during the time of filming but is now a boutique hotel. You’ll also notice that the exterior of the fake Maryland School of the Arts is Booker T. Washington Middle School (1301 McCulloh Street).

12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys is a sci-fi thriller starring Bruce Willis and you’ll find tons of charming Baltimore landmarks throughout the movie. The part where he’s interrogated by scientists was filmed in the now-demolished Westport Powerplant. There are also scenes of him scrambling down the steps of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion in Mount Vernon (11 W Mt Vernon Place). And that last scene where Willis is watching ‘Vertigo’ is filmed in the city’s very own Senator Theatre (5904 York Road).

The Social Network

The Social Network is a movie about Mark Zuckerberg and the development of Facebook while at his alma mater, Harvard. It was, in fact, Baltimore’s very own Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Campus (3400 N Charles Street) that portrayed the ivy league school. Even Zuckerberg’s dorm, Kirkland House, was filmed in JHU’s Latrobe Hall.

He’s Just Not That Into You

This 2009 romantic comedy had a killer cast with everyone from Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johannsen to Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck. While most of it was filmed in LA, there was some filming done in Baltimore’s Brewer’s Hill and Canton neighborhoods. You’ll also see the iconic Baltimore landmark, the brilliantly-lit Domino Sugar sign, in a part of the movie.

We Own This City

HBO has a love-love relationship with Baltimore, and they keep coming back for more. The television series will tell the story of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force, as well as the corruption that surrounds it. The entire series is filmed in Charm City, much like The Wire, so keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of landmarks.

More Television Shows filmed or Set in Baltimore

  • Ace of Cakes
  • Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
  • Ball Boys
  • The Corner
  • Cuts (TV series)
  • The Delphi Bureau
  • The Ellen Burstyn Show
  • Family Rules (American TV series)
  • Flesh ‘n’ Blood (TV series)
  • Hairspray Live!
  • Hannibal (TV series)
  • Homicide: Life on the Street
  • Hopkins (TV series)
  • Hot l Baltimore
  • In the Beginning (TV series)
  • In Treatment
  • The Keepers
  • Life’s Work
  • Men (TV series)
  • One on One (TV series)
  • Roc (TV series)
  • Ryan’s Four
  • The Simple Life (2003–2007)
  • True Colors (TV series)
  • The West Wing (1999–2006)

More Movies filmed in Baltimore (or partially at least)

The movie database site, IMDB, claims there are more than 1700 shows and movies filmed in Baltimore, MD. While we do love movies, let’s just cover the most popular ones from thee past fewe decades.

  • Strawberry Mansion (2021)
  • Charm City Kings (2020)
  • Fantastic Fungi (2019)
  • Butterfly Kisses (2018)
  • Fishbowl (2018)
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017 TV Movie)
  • The Night Watchmen (2017)
  • Jackie (V) (2016)
  • Better Living Through Chemistry (2014)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  • Ted (2012)
  • Game Change (2012 TV Movie)
  • The Social Network (2010)
  • He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
  • Body of Lies (2008)
  • Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
  • Red (2008)
  • First Sunday (2008)
  • An American Affair (2008)
  • Hairspray (2007)
  • Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
  • Shooter (I) (2007)
  • The Invasion (I) (2007)
  • Step Up (2006)
  • Failure to Launch (2006)
  • xXx: State of the Union (2005)
  • Inside Deep Throat (2005)
  • Syriana (2005)
  • A Dirty Shame (2004)
  • Ladder 49 (2004)
  • Something the Lord Made (2004 TV Movie)
  • Gods and Generals (2003)
  • Head of State (2003)
  • The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
  • The Sum of All Fears (2002)
  • Red Dragon (2002)
  • Tuck Everlasting (2002)
  • Along Came a Spider (2001)
  • The Replacements (2000)
  • The Contender (2000)
  • Cecil B. Demented (2000)
  • Young Americans (2000)
  • Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
  • The Corner (2000)
  • The Blair Witch Project (1999)
  • Runaway Bride (1999)
  • Random Hearts (1999)
  • Liberty Heights (1999)
  • Dead Man’s Curve (1998)
  • There’s Something About Mary (1998)
  • Enemy of the State (1998)
  • Species II (1998)
  • Pecker (1998)
  • For Richer or Poorer (1997)
  • Absolute Power (1997)
  • Boys (1996)
  • Fly Away Home (1996)
  • Home for the Holidays (1995)
  • 12 Monkeys (1995)
  • True Lies (1994)
  • Serial Mom (1994)
  • Guarding Tess (1994)
  • Major League II (1994)
  • The Meteor Man (1993)
  • Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
  • Dave (1993)
  • Company Business (1991)
  • He Said, She Said (1991)
  • Homicide (1991)
  • Cry-Baby (1990)
  • Avalon (1990)
  • Her Alibi (1989)
  • The Accidental Tourist (1988)
  • Satisfaction (1988)
  • Hairspray (1988)
  • No Way Out (1987)
  • Broadcast News (1987)
  • The Bedroom Window (1987)
  • Tin Men (1987)
  • The Mosquito Coast (1986)
  • Violets Are Blue… (1986)
  • The House on Sorority Row (1982)
  • Diner (1982)
  • Polyester (1981)
  • And Justice for All (1979)
  • Desperate Living (1977)
  • Female Trouble (1974)
  • Pink Flamingos (1972)
  • Multiple Maniacs (1970)
  • Marnie (1964)

Share this post:

Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

About The Author

Shahnaz is a travel writer based in Baltimore, MD. When she's not writing about travel, she's often doing a bit of it herself whether it be nearby to Ocean City or across the world to Sri Lanka. Other than discovering new places, Shahnaz loves reading, listening to true crime podcasts, and watching (and rewatching) Marvel movies with her husband.
Scroll to Top