Candice Bruno at Old Major. Credit: Shae McCoy Best Book Programming Old Major In one of its lower moments, the now-defunct Baltimore City Paper labeled a section of Southwest Baltimore as Scareyscape, based on the street signs for S. Carey Street (which have since added an ‘o’ so that it is So. Carey St.). It was dumb, but unfortunately a lot of Baltimore’s art and literature scenes seem to do their best to stay out of Southwest, seeming to envision a book community that stretches from Waverly to Hampden. Want the latest issue in your inbox? Yes, email me the issue! But Candice Bruno and her sister Yoly seek to change that with their charming and beautiful old dive bar on So. Carey street, bringing the best books programming of any bar outside of those housed directly in bookstores. They host silent reading nights on Thursdays, regular open mic nights and writer meet-ups, and genre-specific nights such as a recent sci-fi and horror night. And now, in addition to drinks and delicious Caribbean-influenced foods, the bar is selling books by authors from Baltimore and beyond. Yes, the Black-owned bar is in Pigtown and yes, in its former incarnation, it was frequented by cops, but neither of those explain the pig featured on the logo of Old Major, which is in fact named after one of the porcine characters in Animal Farm. These sisters are serious about their books. But if you just want to stop in for a non-literary drink, they’ve got plenty of other events on tap, including karaoke and regular DSA meet-ups. Best Place to Creep For Information Baltimore Reddit With Google being overrun with AI search results, it’s getting harder to find reliable information. Reddit can be hit or miss, but the Baltimore subreddit is honestly a hidden gem. Sure, you still have to sift and cross-reference like anything else online, but you can get the lowdown on local happenings in real time. They even have better guidance on how to get married than the actual city circuit court website. Transformational Care For Young People Parks & People Credit: Shae McCoy In its 40 years of existence, Parks & People has set the tone for youth engagement in Baltimore. They create green spaces in neighborhoods in the Black Butterfly, put on STEAM summer camps for young children, coordinate workforce development opportunities for high schoolers, and so much more. But their mission goes even deeper than that: CEO Frank Lance sees their work as repairing the harm that’s been done to Baltimore’s Black communities over decades through segregation, redlining, and disinvestment. “If we can repair the hope, if we can repair the dreams, if we can get rid of a building and show you something beautiful instead of blight, we are in a way repairing,” Lance said. Their work and care is a welcome investment in the city’s youth. A Beacon of Hope Maryland Safe Haven When it’s time to show up for community, Maryland Safe Haven leads by example. The organization, which offers support and resources to Baltimore’s TLGBQIA+ residents, debuted a new residential building and community center this summer. Named for Senator Mary Lynn Washington, who made history as Maryland’s first openly lesbian Black state legislator, the building at 814 N. Collington Avenue features 12 two-bedroom units for both permanent and temporary housing needs. Open 24/7, the building’s Jeanette Weinberg Community Hub offers everything from medical and mental health resources to workplace development and legal support. Best For Us, By Us CLLCTIVLY We Give Black Support our work Times like these require bold vision, courage, and a commitment to community. This year, Jamye Wooten and his organization CLLCTIVLY had those things in spades. In May, they organized We Give Black , a three-day gathering that featured workshops, talks, music, and other events with a goal of exchanging ideas and celebrating community. In August, they organized CLLCTIVGIVE , a yearly event aimed at raising money for Black-led social change organizations in Baltimore (full disclosure: Baltimore Beat took part in CLLCTIVGIVE and won their Hand in Hand Prize of $20,000). As the year came to a close, they announced the Drs. Elmer + Joanne Martin Social Impact Fellowship, aimed at “equipping Baltimore-based social impact leaders with the tools, resources, and community needed to drive meaningful social change.” “Part of it was looking at the ways in which, again, Black-led organizations have historically been disinvested, underfunded. And we wanted to be somewhat disruptive,” Wooten told us in May. Best Culture Keepers Arabbers Baltimore Arabber Levar Mullen. Credit: Devin Allen At one time, people in Baltimore and most other places got a lot of their food, firewood, coal, and other necessities from horse-drawn wagons. Those days are long gone, but a lot of us still don’t have cars and live in areas where it’s hard to access fresh food and so it’s a vital reality, more than a historical curiosity, that a few arabbers still roam the streets in their red and yellow wagons calling out the cantaloupes, strawberries, and other fresh fruit meticulously stacked on the back of the carts, heralded by the clopping hooves of the horses and the jangling of their bells. With Stable Baltimore, a new nonprofit, the arabber community hopes to increase its impact on the city. We got a hint of this in 2020, when, in addition to fresh food, arabbers brought masks, hand sanitizers, and informational zines into the communities. And since then, they’ve been working with equine therapists to help young people affected by trauma. When Baltimore police shot and killed well-known arabber Bilal Abdullah this summer, it reminded a lot of people just how important arabbers are to the culture of Baltimore. Leon’s Through police raids, shifting laws, neighborhood change, and the disappearance of other queer spaces, Leon’s has kept its doors open and its lights on, offering something simple and radical — a place where gay men could exist without apology. The longest continuously operating gay bar in Baltimore, Leon’s is one of those third places where marginalized people can gather, connect, and build chosen family. With its worn stools, neon lights, and karaoke nights, Leon’s offers more than a drink — it offers belonging. For decades people have walked into Leon’s looking for community, for a familiar face, or simply for a place to breathe. Its rooms have held first kisses, heartbreaks, friendships, and the slow unburdening that comes from knowing you’re understood. When the world outside feels uncertain, the bar remains a refuge, a reminder that queer Baltimore has always found ways to survive and to gather. Baltimore’s memory workers and archivists Memory work is a labor of love encompassing archiving, documentary practices, photography, journalism, and other ways of recording, preserving, and sharing collective pasts. These are the diligent protectors of our most cherished collections, stewarded by Savannah Wood at AFRO Charities; Lawrence Jackson at the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts; Terri Lee Freeman at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and Joanne Martin, co-founder of The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum. We bless the hands that prepare the archive! Megan McShea, Jasmine Clarke, Annyah St. Louis, Oyinda Omoloja, Tonika Berkley, Corey Lewis, and so many more. Documenting and activating history for generations to come, Baltimore’s memory workers and archivists always impress us with their vision for the future. One where an international research institute on American history and the Black press is just next door. Where community repair is possible. And where Black history is an inextricable part of a child’s education. Good Folks Happy Hour If you haven’t been to a Good Folks Happy Hour event, you’re missing out. The monthly DJ series is mostly stationed at R. House, where from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. they pack out the food hall with house music, vendors, and people looking to have a good time. Organizers Larry Carlton Simmons Jr. and Aaron Greene have deep Baltimore roots and always book iconic DJs like DJ Scottie B, DJ Tanz, and Chris Brooks. This year, they also hosted a very special happy hour collaboration with the Baltimore Museum of Art for a Juneteenth celebration that featured food vendors, live music, and after-hours access to the museum. Melanie’s at Griffith’s The bar inside Melanie’s at Griffith’s Tavern, a bar in Hampden, Baltimore. Credit: Valerie Paulsgrove With its wood-paneled walls, close quarters, and familiar warmth of a friend’s basement or living room, Melanie’s at Griffith’s Tavern feels instantly intimate. That coziness is intentional, shaped by owners Hannah Spangler and Allison Crowley as a response to the post-COVID search for safety in every sense: physical, emotional, and communal. As one of Baltimore’s few lesbian bars, Melanie’s holds rare importance. It offers a place where queer women and the broader LGBTQ community can gather without performance or pretense, a space that welcomes every gender, every age, every way of being. What began as a gut feeling has become a vital refuge, a testament to how a small, tender space can hold a neighborhood, sustain a community, and keep a disappearing tradition alive. Best Place to Learn Newsletters We’re major proponents of joining a good collection of newsletters — for sports, arts, economics — and letting writers and artists you trust guide you. Subscribing to newsletters from the CityLit Project, Creative Alliance, Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, and The Clifton House is a great start for folks eager to get outside and connect with other artists. A recipe to decrease doomscrolling and increase the number of books you check out from the library. Best Cultural Hub Shake & Bake “Fire in the hole!” Anybody who’s ever heard that call ringing out over Shake & Bake’s roller rink knows that the LowRiderz are on the move, whirring by in a blurring train of be-wheeled bodies, led by CeCee Cureton. In addition to their command of the rink, the LowRiderz Skate Club regularly holds drives for food, clothes, or toys to give to those in need. The LowRiderz are only one reason that Shake & Bake is so decidedly and thoroughly Baltimore. Baltimore used to be known as Snap City because of the distinctive haul-assing and snapping skate style. But despite the distinctive city style, everybody who takes to wheels at Shake & Bake shows off their own style, their own interpretation of Baltimore culture. There’s also bowling, so don’t sleep on the first Saturdays, late-night, adults-only “Soul Bowl,” where “bowling is about more than throwing balls.” Inspiring Community Builder The Urban Oasis Arica Gonzalez, founder and executive director of The Urban Oasis, receives applause from the community following her speech. Credit: Ali Truman The Urban Oasis isn’t just creating a physical space to bring the residents of Panway/Braddish, Hanlon Park, and Walbrook together — it’s building connections between residents and their neighbors. Led by community member Arica Gonzalez, the organization has been transforming the alleys and green spaces around 2131 N. Dukeland Street since 2015. They recently leaned into more programming for residents, from holiday festivals to fun runs to storytimes. The organization also pays young people in the neighborhood to pick up trash, mow lawns, and tend to community gardens. “This is an example of what can happen when decisions are made by the people who actually live here,” one resident said at a ribbon-cutting event earlier this year. Gonzalez’s vision for the space includes a community garden, restaurant/cafe space, and stage for concerts and movie screenings. It’s the kind of drive, enthusiasm, and love for Baltimore that inspires us. Best Way to Spend Your Money Wisely BLK ASS FLEA MKT This year, the Trump administration tried their hardest to steal not only Black people’s joy but their financial futures. Of course, this isn’t anything new. But that’s why the work BLK ASS FLEA MKT does is so important. The team behind the organization, which was founded by Bri Mobley in 2021, says their mission is “keeping the coin in the community.” They do this by organizing a full calendar of vibrant events each month, full of vendors, fun, and music. Related Source: https://baltimorebeat.com/best-of-2025-for-the-culture/