Star-Spangled Banner Byway
Ft. McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, MD

America's "Second War of Independence" lit up Baltimore in September 1815. Expecting to cruise with little resistance into the city's harbor, a British fleet was instead frustrated by Lt. Col. George Armistead and his men inside Fort McHenry. Their courage was witnessed by Francis Scott key, a Maryland lawyer who had been detained on board a cartel vessel after facilitating an American prisoner's release. By the rocket's red glare, Key watched bombs burst all along the shoreline. But when the smoke cleared and British ships pulled back, a large American flag -- measuring 42 feet by 30 feet -- still fluttered over the fort's ramparts.

At sunset on most days, visitors to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine can hear the playing of Key's "Star-Spangled Banner" while participating in a ceremonial flag lowering.