The Baltimore Sun’s readers have voted on what’s the best in the region, from wedding venues and roofers to pediatricians and hair salons. This year’s winners include people and businesses recognized for outstanding service and customer satisfaction over the last year.
The poll includes more than 700 winners in nearly 200 categories in six areas — Activities & Arts, Home & Garden, Food & Drink, Lifestyles & Shopping, Personal services and People & Media. More than 75,000 ballots were cast cultivating a list of your favorite museums, pizza joints, boutiques, TV anchors, radio hosts and more.
Theater company: Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore. 800-343-3103. baltimore.broadway.com
By all accounts, the past 12 months have been a landmark year for the 110-year-old Hippodrome Theatre, a former vaudeville palace that presents touring Broadway musicals and plays.
With the help of a new $2 million state tax credit, the Hippodrome mounted its first Broadway tryout in at least two decades. A revival of “The Wiz” celebrated its world premiere in Baltimore in September, embarked on a six-month national tour, and transferred to Broadway this spring.
In addition, the Hippodrome significantly enhanced its small, flexible, state-of-the-art, second performance space. The newly-renovated M&T Bank Exchange hosts local performing arts and community groups, giving them exposure to a different audience and bringing significant rental revenue into the historic — and expensive — performing arts center.
“The new space caught on like wildfire,” venue president Ron Legler said. “We had 40 events in that space in just two months.”
And during the post-pandemic era, in which performing groups have been losing audience members in droves, the Hippodrome has miraculously held onto its season ticket holders.
“We only lost one percent of our subscribers during the pandemic,” Legler said, adding that the runs of most Broadway tours sell out. “That’s insane.”
He expects that winning streak to continue, and pointed out that subscribers will be the first audiences anywhere to see two new national tours next season: “& Juliet,” a girl-power jukebox musical that cheekily provides a happy ending to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and that features the tunes of Swedish hit-maker Max Martin, and “The Life of Pi,” a widely acclaimed musical about a teenage boy, tiger, orangutan, zebra and hyena stranded on the same life raft.
“Our audiences love seeing Broadway shows in their backyards,” Legler said. “I kind of feel like we’re firing on all cylinders right now.”
— Mary Carole McCauley
Bowling: Greenmount Bowl
Honorable mentions:
Parkville Bowling Lanes
Mustang Alley’s
Stratosphere Social
Casino: Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
Honorable mentions:
Hollywood Casino Perryville
Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
Charity/nonprofit: Chesapeake Bay Association Inc.
Honorable mentions:
Harford County Public Library
American Visionary Art Museum
BARCS
College/university: Towson University
Honorable mentions:
Loyola University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Maryland College Park
Dog park: Best Friends Fur Ever
Honorable mentions:
Paw Point Dog Park, Lake Roland
Patterson Dog Park
Locust Point Dog Park, Latrobe Park
Gallery: American Visionary Art Museum
Honorable mentions:
The Walters Art Museum
The Baltimore Museum of Art
Crystal Moll Gallery
Golf course: Mountain Branch Golf Club
Honorable mentions:
Bulle Rock Golf Club
Country Club of Maryland
The Elkridge Club
Museum: American Visionary Art Museum
Honorable mentions:
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Walters Art Museum
The Baltimore Museum of Industry
Park: Patterson Park
Honorable mentions:
Cromwell Valley Park
Patapsco Valley State Park
Cylburn Arboretum
Private school: Loyola Blakefield
Honorable mentions:
Calvert Hall College High
The Catholic High School of Baltimore
The John Carroll School
Public school: Hereford High
Honorable mentions:
Baltimore School for the Arts
North Harford High
Eastern Technical High
Suburb: Bel Air
Honorable mentions:
Towson
Lutherville-Timonium
Parkville
Theater company: Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
Honorable mentions:
Everyman Theatre
Center Stage
Fluid Movement
Tourist attraction: American Visionary Art Museum
Honorable mentions:
National Aquarium
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Wedding venue: American Visionary Art Museum
Honorable mentions:
Montagu Meadows
George Peabody Library
Rockfield Manor
Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from April to June. The ballot and results are generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.
