Annapolis Kids
- Overview
- Attractions
- Events
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- Kids
Chesapeake Marine Tours
City Dock at the
foot of Main Street
410-268-7600
Reservations
required
A variety of
cruises are offered, weather permitting, aboard one of five vessels.
Day on the Bay Cruise
A 7.5 hour tour on
the Annapolis II, passes local landmarks including the Naval Academy, a
Victorian lighthouse and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum across the bay in
the restored fishing village of St. Michaels. There is a 3 hour stop for lunch
and sightseeing.
Annapolis Harbor Tour
A 40 minute cruise
of Annapolis Harbor and the Severn River.
Spa Creek Tour
A 40 minute cruise of Annapolis harbor, past the US
Naval Academy, and the residential areas of Spa Creek.
90 Minute Cruises
Tour the Severn River, Chesapeake Bay bridges, or
Thomas Point Lighthouse.
Discover Annapolis Tours
26 West Street
410-626-6000
Daily:
April-Nov.; Rest of the year: Sat., Sun.
Telephone for
departure hours
Closed Jan. 1,
Thanksgiving Day, and Dec. 25.
A one hour
narrated bus tour which introduces passengers to three centuries of local
history, architecture, folklore, etc. The tours pass through residential areas,
the waterfront, a section of the US Naval Academy, and around the State House
and the governor’s house.
Hammond-Harwood House
two blocks west of
the State House at 19 Maryland Ave, off King George Street
410/263-4683
Mon–Sat 10–4, Sun
noon–4. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25
Admission Charged
Built in 1774,
this house is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the United
States. The warm redbrick Palladian villa, which consists of two symmetrical
wings connected by a central hall, was built in 1774 to the designs of William
Buckland. It is an outstanding example of the Maryland five-part plan that
connects the central main section of the house by hyphens to semioctagonal
wings. Famous for its center doorway of tall Ionic columns, the interior is a
showcase of decorative arts and paintings, as well as ornamentation and wood
carvings. The house is named for its original owners: Mathias Hammond, a
Maryland member of the Provincial Assembly, and the Harwood family, who owned
the house before it became a museum. A photo exhibit documents various aspects
of the house from the 1920s to the present.
Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden
580 Taylor Street
at the Tawes State Office Building across from Navy Stadium
Access on weekdays
is through the State Office Building. Holiday access is between the Court of
Appeals and the Department of Natural Resources buildings.
410-260-8189
Guided tours by
reservation. A booklet is available for self-guided tours.
Daily dawn-dusk.
Free Admission.
A five acre,
barrier free botanical garden featuring representations of the state’s natural
environmental communities, from the forested mountains of western Maryland to
the sand dunes of the Eastern Shore. Shallow ponds support wildlife such as
bullfrogs, ducks, fish, songbirds, and turtles.
Maryland State
House
State Circle
410/974-3400
Mon-Fri 9-5,
Sat-Sun 10-4; tours daily 11am and 3pm
Closed Jan 1,
Thanksgiving, and Dec 25
Free admission
Located in the
center of Annapolis, this is the oldest U.S. capitol in continuous legislative
use. It was built between 1772 and 1779. The building also served as the U.S.
capitol from November 26, 1783, to August 13, 1784. Inside the Old Senate
Chamber, George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the
Continental armies at the end of the Revolutionary War. This was also the
place in which the Treaty of Paris was signed in which England acknowledged the
independence of their former colonies in this country.
The dome of the building is made
of cypress beams and is held together by wooden pegs. The State House contains
exhibits that depict life in Annapolis in colonial times. There are free
30-minute guided tours at 11am and 3pm that emanate from the visitor center on
the first floor.
Also on the grounds of the State
House is the cottage-sized Old Treasury Building, built in 1735 to hold colonial
Maryland’s currency reserves.
