Annapolis, MD

Explore the Capital of Maryland (34 miles, 43 minutes)

THINGS TO DO:

1.  Visit the Maryland State House

• See the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use
• Take a self-guided tour of the building

2.  Eat at Chick & Ruth's Delly (0.2 miles walking)

• You've got to experience this!

3.  Walk around the city dock and waterfront (0.2 miles walking)

4.  Explore the U.S. Naval Academy (0.2 miles walking)

• Begin at the visitor center (you must enter by foot, unless you have a DoD decal on your vehicle - ages 16 and older must have photo ID)
• Hike around the academy

5.  Drive to the Maryland World War II Memorial on your way out of town (2 miles, 5 minutes away from State House)

THINGS TO KNOW:

Before you go to Annapolis for a leisurely stroll through town, check the internet for the schedule of boat shows.  If you’re not interested in paying admission to see all the boats, you’ll probably want to avoid going during a boat show because you’ll have a hard time finding parking and you won’t have access to the waterfront without paying the admission fee.

You can take a self-guided tour any time while the Maryland State House is open (9:00am – 5:00 pm); informative brochures are available.   Don’t forget your photo ID.  The grounds are beautiful and we found more than one place to stop and pose for some family pictures. 

Main Street has an interesting collection of stores that could keep you wandering in and out for hours.  You’ll find everything from high-end clothing and art to stores full of Maryland souvenirs and ice cream shops.   We enjoyed wandering through the stores until lunch time and then we headed to Chick and Ruth’s.

Chick and Ruth’s Delly is more than a restaurant that happened to be available when we were hungry.  We had a blast at this place.  It was loud and crowded, but it had the happy atmosphere of an extended family reunion.  Though we’d never been there before, everyone seemed genuinely happy to see us and everyone from our servers to the owners worked to put a smile on our face.  The menu was huge and all the food that we ate was delicious.  We will go back and highly recommend it to everyone visiting Annapolis.  

The U.S. Naval Academy has an informative visitor center and it is interesting to learn about the history of the Navy.  There are plenty of interesting buildings and sculptures to see if you have the energy for more walking (remember, you’ll have to enter on foot unless by chance you have a DoD decal on your car).  There is a gift shop at the Visitor Center if you’re in need Navy sweatshirts, bags, teddy bears, etc. 

The Maryland WWII Memorial is located in an interesting spot: it is in the median of Governor Ritchie Highway.  Shortly after you cross the Naval Academy Bridge, you’ll find a left exit to get into the parking lot.  It is a beautifully done and very peaceful memorial, worth the little bit of extra time to see it.