Annapolis in a Day(sorta)

Our next adventure took us to the state capital of Maryland, Annapolis! Annapolis, also known as the sailing capital of the world, is located on the Chesapeake Bay and is a great place for the sailing enthusiast, families, or the shopaholic. Additionally, Annapolis is the home to the United States Naval Academy! We decided to travel to Annapolis in December, and unfortunately there was not as much opened as we had hoped. Through research we realized this place is really a summer town as you can practice sailing, paddle boarding, and really take in the water sports. With that said, we did enjoy our time in Annapolis and were able to take in some of the attractions that are available.

There are multiple ways to get to Annapolis. The closet large airport to Annapolis is BWI, as Annapolis does not have an airport of it's own. If you make Annapolis a joint trip with DC, you could additionally fly into Dulles or Reagan but those will then entail a drive to get to Annapolis. Have a boat? You can contact the Harbor Master's office and have a spot open for you on the dock! We opted to drive up to Annapolis. At the time the parking was free, but it looked like they were going to begin a two hour pay for parking operation in the lot we were in.

After we found parking, we decided to check out the shops on Main Street. There were lots of stores that had Annapolis themed garb including Go Navy shirts, sailing shirts and sweaters, and lots of goodies. Since we were there at Christmas time, we headed into a Christmas store where they had numerous options for ornaments. Maryland is known for their crabs, so there were quite a few crab ornaments too.

Once we walked around the shops, we decided to head to the State House. The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in legislative use! As with the other state capitol buildings, the State House offers self guided tours. There is a security check point to go in. Once inside, there is one floor of rooms to explore. Since it was the holidays, the capitol was filled with Christmas trees! Each county in Maryland had decorated a tree highlighting attractions and features of their home. It was really unique and interesting to see. Off the hallway there were rooms filled with the history that had taken place in the building, as well as the house and senate rooms.

It was pretty chilly outside, and as we had walked around the shops and State House, we realized that our day was going to be shorter than we had expected(hence the "sorta" at the end of the title). We walked by the Naval Academy, but because of the chilliness and wind we decided to pass on walking around. This could be a great option if you are interested in the academy though! If you are traveling by car you will need a military ID card to park your car on the actual campus of the academy. If you decide to go through one of the walking gates, you do not need a military ID card. Even if you don't go to the Naval Academy, just walking around Annapolis shows how much pride this town has in the Navy!

A trip to Annapolis is not complete without walking along the docks and seeing the sailboats. The water was very pretty, and a lot of the boats were decorated with holiday lights! Don't be surprised if you see some birds just sitting around too. They love the water. At the dock there was a spot for a water taxi too! If you don't want to worry about parking your car in multiple spots, you could hop on the water taxi and cruise from spot to spot. They offer multiple stops, and have options for single use pay, or you can buy a booklet for multiple rides.

Annapolis was a cute water town that had history and charm. While it was an educational trip in the fact that we learned it did not have the most activities in December(plus the weather is chilly), we did get to see some great sights. Due to the timing of things and traffic, we ended up just bringing snacks with us. Annapolis could be a great addition to a trip to Baltimore or a trip to Washington DC. Below is a map of the attractions we saw in Annapolis, as well as where the airports are laid out around the city to help give you a better idea of where Annapolis is. We also included the Annapolis Arts District, as this could be a fun sight to see if the weather was nicer!

What did we miss in Annapolis that you would have done? Should we go back during the summer? Tell us in the comments below! Coming up next we will have posts on Alexandria, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. We are currently using Skyscanner to help us find cheap flights to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, and Denver! Be sure to follow our Instagram, Twitter, and like us on Facebook to see more pictures and get some travel tips!

Blue skies,
K&L