Day Trip Ideas

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center – This wonderful treasure is just minutes away. The center has two interpretive walking trails, offers a calendar of activities including a seminar series and has guided canoe tours on a scheduled basis.

The B&A Trail for walking, biking and skating. The trail head for one of the most popular rail-trails in the country is about 20 minutes away. It is about 15 miles long and has opportunities to eat and antique in Severna Park. Bike to Severna Park and have lunch at Gary’s Grill.

Its raining so a day of canoeing is not in the cards and you don’t feel like playing cards. It takes about an hour to get into Washington DC by car or Metro (New Carollton Metro stop is about a 30 minute drive) and then you have the treasure trove of the nation’s mostly free museums at your disposal.

Explore the Annapolis Historic District. In addition to the City Dock area, Maryland Avenue offers some little galleries and antique stores that are off the beaten path. Plus you can check out the condo conversion of an old church. Just wandering the area will bring you past a wealth of architectural treasures of the colonial period. If you want to eat on the water in Annapolis either head to Pussers in the Marriot where you can watch all sorts of yachts do the famous Ego Alley turnaround or head over the Spa Creek Bridge into the Maritime Republic of Eastport to Carrolls Creek Café or the Chart House both of which underwent extensive renovations after getting wacked by Hurricane Isabelle.

If amusement parks are your thing, there are two nearby. There is a Six Flags America that includes a water park in addition to rollercoasters and other thrill rides. It can be reached in little over a half an hour by heading straight up Central Avenue. The Chesapeake Beach Water Park is also about 35 minutes away to the South. It has several waterslides, a lagoon and an area to play water volleyball.

Calvert Cliffs -- The cliffs which dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay for thirty miles in Calvert County, were formed over 15 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was covered by a warm, shallow sea. Over 600 species of fossils have been identified from these cliffs, with the teeth of various species of shark as the most abundant fossils. The park is 14 miles south of Prince Frederick on Maryland Routes 2 & 4.

Londontown – Before there was Annapolis there was London, the Anne Arundel County seat before a change in colonial tax stamp policy let to its demise in favor of Annapolis. Currently, Londontown is a 23-acre site hosting and archaelogical dig site, gardens and the original Rumney Tavern dating to the 1600s. To visit this historic site head back up Central Avenue, turn right on Mayo Road, make another right on Londontown Road and take that until you reach the South River and the entrance to the site.

Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge – Visit the largest science and environmental education center in the Department of the Interior. This unique facility, comprised of 12,750 acres, has a Visitor Center designed to provide knowledge and appreciation of the role of wildlife research in preserving the earth's vital resources. Interactive exhibits focus on global environmental issues, migratory bird routes, wildlife habitats, and endangered species recovery efforts. Surrounding forests, lakes and trails provide opportunites for observing wildlife native to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

St. Michaels -- St. Michaels may be one of our very favorite places to go in the area. The town is utterly charming and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is fantastic. It takes about an hour and twenty minutes to get over to St. Michaels.

Featherstone Antique Mall – Just can’t get enough at looking at old stuff? This is the closest antique Mall with multiple dealers. It is a couple miles before the Bay Bridge off of Route 50. And then you can hit Red, Hot and Blue for some great barbecue.

Or if you can’t get enough at looking at new stuff, you can head for Arundel Mills and its hundreds of retail stores and outlets. Drive time is about 40 minutes.

Finally, maybe you would just like to catch a movie. There are two theatres convenient to Fisherman’s Dock. The Harbor Center located to the left of the juncture of Route 2 and Route 655/50. You can’t miss its faux lighthouse. Further on is an eleven screen theater at the Annapolis Mall. Just continue on Route 2 and make a left on West Street. Follow West Street until you reach the Mall.

GUIDED TOURS/SIGHTSEEING

Annapolis Religious Heritage Tours --Featuring first Annapolis sites of the Anglican, African, Presbyterian, Jewish and Catholic churches, chapels and synagogue: St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Mt. Moriah AME Church, Kneseth Israel site, First Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church and Carroll House. 410-269-1737

Annapolis Tours - Three Centuries Tours offers walking tours conducted by guides in colonial attire. Discover the history of Annapolis and the tradition of the United States Naval Academy. Daily April-October 10:30am from the Visitors Center, 26 West Street - 1:30pm from the Information Booth, City Dock. SATURDAYS ONLY from November to March 1:30pm from the Information Booth, City Dock. 48 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-263-5401,www.annapolis-tours.com.

Annapolis Walkabout - Architectural historian offers walking tours of Historic District and U.S. Naval Academy. Depart from Visitors Center at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, April-October. Tours by reservation year-round. 223 South Cherry Grove Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401,410-263-8253.

Discover Annapolis Tours - Enjoy a fun tour in a climate-controlled minicoach! Friendly guides describe Annapolis waterfront, history, architecture, folklore and trivia. One-hour tours depart from the Visitor Center daily, April-November; most weekends, December-March. 410-626-6000, www.discover-annapolis.com, info@discover-annapolis.com

Ghosts of Annapolis Tours - Let Ghosts of Annapolis Tours show you what happens when the sun goes down! Haunted houses, restless spirits, and scary tales abound on a Guided Ghost Walk or Haunted Pub Crawl. The ghosts of Joe Morgue, Thomas Dance, and the Headless Man are dying to meet you, so call to reserve your space! Group tour discounts! 92 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis,MD 21401, 410-263-9686, www.ghostsofannapolis.com

Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden - A six acre botanical garden featuring representations of Maryland's natural communities - a western Maryland forest, a stream-side environment and an Eastern Shore peninsula. Open daily dawn to dusk. Free. Gift shop open 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Tawes State Office Building, Taylor Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401 410-260-8189, dmyers@dnr.state.md.us.

Heritage Tours- Escorted day and evening tours, via air-conditioned motorcoaches to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Departures daily April-October. Complimentary Visitors Center pick up and return for parties of 10 or more. Reservations required. 768 Cecil Avenue, Millersville, MD 21108, 410-923-2771, www.koa.com, capitolkoa@worldnet.att.net.

Historic Annapolis Foundation Walking Tours - Offering two self-guided walking tours, "Historic Annapolis Walk with Walter Cronkite" and the "African American Heritage Walking Tour," available at the Historic Annapolis Foundation Museum Store. Open seven days a week. 77 Main Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-268-5576, www.annapolis.org.

Historic Londontowne - Historic London Town and Gardens is a twenty-three acre park located on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. The park is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a non-profit foundation. London Town has within its boundaries part of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century town of London, which is currently being excavated by archaeologists. Open Tuesdays – Saturday, 10am to 3pm, Sundays, Noon to 3pm. 410-222-1919.. O the Lostwns Project

Maryland State House Tours - Free walk-in tours of the first floor are given at 11 am and 3 pm every day. The Welcome Center is open 9 am to 5 pm Mon-Fri and weekends from 10 am until 4 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. 91 State House Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-974-3400.

Naval Academy Guide Service - Walking tours of the U.S. Naval Academy, March thru November, Mon.-Fri., 10 am-3 pm, Sat., 9:30 am-3 p.m., Sun., 12:30-3 pm; December thru February, Mon.-Fri., 10 am -2:30 pm, Sat., 9:30 am-2:30 pm, Sun., 12:30-2:30 pm. Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, 52 King George Street., Annapolis, MD 21402, 410-263-6933, www.navyonline.com.

Net Pedallers - Located in the heart of historic Annapolis, offering rental bicycles and tandems, internet access, copying, printing, and telephone services. Complimentary coffee and nearby hotel pickup. 42 Randall Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-263-2344, www.netpedallers.com.

Passport: Voyages of Discovery - Baltimore's newest attraction, Passport Voyages is a movie ride that transports you through time and space and even the ocean! Located adjacent to the National Aquarium at Baltimore's beautiful Inner Harbor. 1621 E. Pratt Street, Suite 110, Baltimore, MD 21202, 410-468-0700, www.passportvoyages.com.

Project Liberty Ship - The SS John W. Brown is a restored Liberty Ship operated as a living memorial museum. Living history day trips on the Bay, 6 hours, $125.00. Breakfast, lunch, airshows and reenactors - A Day in 1944 - Call 410-558-0164 to order tickets. 1262 Dogwood Road, Arnold, MD 21012, 410-558-0164, www.liberty-ship.com .

Schooner Woodwind - 74-foot classic wooden sailing yacht, Woodwind was designed for the Chesapeake to provide exciting two-hour sails. Sets sail four times daily from the Annapolis Marriott. Annapolis Marriott Hotel, 80 Compromise Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-263-7837, www.schoonerwoodwind.com.

Three Centuries Tours of Annapolis - Comprehensive destination management and tour planning. Naval Academy and Historic District tours, concierge and reception services, meeting facilities, meals, ground transportation, cruises, colonial theme dinners, accommodations and spouse programs. Also, new Annapolis Sunset Tours Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 6:30 pm. 48 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-263-5401, www.annapolis-tours.com.

Watermark Cruises - 40 and 90-minute narrated boat tours and "Day on the Bay" excursions to St. Michaels, Rock Hall and Baltimore leave from Annapolis Harbor. P.O. Box 3350, Annapolis, MD 21403. Tour Information: 410-268-7600; Private Charter: 410-268-7601; Water Taxi: 410-263-0033; www.watermarkcruises.com.

Linganore Winecellars - Tour and taste our many hand-crafted dinner, fruit, and specialty wines. Bring a picnic and participate in our special events year round, because "Something Fun is Always Happening at Linganore Winecellars." 13601 Glissans Mill Road, Mt. Airy, MD 21771, 410-795-6432, www.linganore-wine.com.