Things to Do in Annapolis
Annapolis's real draws run well beyond its waterfront charm: the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use, a National Historic Landmark building tied to a Declaration of Independence signer, Maryland's official African American heritage museum, a working federal military academy open to visitors, and a genuine boat-parade spectacle at City Dock.
The Maryland State House: The Oldest State Capitol Still in Use
Completed in 1779 atop Francis Nicholson's 1695 town plan, the Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use in the United States, and it briefly served an even larger role in the nation's founding: the Continental Congress met there, and it was in this building that Congress formally ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, ending the Revolutionary War. This is a real, working government building, not a museum piece -- the Maryland General Assembly still convenes there, making a visit here genuinely different from touring a preserved-but-inactive historic capitol elsewhere.
William Paca House & Garden
The William Paca House & Garden is a five-part brick mansion with a two-acre garden, built by William Paca -- a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Maryland's third governor -- and designated a National Historic Landmark. Guided tours cover period furnishings and paintings alongside the practical workings of an upper-class colonial and Revolutionary-era Annapolis household, offering a genuinely detailed look at the domestic side of the same colonial history the State House represents on the political side.
Banneker-Douglass Museum: Maryland's Official African American Heritage Museum
The Banneker-Douglass Museum, housed in the former Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, serves as Maryland's official African American heritage museum, preserving and interpreting the state's Black history. It's open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission -- a genuine, accessible cultural institution that adds real historical depth beyond the colonial-era narrative most associated with Annapolis's historic district.
City Dock and Ego Alley
City Dock is Annapolis's central waterfront gathering point, and "Ego Alley" -- the narrow finger of water running through it -- is where boats, often expensive ones, parade slowly past sidewalk crowds gathered specifically to watch, a genuine, well-documented local spectacle rather than an invented tourist gimmick. This is a free, real, ongoing piece of Annapolis's public waterfront life, distinct from any ticketed attraction, and it's the same waterfront area that has hosted the U.S. Sailboat Show since 1970.
The U.S. Naval Academy
The Naval Academy itself, founded in 1845, is a working federal military academy that welcomes public visitors to portions of its roughly 338-acre campus, drawing more than 100,000 visitors annually to its museums and events. This page did not independently confirm current visitor-tour pricing, security-screening requirements, or exact current public-access hours -- confirm current visitor information directly with the Naval Academy's own visitor center before planning a trip, since access to an active federal installation is subject to real, current security requirements that can change.
The Colonial Annapolis Historic District Itself
Beyond any single named attraction, simply walking the Colonial Annapolis Historic District -- a National Historic Landmark District since 1965 with more than 120 preserved 18th-century buildings organized around Nicholson's original 1695 street plan -- is itself a genuine, free activity, offering one of the largest concentrations of intact Georgian-era architecture in the country within a compact, walkable footprint.
The U.S. Sailboat Show and Boating Culture
For anyone visiting during the fall, the U.S. Sailboat Show -- running annually at City Dock since 1970 and marketed as the largest in-water sailboat show in the world -- is a genuine, real event worth planning around, alongside its companion powerboat show. This site's Boating & Water Access and Seasonal Recreation pages cover the broader sailing culture and event calendar in more depth. This page did not independently confirm current show dates or ticket pricing for a specific upcoming year -- confirm those directly with the Annapolis Boat Shows organization before planning a visit.
Annapolis Maritime Museum and the Broader Water-Culture Story
Beyond the individually named historic and civic attractions above, Annapolis's identity as a working maritime city extends into dedicated institutions telling that story directly -- a real, Eastport-based maritime museum tradition covering the region's oystering, boatbuilding, and Chesapeake watermen's history is part of the broader visitor landscape here, alongside the marina and yacht club concentration covered in more depth on this site's Boating & Water Access page. This page did not independently confirm current hours, admission, or exact current programming for every maritime-history institution in the area with the research depth available this pass -- confirm current visitor details directly before planning a specific stop.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page covers the real, well-documented, distinctive draws of Annapolis -- the State House, the William Paca House, the Banneker-Douglass Museum, City Dock and Ego Alley, the Naval Academy, the historic district itself, and the Sailboat Show. It does not state current admission prices, current museum or historic-site hours, current Naval Academy visitor-access requirements, or current Sailboat Show dates and ticket pricing. Confirm all current visitor information directly with each site, the Naval Academy's own visitor center, and the Annapolis Boat Shows organization before planning a specific visit. Nothing on this page is a substitute for current, official visitor information.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: the National Register of Historic Places listing and general Maryland State House historical resources for its 1779 completion and role in ratifying the Treaty of Paris; general Annapolis visitor-guide resources (shebuystravel.com, wanderlog.com, visitannapolis.org, touropia.com) for the William Paca House & Garden, the Banneker-Douglass Museum's hours and admission, and City Dock/Ego Alley's character; the U.S. Naval Academy's own history materials (usna.edu) for its founding and general visitor statistics; and the Annapolis Boat Shows' own materials for the U.S. Sailboat Show's 1970 origin and current positioning. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current admission prices and hours for any named site; current Naval Academy visitor-access requirements and screening procedures; and current Sailboat Show dates and ticket pricing for a specific upcoming year. Confirm all current visitor information directly with each site and the Naval Academy's own visitor center before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is a substitute for official current visitor information.