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Exploring Annapolis, Maryland | Where to Eat in Annapolis, Maryland | Where to Stay in Annapolis, Maryland

In 1649 a group of Puritan settlers moved from Virginia to a spot at the mouth of the Severn River, where they established a community called Providence. Lord Baltimore, who held the royal charter to settle Maryland, named the area around this town Anne Arundel County, after his wife; in 1684 Anne Arundel Town was established across from Providence on the Severn’s south side. Ten years later, Anne Arundel Town became the capital of Maryland and was renamed Annapolis after Princess Anne, who later became queen. It received its city charter in 1708 and became a major port, particularly for the export of tobacco.

In 1774, patriots here matched their Boston counterparts (who had thrown their famous tea party the previous year) by burning the Peggy Stewart, a ship loaded with taxed tea. Annapolis later served as the nation’s first peacetime capital (1783–84). The city’s considerable colonial and early republican heritage is largely intact, and because it’s all within walking distance, highly accessible.

Although it has long since been overtaken by Baltimore as the major Maryland port, Annapolis is still a popular pleasure-boating destination. On warm sunny days the waters off City Dock become center stage for an amateur show of powerboaters maneuvering through the heavy traffic. Annapolis’s enduring nautical reputation derives largely from the presence of the U.S. Naval Academy, whose strikingly uniformed midshipmen throng the city streets in crisp white uniforms in summer and navy blue in winter.

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Getting Here and Around

The drive (east on U.S. 50 to the Rowe Boulevard exit) normally takes 35–45 minutes from Washington. During rush hour (weekdays 3:30–6:30 pm), however, it takes about twice as long. Also beware of Navy football Saturdays.

Parking spots on Annapolis’s historic downtown streets are scarce, but there are some parking meters for $1 an hour (maximum two hours). You can park on residential streets free where allowable. You can pay $5 ($10 for recreational vehicles) to park at the Navy–Marine Corps Stadium (to the right of Rowe Boulevard as you enter town from Route 50), and ride a free Annapolis Transit shuttle bus downtown. Annapolis Transit also offers free shuttle transportation within the Historic Area. There are five parking garages in the downtown area with fees ranging from $12 to $16 per day maximum; Sunday mornings from 6 am to 1 pm parking is free.

Tours

Walking tours are a great way to see Annapolis’s historic district. The Historic Annapolis Museum rents four self-guided audio walking tours. Choose from the city’s highlights, African-American Annapolis, or Annapolis during the Revolutionary War or Civil War. The cost for each is $5. Guides from Watermark wear colonial-style dress and take you to the State House, St. John’s College, and the Naval Academy. The cost is $16.

Discover Annapolis Tours leads one-hour narrated trolley tours ($18) that introduce you to the history and architecture of Annapolis. Tours leave from the visitor center daily April through November and most weekends December through March.

Or see Maryland’s state capital from the water. Annapolis Sailing Cruises’ Woodwind and Woodwind II are twin 74-foot boats that make daily trips between April and October, with some overnight trips. Two-hour sails are $36 to $39. When the weather’s good, Watermark runs boat tours that last from 40 minutes to 7½ hours and go as far as St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore, where there’s a maritime museum, yachts, dining, and boutiques. Prices range from $14 to $72.

Essentials

Tour Contacts
Discover Annapolis Tours.
If you’re using GPS, the address is 25 Northwest St. | 26 West St., Historic District | 21403-4410 | 410/626–6000 | www.discover-annapolis.com.
Historic Annapolis Foundation Walking Tours.
99 Main St., Historic District | 21401-1763 | 410/267–6656 | www.annapolis.org.
Schooner Woodwind Cruises.
Schooner Woodwind Cruises. | Annapolis Marriott Hotel dock | 21401-1810 | 410/263–7837 | www.schoonerwoodwind.com.
Watermark.
1 Dock St., Historic District | 21403-1673 | 410/268–7601 | www.watermarkcruises.com.

Visitor Information
Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
26 West St., West Side | 21401-2421 | 410/280–0445, 888/302–2852 | www.visit-annapolis.org | Daily 9–5.
Information Booth.
Dock St. parking lot | 21401 | 410/280–0445 | Open March through September.

Exploring Annapolis, Maryland

Top Attractions

Banneker-Douglass Museum.
Named for abolitionist Frederick Douglass and scientist Benjamin Banneker, this former church and its next-door neighbor make up a museum that tells the stories of African-Americans in Maryland through performances, lectures, educational programs, and changing exhibits and permanent shows. Audio and visual presentations and hands-on exhibits make the museum engaging for kids, while also bringing home the hardships of slave life. | 84 Franklin St. | 21401-2438 | 410/216–6180 | www.bdmuseum.com | Free | Tues.–Sat. 10–4.

Quick Bites: The Annapolis Bookstore. A café and a garden provide the perfect place for reading and storytelling. With its carefully selected collection of both new and rare books, the store is an oasis from the ubiquitous chains. As befits its Annapolis location, the shop specializes in maritime books. | 35 Maryland Ave. | 21401-1627 | 888/339–7370 | www.annapolisbookstore.com.

Hammond-Harwood House.
Based on the Villa Pisani in Stra, Italy, by Andrea Palladio, this 1774 home was designed by premier colonial architect William Buckland and is considered America’s greatest colonial high-style residence. Called the architectural “Jewel of Annapolis,” the residence was greatly admired by Thomas Jefferson when he sketched the house in 1783. The wood carvings surrounding the front door and enriching the dining room are some of the best surviving of their kind in America. The site today exhibits famous colonial art by Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, James Peale, John Trumbull, John Hesselius, Jeremiah Theus, and John Beale Bordley, as well as an extensive decorative arts collection covering everything from Chinese export porcelain to Georgian period silver. Also on display is the world’s largest collection of colonial cabinetwork by Annapolis native John Shaw. Noted landscape architect Alden Hopkins from Colonial Williamsburg created the property’s Colonial Revival garden. Tours leave on the hour; the last begins at 3 in the winter and 4 during the rest of the year. Regular tours may be a bit dry for children under 12, but children’s tours are available by special appointment. TIP Call ahead to see if special children’s programs are planned for the day of your visit. | 19 Maryland Ave. | 21401-1626 | 410/263–4683 | www.hammondharwoodhouse.org | $7 | Jan. closed, Feb–Mar. by appointment only, Apr.–Oct., Tues.–Sun. noon–5; Nov–Dec. noon–4.

Historic London Town and Gardens.
The 17th-century tobacco port of London, on the South River a short car ride from Annapolis, was made up of 40 dwellings, shops, and taverns. London all but disappeared in the 18th century, its buildings abandoned and left to decay, but the excavation of the town is underway, and buildings are continually being restored. One of the few original colonial structures is a three-story waterfront brick house, built by William Brown between 1758 and 1764, with dramatic river views. Docents conduct 30- to 45-minute site tours; allow more time to wander the house grounds, woodland gardens, and a visitor center with interactive displays. From April to December, house tours are led approximately every hour. | 839 Londontown Rd. | Edgewater | 21037-2302 | 410/222–1919 | www.historiclondontown.com | $10 | Apr.–Dec., Wed.–Sat. 10–4:30, Sun. noon–4:30.

Fodor’s Choice | Maryland State House.
Originally constructed between 1772 and 1780, the State House is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use; it’s also the only one in which the U.S. Congress has sat (1783–84). It was here where General George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1783 and where the Treaty of Paris was ratified in 1784, ending the Revolutionary War. Both events took place in the Old Senate Chamber, which is filled with intricate woodwork (attributed to colonial architect William Buckland), including the ubiquitous tobacco motif. The Maryland Senate and House hold their sessions in two other chambers in the building. Also on the grounds is the oldest public building in Maryland, the tiny redbrick treasury, built in 1735. Note that tours are self-guided and you must have a photo ID to enter the State House. | One Hundred State Circle | 21401-1924 | 410/260–6445 | Free | Daily 9–5.

St. John’s College.
The Annapolis campus of St. John’s, the third-oldest college in the country (after Harvard and William and Mary), once held the last Liberty Tree, under which the Sons of Liberty convened to hear patriots plan the Revolution. Damaged in a 1999 hurricane, the 400-year-old tree was removed; its progeny stands to the left of McDowell Hall. St. John’s adheres to a Great Books program, and all students follow the same four-year, liberal-arts curriculum, which includes philosophy, mathematics, music, science, Greek, and French. Students are immersed in the classics, through small classes conducted as discussions rather than lectures. Start a visit here by climbing the gradual slope of the long, brick-paved path to the cupola of McDowell Hall.

Down King George Street toward the water is the Carroll-Barrister House, now the college admissions office. Once home to Charles Carroll (not the signer of the Declaration but his cousin), the house was built in 1722 at Main and Conduit streets and moved onto campus in 1955. | 60 College Ave., at St. John’s St. | 21401-1687 | 410/263–2371 | www.stjohnscollege.edu.

Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Gallery. The Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Art Gallery, on the east side of Mellon Hall, presents world-class exhibits and special programs that relate to the fine arts. | 21403 | 410/626–2556.

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First African American Graduate

In 1949 a man by the name of Wesley Brown made history as the U.S. Naval Academy’s first African American graduate. Five others had tried before him but were forced out by intense racism and violence. Brown also suffered greatly in his years at the academy. A group of upperclassmen tried to force him out by piling him up with unwarranted demerits and ensuring that he was snubbed by his peers, but Brown never gave up. A veteran of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, Brown served another 20 years in the Navy as a lieutenant commander in the Civil Engineering Corps before retiring in 1969. In 2008 the Naval Academy unveiled its $50 million Wesley Brown Field House, a state-of-the-art gymnasium that overlooks the Severn River—a fitting tribute to a man who is credited with not only helping to improve the Navy, but also the country. Today nearly one-fourth of the student body is comprised of minorities. To read more about Brown’s fascinating story, check out Breaking the Color Barrier, by historian Robert J. Schneller Jr.

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Fodor’s Choice | United States Naval Academy.
Probably the most interesting and important site in Annapolis, the Naval Academy occupies 329 waterfront acres along the Severn River and abuts downtown. Men and women enter the USNA, established in 1845 on the site of a U.S. Army fort, from every part of the United States and foreign countries to undergo rigorous study in subjects that include literature, navigation, and nuclear engineering. The centerpiece of the campus is the bright copper-clad dome of the interdenominational U.S. Naval Academy Chapel. Beneath it lies the crypt of the Revolutionary War naval officer John Paul Jones, who, in a historic naval battle with a British ship, uttered the inspirational words, “I have not yet begun to fight!”

On the grounds, midshipmen (the term used for women as well as men) go to classes, conduct military drills, and practice or compete in intercollegiate and intramural sports. Bancroft Hall is one of the largest dormitories in the world—it houses the entire 4,400-member Brigade of Midshipmen. You can’t see how shipshape the middies’ quarters are, but you can go inside Bancroft to see the glorious Memorial Hall, a tribute to Academy grads who died in military operations. In front of Bancroft is the Statue of Tecumseh, a bronze replica of the USS Delaware’s wooden figurehead “Tamanend.” It’s decorated by midshipmen for athletics events; and for good luck during exams, students pitch pennies into his quiver of arrows. TIP If you’re here at noon on weekdays in fair weather, watch the midshipmen form up outside Bancroft Hall and parade to lunch accompanied by the Drum and Bugle Corps. | 21402 | www.navyonline.com | Grounds tour $9.50 | USNA Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center: Mar.–Dec., daily 9–5; Jan. and Feb., daily 9–4. Guided walking tours generally leave Mon.–Sat. 10–3 on the hr and Sun. 12:00–3 on the ½ hr; call ahead to confirm and for Jan. and Feb. tour times.

USNA Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center. Adjoining Halsey Field House is the USNA Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center. A new exhibit “The Quarter Deck,” opening in early 2013, focuses on what it takes to become a midshipman. Walking tours of the Naval Academy leave from the center. Everyone 16 and older must have a government-issued photo ID to be admitted through the academy’s gates. Park on the street or in Annapolis public parking and walk through Gate 1 or 3—on foot is the only way you can enter unless you’re driving a car used for official Department of Defense business. | 52 King George St. | 21402-1318 | 410/293–8687.

U.S. Naval Academy Museum & Gallery of Ships. Near the chapel in Preble Hall is the U.S. Naval Academy Museum & Gallery of Ships, which tells the story of the U.S. Navy through displays of model ships and memorabilia from naval heroes and fighting vessels. The Rogers Ship Model Collection has 108 models of sailing ships built for the British Admiralty. Admission for the museum is free; hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 to 5 and Sunday from 11 to 5. | 118 Maryland Ave. | 21402-5034 | 410/293–2108.

William Paca House and Garden.
A signer of the Declaration of Independence, Paca (pronounced “PAY-cuh”) was a Maryland governor from 1782 to 1785. His house was built from 1763 through 1765, and its original garden was finished by 1772. The main floor (furnished with 18th-century antiques) retains its original Prussian blue and soft gray color scheme and the second floor houses more 18th-century pieces. The adjacent 2-acre garden provides a longer perspective on the back of the house, plus worthwhile sights of its own: upper terraces, a Chinese Chippendale bridge, a pond, a wilderness area, and formal arrangements. An inn, Carvel Hall, once stood in the gardens, now planted with 18th-century perennials. You can take a self-guided tour of the garden, but to see the house you must go on the docent-led tour, which leaves every hour at half past the hour. The last tour leaves 1½ hours before closing. | 186 Prince George St. | 21401-1724 | 410/990–4543 | www.annapolis.org | House and garden $10, garden only $7 | House and garden mid-Mar.–Dec., Mon.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. noon–5; Feb.–mid-Mar., Fri. and Sat. 10–4, Sun. noon–4.

Worth Noting

Historic Annapolis Museum.
This light-filled, modern little museum is a good place to pick up tickets for tours by foot, carriage, or boat. A few paces away at 77 Main Street, the Museum Store sells maps, Maryland history books, ceramics, and nautical knickknacks in the site of a warehouse that held supplies for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. | 99 Main St. | 21401-2001 | 410/267–6656 | www.annapolis.org | Free | Mon.–Thurs. 10–5, Fri. and Sat. 10–6, Sun. 11–5; shorter hrs in winter.

Kunta Kinte–Alex Haley Memorial.
A series of plaques along the waterfront recounting the story of African Americans in Maryland lead to a sculpture group depicting Haley, famed author of Roots, reading to a group of children. On the other side of the street, a three-sided obelisk and plaque commemorates the 1767 arrival of the African slave immortalized in Haley’s novel. This is a lovely place that may inspire you to reflect on African American history and the importance of family, reading, and passing oral history from one generation to another. | Market Sq. | 20401 | www.kintehaley.org.

St. Anne’s Church.
Residing in the center of one of the historic area’s busy circles, this brick building is one of the city’s most prominent places of worship. King William III donated the communion silver when the parish was founded in 1692, but the first St. Anne’s Church wasn’t completed until 1704. The second church burned in 1858, but parts of its walls survived and were incorporated into the present structure, built the following year. The churchyard contains the grave of the last colonial governor, Sir Robert Eden. | Church Circle | 21401-2520 | 410/267–9333 | Free | Mon.–Thurs. 8–4, Fri. 8–12; services on Sun.

Thurgood Marshall Memorial.
Born in Baltimore, Thurgood Marshall (1908–93) was the first African American Supreme Court Justice and one of the 20th century’s foremost leaders in the struggle for equal rights under the law. Marshall won the decision in 1954’s Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court overturned the doctrine of “separate but equal.” Marshall was appointed as U.S. Solicitor General in 1965 and to the Supreme Court in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 8-foot statue depicts Marshall as a young lawyer. | State House Sq., bordered by Bladen St., School St., and College Ave. | 21401.

Where to Eat in Annapolis, Maryland

In the beginning, there was crab: crab cakes, crab soup, whole crabs to crack. This Chesapeake Bay specialty is still found in abundance, but Annapolis has broadened its horizons to include eateries—many in the Historic District—that offer many sorts of cuisines. Ask for a restaurant guide at the visitor center.

49 West Coffeehouse and Gallery.
$ | ECLECTIC | In what was once a hardware store, this eclectic, casual eatery has one interior wall of exposed brick and another of exposed plaster; both are used to hang art for sale by local artists. Daily specials are chalked on a blackboard. Menu staples include a large cheese-and-pâté plate, deli sandwiches, and soups and salads. There’s free Wi-Fi, and live music is performed every night but Sunday. | Average main: $12 | 49 West St. | 21410-2420 | 410/626–9796 | 49westcoffeehouse.com.

Buddy’s Crabs & Ribs.
$$ | SEAFOOD | Family owned and operated since 1988, with a great location overlooking Annapolis Harbor, this fun and informal restaurant features all kinds of seafood and shellfish, including their famous “Big Buddy” crab cakes and all-you-can-eat buffets. Buddy’s is the biggest restaurant in Annapolis. With each full-price entrée, one child 10 and under can eat free from the kids’ menu. | Average main: $20 | 100 Main St. | 21401-2003 | 410/626–1100 | www.buddysonline.com.

Café Normandie.
$$$ | FRENCH | Wood beams, skylights, and a four-sided fireplace make this French restaurant homey, and out of the open kitchen comes an astonishingly good French onion soup, made daily from scratch. Bouillabaisse, puffy omelets, crepes, and seafood dishes are other specialties. Breakfast is served on weekends. All offerings are sustainable and local. | Average main: $26 | 185 Main St. | 21401-2006 | 410/263–3382.

Cantler’s Riverside Inn.
$$ | SEAFOOD | Opened in 1974, this local institution was founded by Jimmy Cantler, a native Marylander who worked as a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay. The no-nonsense interior has nautical items laminated beneath tabletops, and steamed mussels, clams, and shrimp as well as Maryland vegetable crab soup, seafood sandwiches, oysters, crab cakes, and numerous fin fish are served on disposable dinnerware; if you order steamed crabs, they’ll come served atop a “tablecloth” of brown paper. Water-view outdoor dining is available seasonally. Boat owners can tie up at the dock; free parking spaces are rare during the busy summer season and carpooling is encouraged if you drive. Jimmy Buffett claims that it is one of his top 10 favorite places to have a drink waterside. This place is easiest to find by boat, so if you’re coming by car, use a GPS or check the website for directions. TIP Cantler’s gets very crowded on summer weekends—prepare to wait. Reservations are accepted for parties of ten or more Monday through Thursday. | Average main: $20 | 458 Forest Beach Rd. | 21409-5910 | 410/757–1311 | www.cantlers.com.

Carrol’s Creek.
$$$$ | AMERICAN | You can walk, catch a water taxi from City Dock, or drive over the Spa Creek drawbridge to this local favorite in Eastport. Whether you dine indoors or out, the view of historic Annapolis and its harbor is spectacular. The all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch is worth checking out, as are the seafood specialties. Any of the entrées, including the herb-encrusted rockfish or grilled New York strip steak, can be turned into a reasoanbly priced four-course meal with the addition of soup, salad, and dessert. | Average main: $45 | 410 Severn Ave. | Eastport | 21403-2524 | 410/263–8102 | www.carrolscreek.com.

Chick and Ruth’s Delly.
$ | AMERICAN | Deli sandwiches (named for local politicos), burgers, subs, crab cakes, and milk shakes are the fare at this very busy counter-and-booth institution. Built in 1899, the edifice was just a sandwich shop when Baltimoreans Ruth and Chick Levitt purchased it in 1965. Their son Ted and his wife Beth continue the business today. Don’t plan on placing an order at 8:30 am on a weekday or 9:30 am on a weekend— that’s when the place stops to say the Pledge of Allegiance. | Average main: $11 | 165 Main St., Historic District | 21401 | 410/269–6737.

El Toro Bravo.
$ | MEXICAN | At this local favorite, an authentic Mexican restaurant, the wooden colonial exterior conceals Mexican tiles and the occassional bull’s head on the walls. On weekends, there’s often a line, but takeout is available. The guacamole is made on the premises. | Average main: $12 | 50 West St., 1 block from visitor center | 21401-2421 | 410/267–5949.

Harry Browne’s.
$$$ | SEAFOOD | In the shadow of the State House, this understated establishment has long held a reputation for quality food and attentive service that ensures bustle year-round, especially during the busy days of the legislative session (early January into early April) and special weekend events at the Naval Academy. The menu clearly reflects the city’s maritime culture, but also has seasonal specialties, and in a green approach to dining, everything used is recycled. Live Irish music is performed in the lounge once a month. The sidewalk café is open, weather permitting, April through October. There is a champagne brunch on Sunday. | Average main: $30 | 66 State Circle | 21401-1906 | 410/263–4332 | www.harrybrownes.com.

McGarvey’s Saloon and Oyster Bar.
$ | AMERICAN | An Annapolis institution since 1975, this dockside eatery and watering hole is full of good cheer, great drink, and grand food. A heritage of seasonal shell- and fin-fish dishes, the finest burgers and steaks, as well as unstinting appetizers, make McGarvey’s menu one of the most popular in the area. The full menu is available daily until 11 pm. Choose to eat outside in good weather, at the bar, or in the light-filled atrium. | Average main: $17 | 8 Market Space | 21401-1804 | 410/263–5700 | www.mcgarveys.net.

Middleton Tavern.
$$ | AMERICAN | Horatio Middleton began operating this “inn for seafaring men” in 1750; Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin were among his guests. Today four fireplaces, wood floors, paneled walls, and a colonial theme create a cozy atmosphere and seafood tops the menu; the Maryland crab soup and pan-seared rockfish are standouts. Try the tavern’s own Middleton Oyster Ale, perhaps during happy hour or during a weekend blues session in the upstairs piano bar. Brunch is served on weekends, and you can dine outdoors in good weather. | Average main: $24 | City Dock at Randall St. | 21401-1804 | 410/263–3323 | www.middletontavern.com.

Osteria 177.
$$$ | MODERN ITALIAN | This might be the nicest restaurant in the capital that doesn’t serve crab cakes. It also might be the only local Italian restaurant that doesn’t offer pizza or spaghetti. Instead, Osteria serves seafood from all over the world, meat, and pasta made on the premises. Northern Italian owner and chef Arturo Ottaviano offers sea bass filleted at tableside, lobster bisque served in generous oval-shaped bowls, and his signature dish Linguine all’ Osteria 177, surrounded by generous servings of seafood. Local politicians and lobbyists like the $15 lunch. | Average main: $26 | 177 Main St. | 21401 | 410/267–7700.

Rams Head Tavern.
$ | BRITISH | This traditional English-style pub serves better-than-usual tavern fare, including spicy shrimp salad, crab cakes, beer-battered shrimp, and daily specials, as well as more than 100 beers—15 on tap—including six Fordham beers and others from around the world. Brunch is served on Sunday, and nationally known folk, rock, jazz, country, and bluegrass artists perform some nights. Dinner-show specials are available; the menu has light fare. | Average main: $14 | 33 West St. | 21401-2420 | 410/268–4545 | www.ramsheadtavern.com.

Where to Stay in Annapolis, Maryland

There are many places to stay near the heart of the city, as well as area bed-and-breakfasts and chain motels a few miles outside town. Prices vary considerably. They rise astronomically for “Commissioning Week” at the Naval Academy (late May), the week of July 4, and during the sailboat and powerboat shows in October.

Annapolis Accommodations.
Annapolis Accommodations specializes in rentals as short as three days or as long as three years. Their office is open 9–5:30 weekdays. | Rooms from: $14 | 41 Maryland Ave., Historic Area | 21401 | 410/263–3262 | www.stayannapolis.com.

Annapolis Bed & Breakfast Association.
Annapolis Bed & Breakfast Association books lodging in 12 bed-and-breakfasts in the old section of town, which has many restaurants and shops, and in Eastport. | Rooms from: $189 | www.annapolisbandb.com.

Annapolis Marriott Waterfront.
$$$ | HOTEL | You can practically fish from your room at the city’s only waterfront hotel, where rooms have either balconies over the water or large windows with views of the harbor or the historic district. The outdoor bar by the harbor’s edge is popular in nice weather. Pros: a “pure room” is available for the allergy sensitive; accessible for travelers with disabilities; a great place for children. Cons: some rooms have no waterfront view, some have only partial views; chain hotel lacks charm; parking is pricey. TripAdvisor: “room location a major factor,” “wonderful visit,” “great hotel with great views.” | Rooms from: $349 | 80 Compromise St. | 21401-1810 | 410/268–7555 | www.annapolismarriott.com | 150 rooms | No meals.

Country Inn & Suites.
$ | HOTEL | Rooms all have standard chain-hotel decor, but a large fireplace, wooden floors, and overstuffed sofas make the lobby an inviting place to linger. Within walking distance of Annapolis’s largest mall, the hotel also has a free shuttle that can take you to the Historic District and to business parks. Four rooms have whirlpool tubs and two have fireplaces. Pros: complimentary hot breakfast included; reliable and inexpensive option; near shopping. Cons: 4 miles from the dock; small gym. TripAdvisor: “great place for a family,” “very nice lodging,” “wonderful experience.” | Rooms from: $129 | 2600 Housely Rd. | 21401-7009 | 410/571–6700, 800/456–4000 | www.countryinns.com | 100 rooms | Breakfast.

Gibson’s Lodgings.
$ | HOTEL | Three detached houses from three centuries—1780, 1890, and 1980—are operated together as a single inn, and all the guest rooms are furnished with pre-1900 antiques. One of the house’s hallways is strikingly lined with mirrors, and Continental breakfast with a waffle bar is served in the formal dining room of the 18th-century Patterson House. Pros: conveniently located between the Naval Academy and downtown; half block from the water; free parking in the courtyards. Cons: only one of the houses can accommodate children; only one room is handicapped accessible. TripAdvisor: “great room,” “fantastic location,” “a true gem.” | Rooms from: $149 | 110–114 Prince George St. | 21401-1704 | 410/268–5555, 877/330–0057 | www.gibsonslodgings.com | 20 rooms, 18 with bath | Breakfast.

Historic Inns of Annapolis.
$ | B&B/INN | Three 18th-century properties in the historic district, the Governor Calvert House, Robert Johnson House, and Maryland Inn, are now grouped as one inn, all offering guest rooms that are individually decorated with antiques and reproductions. Built in 1727, Calvert House is steps from the capitol. Also on State Circle, Robert Johnson House was built for the Annapolis barber in 1772. At the Maryland Inn, on nearby Church Circle, all rooms date back to the Revolutionary era. Registration for all three is at the Governor Calvert House, and the Treaty of Paris Restaurant and two pubs serve all three inns. Pros: historic properties; within walking distance of activities; lemonade or spiced cider served daily in the Calvert House. Cons: prices vary greatly; some rooms are small. TripAdvisor: “wonderful quaint accommodations,” “lovely base in Annapolis,” “charming.” | Rooms from: $169 | 58 State Circle | 21401-1906 | 410/263–2641, 800/847–8882 | www.historicinnsofannapolis.com | 124 rooms, 14 suites | No meals.

Scotlaur Inn.
$ | B&B/INN | On the two floors above Chick and Ruth’s Delly, rooms in this family-owned B&B are papered in pastel colonial prints and furnished with high beds topped with fluffy comforters and lots of pillows. Chandeliers in each room and marble floors in the private bathrooms bring this place a long way from its first days as a boardinghouse with only two bathrooms. Check-in as well as breakfast are held in the famous deli downstairs. Pros: a chance to stay above one of Annapolis’s landmarks right in the center of town. Half off in nearby parking garage. Cons: might not be your style if you prefer modern decor and don’t like chintz; rooms are on the smaller side; no elevator. TripAdvisor: “amazing staff,” “great people,” “perfect location.” | Rooms from: $95 | 165 Main St. | 21401-2000 | 410/268–5665 | www.scotlaurinn.com | 10 rooms | Breakfast.

The Westin Annapolis Hotel.
$$ | HOTEL | The Westin Annapolis is part of a large redevelopment complex about a mile from the City Dock and offers luxurious accommodation, along with a business center and the largest ballroom in town. Pros: the complete Starwood hotel experience; modern hotel with many amenities. Cons: about a mile from the City Dock in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood; Wi-Fi only free in public areas. TripAdvisor: “great service,” “best place to stay in Annapolis,” “convenient to everything.” | Rooms from: $219 | 100 Westgate Circle, Park Place | 21401-3379 | 410/972–4300 | www.westin.com/annapolis | 225 rooms | No meals.

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