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Annapolis -- Not Just for Summer Sailors

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 8, 2005
Historians know Annapolis as the home of the U.S. Naval Academy, the nation's first peacetime capital, and the spot where Spiro Agnew lived before becoming the first vice president to resign his office.

Reynolds Tavern, Annapolis

It was in Annapolis that the Congress of 1783-84 ratified the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, and accepted the resignation of George Washington as commander of the Continental army. Standing structures Washington knew include the King of France Tavern, Treaty of Paris restaurant, and the gray-domed Maryland State House, the oldest state capitol building in continuous use (since 1779).

There are many others, since Annapolis has the nation's highest concentration of 18th century architecture, with colored door plaques indicating the various styles.

It sits on a peninsula that has 17 miles of shoreline, with water at the end of most streets, but is a basically a small town that is easy to navigate on foot.

Often called "the sailing capital of the United States," that tag fits best in summer, when boats crowd the Severn River, which empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

But winter in Annapolis has advantages: crowds and prices are down and the community keeps cozy with roaring fireplaces and stories that trace a legacy that includes the arrival of Kunte Kinte ("Roots" author Alex Haley has a bronze statue at the foot of Dock Street).

On March 24, Annapolis history finds a permanent home with the opening of History Quest at the St. Clair Wright History Center, offering both filmed as well as standing exhibits. The town's first history center will be housed on Main Street.

This is also the first winter that visitors can take a horse-and-carriage ride through the city's historic district, as Annapolis Carriage has announced a March 3 resumption of its Thursday-Sunday schedule (weather permitting). Guests board at the Historic Annapolis Museum Store, near the history center.

Also in March, female fans of fireside chats can join Saturday Fireside Sessions on such topics as daytime navigation, electronics, and the how to tie knots and lines. The 22-year-old Womanship sailing school, which offers the daylong seminars, is one of the nation's best, according to Travel Smart magazine.

Craft-making at Glazed and Fuzed and jewelry-making at the newly-expanded Bead Bungalow are also on tap this winter, along with indoor and outdoor ice-skating, and visits to the African-American history exhibits at the Bannerker-Douglass Museum (set to reopen Feb. 27 after a massive expansion).

Though staying inside is often the best way to counter the winds of winter, some sailing enthusiasts refuse to listen. The Frostbite Sailing Series, featuring Sunday afternoon races that start on the Severn River near the Naval Academy, starts its two-month run on Jan. 29.

Out-of-towners can sometimes join crews by showing up at the Annapolis Yacht Club an hour before the 1 o'clock start. Guests who prefer to stay warm can watch from waterside pubs while sipping Irish coffee or stronger beverages.

Local hotels have teamed with Annapolis businesses to create more than two-dozen packages for winter visitors. To learn more, contact Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau, 26 West St., Annapolis, MD 21401 (Tel. 410-280-0445, Fax 410-263-9591, www.visit-annapolis.org).

Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is president of the North American Travel Journalists Association, and a frequent contributor to AAA Traveler and USAirways Magazine.

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