Annapolis oozes history from every street corner.
The city, founded in 1649, became the capital of Maryland in 1695. And for 10 months in 1783 and 1784, it was the first peacetime capital of the United States.
With the start of school only a few weeks away, a day or two spent enjoying the sights in Annapolis could be a fun way to ease your youngsters back into the learning mode. It's easy to sneak in lessons about American history as you explore the cobblestoned streets of this charming waterfront city.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson spent time in Annapolis. It was here that Congress ratified the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. Kunta Kinte, the ancestor of author Alex Haley, arrived here on a slave ship.
And all four Marylanders who signed the Declaration of Independence - William Paca, Thomas Stone, Samuel Chase and Charles Carroll - had houses here.
A natural place to begin your tour of the city is at the Maryland State House. Maryland boasts the nation's oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, with state business taking place at the same place since 1779.
Free tours of the building take visitors through the various rooms, with guides showing them architectural features and explaining some of the important events that took place at the site. The tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily, except on Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day. The State House is closed on Christmas Day.
On the tour, you and your kids will learn that the building has the largest wooden dome ever built without benefit of nails, and that it was the home of the nation's first peacetime national government, housing the Continental Congress in 1783 and 1784.
In the Old Senate Chamber in 1783, George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, an event commemorated with a painting and a bronze floor plaque in the room. In January 1784, the Treaty of Paris was ratified in the same room, officially ending the Revolutionary War.
Kids may enjoy the large wooden ship in the front hallway. The 15-foot Maryland Federalist was built in 1987 to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the state's ratification of the U.S. Constitution. It is an exact replica of a ship that was built by Baltimore merchants in 1788 and presented to George Washington as a gift. Unfortunately, that ship sank in a hurricane six weeks after it was given to Washington.
Like the original Federalist, the new one is loaded with Maryland symbols. It has seven sails, because Maryland was the seventh state to join the union. It is painted in the state colors of black, white, red and gold. It is decorated with pictures of the state flower, the black-eyed Susan, and the state tree, the Wye Oak, which was destroyed in a thunderstorm in June.
Also of interest is the small Maryland flag on the wall of the Rotunda. It went with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins on the first manned trip to the moon in 1969.
Call 410-974-3400 for tour information and arrangements, or 410-280-0445 for general Annapolis visitor information.
Historic homes
A hotbed of activity during the Revolutionary War and its aftermath, Annapolis is loaded with historic houses, including the Charles Carroll House at 107 Duke of Gloucester St., and the Chase-Lloyd House at 22 Maryland Ave. Both were originally owned by Declaration of Independence signers.
One of the nicest homes to visit with kids is the William Paca House and Garden at 186 Prince George St. This house, once owned by Declaration signer and Maryland governor William Paca, was constructed between 1763 and 1765.
Young children probably won't appreciate the 45-minute tour of the home's interior, but they most likely will enjoy the beautiful gardens that include terraces, bridges, a vegetable garden, a bathhouse and a lily pond. The home and gardens were opened to the public in 1973, and have been restored to reflect what life was like in the 1700s. The gardens, in particular, were created based on research by the Historic Annapolis Foundation.
The house is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Dec. 24-25. Call 410-263-5553 for more information and for hours in January and February. Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for children 6 to 17. The cost includes an audio-guided tour of the garden, which explains the historical significance of the various elements.
On the waterfront
The heart of Annapolis was and still is the City Dock, a bustling harbor that has been in operation since Colonial times. The dock is lined with shops and restaurants and is known as "ego alley" because of all the luxury boats that are moored there.
It may be hard to believe, but today's upscale setting was once a point of entry for slave ships arriving from Africa.
One slave who arrived in Annapolis in 1767 was Kunta Kinte, an ancestor of the late author Alex Haley. While you're on the dock, show your children the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial, the centerpiece of which is a sculpture of the author reading to three children.
The sculpture, installed by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation in 1997, honors the author for his groundbreaking 1976 book, Roots, which detailed the history of Haley's family.
After whetting the kids' appetite for African-American history, be sure to take them to the Banneker-Douglass Museum at 84 Franklin St. This small, free museum features artifacts from Africa and art from local artists, as well as historical information about Maryland natives, including Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass.
Banneker, born in 1731, was an inventor, mathematician and architect. He is best known for re-creating from memory the design of Washington, D.C., after the original architect, Pierre L'Enfant, was dismissed from the project. Douglass, born a slave, was one of the most important leaders of the abolitionist movement.
The brown brick building that houses the museum was built in 1874 as the Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church. Its stained-glass windows are a highlight of its elegant design.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 410-216-6180.
Go, Navy!
Of course, Annapolis is probably best known to the rest of the country as the home of the U.S. Naval Academy. The Naval School, as it was originally called, had 50 students and a 10-acre campus when it was founded in 1845. Five years later, it became the Naval Academy, the undergraduate college of the U.S. Navy. It now has about 4,000 students and a beautiful 338-acre waterfront campus.
Tours of the campus are available year-round, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. The fee is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students in grades one through 12. Call the visitor center at 410-263-6933 for more information.
Even if you skip the tour, don't miss the academy's museum, at 118 Maryland Ave. on the campus. The museum includes uniforms and artifacts highlighting the Navy's role in armed conflicts, the Cold War and even the space race. The Gallery of Ship Models on the ground floor is considered one of the world's finest collections of ship models, and is sure to be of interest to children.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. It is closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Admission is free.
Also be sure to visit the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, built in 1904. It has a beautiful copper dome and is adorned with stained-glass windows designed by Tiffany Studios.
Older kids might like to see the crypt of John Paul Jones, who famously said, "I have not yet begun to fight" when his ship was sinking and ablaze during a fierce Revolutionary War battle. Jones managed to prevail, and is considered the first hero of the Navy.
Visiting hours for the Naval Academy are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later. For more information about the Naval Academy, call the visitor center at 410-263-6933 or visit the academy's Web site at www.usna.edu.
Speaking of the Navy reminds us of boats, and that makes us think of boat tours, which are wonderful ways to see the city and learn about its history. Walk along the City Dock and choose the boat tour that strikes your fancy. Watermark offers several, including both 90- and 40-minute tours that take several routes. The 90-minute tours are $14 for adults and $7 for kids 3 to 11, while the 40-minute tours are $7 for adults and $4 for kids 3 to 11. For more information, call 410-768-7600, or check out the Web site at www .watermarkcruises.com.
While you're on the dock, you might want to grab lunch from the Market House, a collection of restaurants and food stalls that includes a bakery, fish market, pizzeria and farmers' market. There has been a Market House at the dock in one form or another since 1788.
A mozzarella and tomato sandwich from the Big Cheese is fresh and filling. It costs about $5.
Another lunch option is Aromi d'Italia, at 8 Dock St. It offers a lunchtime buffet that features veggies, meat, pasta, fruit and more. The cost is $7.95 for adults and $3.95 for kids 10 and under. The cafe also serves sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as gelato for dessert.
Tour companies
For parents who want professional help with all that history, several tour companies operate in Annapolis. For information about Annapolis Walkabout, call 410-263-8253. For Three Centuries Tours of Annapolis, call 410-263-5401. For a bus tour, try Discover Annapolis; 410-626-6000.
Though tours can provide a lot of valuable information, it can be fun to explore the city at your own pace with your children. Because Annapolis is compact, it's easy to walk from one end to the other.
No matter how you decide to see Annapolis, you and your kids are sure to learn some fascinating history as you explore. Not a bad way to get ready for school.