Annapolis Guide » More About Annapolis: Overview

Overview

Nestled between historical powerhouses Virginia and Pennsylvania, Maryland boasts a substantial share of Early American fame and familiarity, as does its capital, Annapolis. The port city, situated where the Severn River meets the Chesapeake Bay, takes pride in its maritime heritage and prominence in Colonial history. Founded in the mid-17th century by Virginian Puritans fleeing religious intolerance, the city (in 1694) became the capital of Maryland, its name paying tribute to the future Queen Anne of England. As Annapolis's trade presence grew, so did its political profile. The fledgling country's first State House and parochial libraries were located here, and the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, was signed here. In addition, the city acted as the nation's capital for a year in the 1780s. In a further nod to patriotism, Annapolis is home to the prestigious US Naval Academy. Even with its robust history and abundance of Colonial-era structures (the entire downtown is a National Historic Landmark), Annapolis is no staid museum exhibit. Its waterside location fosters boating and yachting, and summertime festivals attract folks to the City Dock for crisp salt air and views of sailing vessels. Terrific shops and restaurants also lie in the vicinity, poised to welcome patrons with cold brews and great blue crab cakes! Naval Academy midshipmen and students from venerable St. John's College (whose "Great Books" curriculum departs famously from collegiate standards) impart a dose of youthful vigor to the city, and cultural opportunities abound. If you simply want to take in the sights, Annapolis offers amazing architecture, including stately homes, manors and public structures. Charming and perennially welcoming, Maryland's capital is also eminently accessible, less than 30 miles from either Baltimore or Washington, DC – great for a daytrip or a journey into the past.