Interior of the Chapel at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis,MD
By the latter part of the 1700s,Annapolis had become a political,cultural and an economic bastion of early colonial life, with its state house becoming the first peacetime capital of the U.S.,and its shimmering harbors along the Severn River a gateway of the Chesapeake Bay, and beyond.
In 1850, the naval school situated within a fort along the river became the United States Naval Academy. Just over a decade later, the facility would serve a hospital for Union soldiers. Although no major battles were fought amid its strate- gic waterways,Annapolis would still be considered a lynch pin for the North; a secure territory amid the country’s great divide,which ran right through the state of Maryland.
Today, there are countless offering and opportunities in Annapolis: It’s a vaca- tion-favorite for families,groups and indi- viduals (especially in warmer months); a foodie paradise for those seeking some of the best-darned seafood in the coun- try (Crab Feast held on the first Friday in August is quite possibly the largest crus- tacean feast-of-its-kind in the world); and there’s a history lesson here on par with
90 March April 2017
some of the more important points in our nation’s past.
From an event planner’s per- spective, Annapolis provides plenty of places in which to convene, as I found out dur- ing a recent two-day tour of this bayside retreat that’s con- veniently connected to Maryland’s Eastern shore via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and it is just 26 miles from Baltimore and 32 miles from Washington, DC.
With only 48-hours to spare, I only was able to dip my event-planner’s toe into a few of its enticing waterside destinations, but I loved every minute I was there, nonetheless.
The charming town is a very walkable one with its series of red-brick and brightly-painted houses lining streets leading from serene, gull-dotted bays, up to a slightly inclined jaunt toward its imposing state house and to nearby St. Anne’s
Church.Both serve as lofty visual images and central focal points to Annapolis.
Meanwhile, the backdrop of constantly flowing students from St. John’s College and from the Naval Academy perpetually jog by like an ever-present conveyor belt of youthfulness and vigor.
There’s a lion’s share of lodging here with many of the big international names like Loews,Crowne Plaza and Hilton Garden Inn as some of the higher-end options.
I also noted a slew of smaller, independ- ent inns and a stash of quaint B&Bs for those less inclined toward big lobbies, voluminous ballrooms and room service. Thankfully, my own place to stay - The AnnapolisWaterfront Hotel - was a con- venient combo: intimate,yet opulent.
“There’s nothing else like this place!” exclaimed Brooke Miller,who is the director of sales and marketing for the property,and after spending a pleasantly- relaxing night there, I’d concur complete- ly. The 150-room property is boutique-y, yet full-service,offering a series of meet- ing rooms and ballrooms,many offering sweeping views of its namesake harbor and the distinguished Naval Academy just a couple hundred feet away.
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