9 Best Sights in Annapolis, Annapolis and Southern Maryland

Probably the most interesting and important site in Annapolis, the Naval Academy, established in 1845, occupies 338 waterfront acres along the Severn River. The midshipmen (the term used for both women and men) go to classes, conduct military drills, and practice or compete in intercollegiate and intramural sports. Your visit to "The Yard" (as the USNA grounds are nicknamed) will start at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center. The visitor center features an exhibit, The Quarter Deck, which introduces visitors to the academy's mission, including a 13-minute film, The Call to Serve, and a well-stocked gift shop. From here you can join one of the hour-long, guided, walking tours of the academy. The centerpiece of the campus is the bright, copper-clad dome of the interdenominational U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, beneath which is buried Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones. You can go inside Bancroft Hall (one of the world's largest dormitories) and see a sample room and the glorious Memorial Hall.

Visitors can have lunch on campus either at Drydock in Dahlgren Hall or the Naval Academy Club.

Based on the Villa Pisani in Montagnana, Italy, this 1774 home was a Colonial high-style residence. Currently, the museum is working to provide and present greater visibility and documentation about those enslaved at Hammond-Harwood House, including wills and letters. Up to seven women, men, and children were enslaved here in the 19th century, according to census records, and a slavery exhibition documents what scholars and historians have learned about them thus far. There are also exhibits of Colonial art by Charles Willson Peale and Rembrandt Peale, as well as displays of decorative arts—everything from Chinese-export porcelain to Georgian-period silver.

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 one of the few remaining original Colonial structures is a three-story brick house, built by William Brown between 1758 and 1764, with dramatic river views. Newly reconstructed buildings include a tenement for lower-class workers, a carpenter's shop, and a barn. Guests can walk around on their own or take a 30-minute docent-led tour. Allow more time to wander the house grounds, woodland gardens, and a visitor center with an interactive exhibit on the area's archaeology and history.

The Story Wall, comprising 10 plaques along the waterfront, recounts the history of African Americans in Maryland. These granite-framed markers lead to a sculpture group depicting Alex Haley, famed author of Roots, reading to a group of children of different ethnic backgrounds. Here you'll also see a plaque that commemorates the 1767 arrival of Kunta Kinte, who was brought from Africa, sold into slavery, and later immortalized in Haley's novel. Across the street is "The Compass Rose," a 14-foot-diameter inlaid bronze map of the world oriented to true north with Annapolis in the center.

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, which was built the following year. Free guided tours are offered the first and third Monday of every month at 10 am and every Wednesday at 12:30 pm. The churchyard contains the grave of the last Colonial governor, Sir Robert Eden.

St. John's is the third-oldest college in the country (after Harvard and William and Mary) and adheres to a Great Books program: 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 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. 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.

The Annapolis Bookstore. This is more than just a bookstore. Relax in the café with a hot or cold beverage, freshly baked pastry, or even a sandwich named after a famous author, and then head to the back to see the charming Fairy Garden and book house, which is literally made of books. Owners Mary Adams and Janice Holmes provide the perfect place for reading, storytelling, and literary adventures. With a carefully selected collection of new, used and rare books, the store is an oasis from the ubiquitous chains. As befits its Annapolis location, the shop specializes in maritime books, as well as classics, poetry, and children's books. 35 Maryland Ave., Annapolis, MD, 21401-1627. 410/280–2339. www.annapolisbookstore.com. Daily 9–6 (to 9 Fri. and Sat.).

Displays of model ships and memorabilia from naval heroes and fighting vessels tell the story of the U.S. Navy. The Rogers Ship Model Collection has nearly 80 models of sailing ships built for the British Admiralty, the largest display of 17th- and 18th-century ship models in North America. Kids of all ages will enjoy watching the restoration and building of model ships on the ground level and might even learn a few tricks of the trade should they wish to purchase a model ship kit to build when they get home.

A signer of the Declaration of Independence, William 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 pleasure 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, physic garden, and formal arrangements. An inn, Carvel Hall, once stood in the gardens, now planted with 18th-century perennials. Guests can take a self-guided tour of the garden, but to see the house, take the docent-led tour. Private tours can be arranged. The last tour leaves 1½ hours before closing.