Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, is quickly becoming a very lucrative tourist destination on the east coast. But what, you might ask; can someone do for free while they’re visiting this beautiful city? Well, a lot. Annapolis, while being a very high end city, also offers plenty of fun things to do for free thanks to bountiful amounts of creative people and beautiful scenery.
Annapolis and its surrounding communities offer many parks with different events for anyone and everyone. Quiet Waters Park, a park located in one of the many suburbs of this great little city, offers pavilions for parties, a dog park for anyone traveling with pets, a multi-level playground for the kids, and over 6 miles of trails for walkers, jogger, and bikers alike. The park is situated between the South River and Harness Creek. The prime location lends itself to gorgeous views along many of the trails. One even leads right down to a scenic overlook of the water with gazebo’s and beaches galore. The park even offers a summer concert series with free concerts to the public (to view the concert schedule: http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/concerts09.cfm).
The city itself is full of small and personable art galleries. The galleries allow patrons free admission to view different media with different styles from all over the globe. One such gallery, the McBride Art Gallery, is located right in historical downtown Annapolis. The gallery offers a range of artists, styles, and media (the website for the McBride Gallery: http://www.mcbridegallery.com/). If traveling with an avid art lover, McBride isn’t the only gallery around. On Main Street alone there are three. In the downtown district there are more than ten. Although all of them are relatively small, most have free admission and are within a square mile of each other.
Tourists flock to Annapolis mainly because it is steeped so richly in American History. Serving as the capitol of the United States from 1783-84, many organizations have been created in order to preserve the historical value of the city, especially downtown. If traveling with small children, The Chesapeake Children’s Museum is always a fun place to go. Although the admission is normally three dollars, during different times of the year the admission is only a canned good or an article of clothing for donation. The museum offers live animals, boating, exhibits in construction, and theatrical displays among many other things (for more information: http://www.theccm.org/index.htm). There is also the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the Charles Carroll House, and the U.S. Naval Academy to name a few.
Annapolis really is a fun and educational town that serves as a great vacation spot for all different kinds of people. The opportunities to have fun on a budget are endless. If none of the parks, galleries, or museums sound interesting, there is always the option to wander around downtown on the city dock and just enjoy the striking scenery that surrounds you.
