Sandy Point State Park
Take your kids crabbing, boating or hiking along the shore with a trek to Sandy Point State Park. This 786-acre wonderland offers enough activities to keep even the most finicky kids amused. Crabbing and fishing are fun pastimes at the park's pier. Fishing licenses and crabbing supplies are sold at the park's marina store. Kids can also be entertained by a host of area wildlife, especially the large number of birds that inhabit Chesapeake Bay. If that's not enough, you can take a dip or rent a boat with the kids or take them on one of two trails that snake throughout the area. Kids who still want more conventional toys, even in the midst of a beach, can frolic on the playground.
Sandy Point State Park
1100 E. College Parkway
Annapolis, Maryland 21409
(410) 974-2772
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/Southern/sandypoint.html
Annapolis Trolley Tour
Give your kids, and yourself, an overview of Annapolis and all it has to offer with a trolley tour. While the trolley is really a jazzed-up bus, it's a great way to take in the historical and other notable sites of the city so you can gauge where you want to spend additional time. Choose from either a 60-minute or 40-minute version of the tour that start in different locations but cover the same ground. The knowledgeable tour guide points out historic architecture that includes sprawling mansions, gorgeous Victorian designs and other notable homes; the Naval Academy and State House; Annapolis's city dock and the state's World War II Memorial; as well as some of the most breathtaking views throughout the city. The schedule varies each week.
Annapolis Trolley Tour
One-hour tour: Visitors Center, 26 West St.
Forty-minute tour: HistoryQuest, 99 Main St.
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
http://www.discover-annapolis.com/publictours/index.html
The Annapolis Maritime Museum
You and your kids will learn a lot about the history of the city and its vital link to the surrounding water at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Unlike a stuffy museum full of boring artifacts, the museum is alive with interesting and educational exhibits, an oyster-packing plant and a nearby park. The museum also offers piers where you can go fishing or crabbing and a small beach area for walking or wading. One more museum highlight is the boat tour, open from June through August, which takes folks out to the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. In addition to making for a fascinating tour, the lighthouse was declared a National Historic Landmark and is one of the major landmarks of the Annapolis area.
Annapolis Maritime Museum
723 Second St.
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
(410) 295-0104
annapolismaritimemuseum.org
Article Written By Ryn Gargulinski
Ryn Gargulinski is a writer, artist and performer whose journalism career began in 1991. Credits include two illustrated books, "Bony Yoga" and "Rats Incredible"; fitness, animal, crime, general news and features for various publications; and several awards. She holds a Master of Arts in English literature and folklore and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative writing with a French minor from Brooklyn College.
