Scavenger Hunt in Annapolis: America's Sailing Capital and Colonial Gem
Annapolis has no excuse for being as good as it is. A city of 40,000 people shouldn't have this density of 18th-century architecture, this quality of waterfront, this concentration of excellent restaurants, and this depth of American history. It does because it was the colonial capital of Maryland (and briefly the capital of the United States, where the Continental Congress met in 1783-1784 to ratify the Treaty of Paris), and the wealth and ambition of the colonial period is preserved intact in the compact historic district.
A city scavenger hunt in Annapolis is one of the best in the Mid-Atlantic: the scale is right (compact enough to cover thoroughly in 90 minutes), the architectural detail is extraordinary, and the waterfront context, the City Dock, the Naval Academy, the sailing culture, gives every block a maritime dimension that no inland city can replicate.
Best Areas for an Annapolis Scavenger Hunt
Historic Downtown, the area within walking distance of the State House (the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use in the United States, completed 1779) has the greatest concentration of 18th-century buildings outside Williamsburg, Virginia. Maryland Avenue, Prince George Street, and King George Street are lined with Georgian and Federal-period townhouses, many of which are still privately owned and occupied. The William Paca House and Garden (home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, now a museum), the Hammond-Harwood House (considered the finest example of Georgian residential architecture in America), and St. Anne's Church (established 1692, the current building from 1858) are all within a few walkable blocks.
City Dock and Ego Alley, the inner harbor area where the sailing boats tie up, the Market House food stalls operate, and the "Ego Alley" parade of pleasure boats on summer weekends creates the maritime spectacle that defines Annapolis summers, is the social center of the city and the scavenger hunt's waterfront anchor.
The United States Naval Academy, the federal installation at the northeast edge of the historic district, accessible to civilians during daylight hours, has the Bancroft Hall dormitory (the largest dormitory building in the world), the Neo-Romanesque chapel with John Paul Jones's crypt, and the museum in Preble Hall. The Visitor Center provides context for the Academy's history within American naval history.
What an Annapolis Scavenger Hunt Reveals
The Questo city quest in Annapolis covers the colonial-era political history of Maryland's most important city, the maritime economy that the Chesapeake Bay created and sustained, and the Naval Academy's role in shaping both the city's character and American military culture since 1845.
The Chesapeake Bay maritime heritage, the skipjacks and bugeyes (traditional working sailboats) that harvested oysters and crabs from the bay, the watermen's communities on the Eastern Shore, and the sailing culture that has made Annapolis the "Sailing Capital of the United States", is embedded in the waterfront landscape of the City Dock area.
Annapolis Scavenger Hunt Tips
The Maryland blue crab (steamed with Old Bay seasoning, eaten at a paper-covered picnic table with a wooden mallet) is the canonical Chesapeake Bay food experience, and Annapolis is one of the best cities in Maryland for it, Cantler's Riverside Inn (a short drive from downtown), the Boatyard Bar & Grill, and Mike's Crab House are the established references. The Water Taxi between the City Dock and Eastport (the neighborhood across the creek with excellent restaurants and a walking distance of 15 minutes by boat and 45 by land) is worth the short crossing. The Naval Academy Museum's model ship collection is excellent and free.