Museums & Historic Sites »
| Name | Contact Info | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Annapolis Maritime Museum |
723 Second St. Annapolis, Md. 410-295-0104 office@amaritime.org | The museum preserves and teaches 400 years of maritime history, including life and work on the Chesapeake Bay. Hours: noon-4 p.m. Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Group tours by appointment. Free. |
| Arlington National Cemetery |
Memorial Drive
Southern end of Memorial Bridge Arlington, Va. 703-607-8000 | Major attractions include the Tomb of the Unknowns, where a formal changing of the guard ceremony happens every half-hour in the summer and on the hour the rest of the year. The tomb contains the remains of unidentified U.S. service members from world wars I and II and the Korean War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment, and the medals, as well as the flags that covered their caskets, are displayed inside the Memorial Amphitheater, to the rear of the tomb. The tomb is guarded at all times by the Army's Old Guard. Changing of the guard occurs on the hour Oct. 1-March-- and every half-hour March 15-Sept. 30. The Women's Memorial, dedicated in 1997, pays tribute to all servicewomen in the U.S. armed forces. It is at the ceremonial entrance to the cemetery. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily April 1-Sept. 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. the rest of the year. Closed on Christmas. |
| Banneker-Douglass Museum |
84 Franklin St. Annapolis, Md. 410-216-6180 bdmprograms@mdp.state.md.us | This African American history museum presents rotating exhibitions about black history in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and Maryland. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Free. Tours and site rentals are available for a fee. |
| Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre |
12229 Bristow Rd. Brentsville, Va. 703-365-7895 | The center dates from the 1820s, when the county seat was established there. Today, Brentsville is the county's oldest surviving courthouse. The site also contains a jail, a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin and the Brentsville Union Church. The jail and the log cabin are closed for renovations. The 24-acre grounds, which include hiking trails and a picnic area, are open from sunrise to sunset daily. |
| Calvert Marine Museum |
14200 Solomons Island Rd.
P.O. Box 97 Solomons, Md. 410-326-2042 Fax: 410-326-6691 information@calvertmarinemuseum.com | This public, nonprofit museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research and interpretation of the culture and natural history of Southern Maryland. Its mission is to interpret three maritime themes: regional Miocene paleontology, estuarine life on the tidal Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, and the maritime histories of these waters. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Adults, $7; seniors, $6; ages 5-12, $2; 4 and younger, free; members, free. |
| Cannon Branch Fort |
10509 Wakeman Dr. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 | This is one of two remaining Civil War earthworks fortifications in Manassas. Historians think they were built by Union troops in 1863 and 1864 as part of a series of forts meant to defend supply lines along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The fort is under renovation. |
| Captain Salem Avery House Museum |
1418 E. West Shady Side Rd. PO Box 89 Shady Side, Md. 410-867-4486 captainavery@verizon.net | This antebellum house on the banks of the West River features rotating exhibitions on watermen and history in Anne Arundel County. It is operated by the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society. Museum hours: 1-4 p.m. Sundays, March-December. Library hours: Noon-3 p.m. Mondays. Free. |
| Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory |
9419 Battle St. Manassas, Va. 703-330-ARTS (2787) info@center-for-the-arts.org | The 1908 Hopkins Candy Factory was restored in 2001 and 2002 and a variety of arts programs. |
| Charles Carroll House |
107 Duke of Gloucester St. Annapolis, Md. 410-269-1737 | Three generations of Carrolls, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived here. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays, May-October. Group and school tours by appointment. |
| Chase-Lloyd House |
22 Maryland Ave. Annapolis, Md. 410-263-2723 | Built by Samuel Chase, an 18th-century lawyer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, this Georgian-style townhouse is known for its interior detail. Hours: 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2-4 p.m. most Saturdays (call first), March-December. Admission: $2. |
| Chesapeake Children's Museum |
25 Silopanna Rd. Annapolis, Md. 410-990-1993 info@theccm.org | The museum offers activities for children 1 year and older, including arts and crafts, story times, lectures and living-history performances. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. Admission: $3. |
| Fort Washington Park |
13551 Fort Washington Rd. Fort Washington, Md. 301-763-4600 | This is one of the few seacoast forts in its original form. The 341-acre national park has hiking and biking trails and overlooks the Potomac River and Mount Vernon. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April-Oct. 26; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 27-April 5, 2009. Park grounds are open 8 a.m.-dark. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. $3 per individual, $5 per vehicle. |
| Glen Echo Park |
7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, Md. 301-634-2222 Fax: 301-634-2260 Recorded information: 301-320-2330 info@glenechopark.org | The site features a historic carousel and ballroom. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays. |
| Gunston Hall Plantation |
10709 Gunston Rd. Mason Neck, Va. 703-550-9220 Fax: 703-550-9480 | This was the plantation home of George Mason, a framer of the U.S. Constitution. The home, built about 1755, is on 550 acres and is open for tours. Many special events take place here throughout the year. Hours: 9:30 a.m-5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. |
| Hammond-Harwood House |
19 Maryland Ave. Annapolis, Md. 410-263-4683 clively@hammondharwoodhouse.org | Carter Lively, executive director. Lisa Mason-Chaney, assistant director/curator. The house, a national historic landmark, was built in 1774 as a town residence for Matthias Hammond, a legislator and plantation owner. The house was the last work of renowned architect William Buckland. The building, a museum since 1926, houses a collection of late 18th- and early-19th-century decorative arts, including furniture and paintings. Hours: Noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, through Oct. 31. Closed Mondays. Call ahead on major holidays. Last tour begins at 4 p.m. Closed from November to the beginning of April but will open for group tours. Admission: $6; high school and college students, AAA members and seniors, $5.50;-- and younger, $3. |
| Hancock's Resolution |
2795 Bayside Beach Rd. Pasadena, Md. 410-255-4048 | Completed in 1785, this stone farmhouse is an example of early Chesapeake architecture. It was built by Stephen Hancock and was occupied by members of the Hancock family until 1962. Hours: 1-4 p.m. Sundays, April-October. Free; donations accepted. Check Web site for programs and updates. |
| Historic Annapolis Foundation Museum Store |
77 Main St. Annapolis, Md. 410-268-5576 | In this restored 19th-century warehouse, the foundation sells ship models, books, jewelry, gourmet food and other items that relate to or reflect the maritime history of Annapolis. Hours vary depending on season. |
| Historic London Town and Gardens |
839 Londontown Rd. Edgewater, Md. 410-222-1919 londontown@historiclondontown.org | This 23-acre park and historic site on the South River in Edgewater is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Created in 1683, the town became an important tobacco port and ferry crossing. Today, London Town features the state's largest ongoing archaeological excavation, the National Historic Landmark William Brown House and reconstructed buildings of the "lost town," including the Lord Mayor's Tenement and Carpenter Shop. The site showcases several historic gardens and an eight-acre woodland garden. The foundation offers special events and educational programs throughout the year. Hours: April-December, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays. House tours are given hourly, with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. January-March, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission: Guided historic area and self-guided garden tour, $12; seniors, $10; youths 7-18, $5; age 6 and younger, free. Self-guided historic area and garden tour, $8; seniors, $6; youths 7-18, $3; age 6 and younger, free. Reservations required for group tours of 10 or more. Free to members of the London Town Foundation. |
| Historic St. Mary's City |
18751 Hogaboom Lane,
off Rosecroft Road St. Mary's City, Md. 240-895-4990 800-762-1634 hsmc@smcm.edu | This outdoor living history museum and archaeological park documents the life of Maryland's first permanent colony and the first Colonial capital (1634-95), Godiah Spray Plantation, Woodland Indian Hamlet, 1676 State House, historic town center and the Dove, a replica of one of the two vessels that brought the original colonists. Exhibitions are open from mid-March through November, with special events on weekends through December. Adults, $10; seniors, $8; college students and students, 13-18, $6; children 6-12, $3.50; and children 5 and younger, free. |
| History Quest |
99 Main St. Annapolis, Md. 410-267-6656 | The 18th-century, Georgian-style building in downtown Annapolis is a place to learn about the city's architectural, archaeological and cultural riches through exhibits and multimedia presentations, with escorted and self-guided tours of Annapolis. Tickets are also available for local historical venues and events. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. Free. |
| Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial |
City Dock Annapolis, Md. 410-841-6920 Fax: 410-841-6505 info@kintehaley.org | The memorial honors the late author Alex Haley and his ancestor Kunta Kinte, an African slave and the subject of Haley's celebrated book "Roots." It features a series of statues, with Haley in the middle reading to attentive schoolchildren; a 100-foot story wall; and a---foot-diameter compass rose. Free. |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park |
6511 Sudley Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-361-1339 | The 5,000-acre park was established in 1940 to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles, including the first major engagement of the war in 1861. Visitors center hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. |
| Mormon Temple |
9900 Stoneybrook Dr. Kensington, Md. 301-587-0144 301-588-0650 | The world's third-largest Mormon temple is on 57 acres near the Capital Beltway. Visitors center hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except in December, when it is open nightly until 10. |
| Mount Vernon |
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. Mount Vernon, Va. 703-780-2000 | The estate of George Washington is open daily, year-round. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February. |
| Mount Vernon |
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. Mount Vernon, Va. 703-780-2000 | The estate, home and burial place of George Washington is eight miles south of the city of Alexandria. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February. Adults, $13; seniors, $12; ages 6-11, $6; 5 and younger, free. |
| NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center |
Soil Conservation Road and Explorer Drive Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-9041 Fax: 301-286-1781 gsfc-pao@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov | The hub of all NASA tracking activities, Goddard is also responsible for the development of unmanned scientific spacecraft and research in space and earth sciences, including NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Collections include space flight artifacts and photographs. Visitors center hours: September-June, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; noon-4 p.m. weekends; closed Mondays. July-August, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, noon-4 p.m., Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Closed on all federal holidays. Free. |
| National Colonial Farm at the Accokeek Foundation |
3400 Bryan Point Rd. Accokeek, Md. 301-283-2113, Ext. 15 Fax: 301-283-2049 programs@accokeek.org | The farm, an agricultural-historical museum project of the Accokeek Foundation, has exhibitions and demonstrations of the agricultural methods, crops and livestock of a modest Tidewater farm of the mid-18th century. Open throughout the school year for guided tours scheduled in advance. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, mid-March through mid-December; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, mid-December through mid-March. Guided tours available at 1 p.m. on weekends. $2; 50 cents, ages 4 to 11. |
| Oatlands Plantation |
20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane Leesburg, Va. 703-777-3174 Fax: 703-777-4427 | Oatlands, owned and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers guided tours of its antebellum plantation, including a 22-room mansion built in 1804 by George Carter, great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter, who in the early 1700s was said to be the richest man in the English colonies. Afternoon tea is served in the carriage house Thursday through Saturday until the end of June and again after Labor Day. Candlelight tours are conducted at Christmastime. |
| Point Lookout State Park |
11175 Point Lookout Rd. Route 5 Scotland, Md. 301-872-5688 Fax: 301-872-5084 | The Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay join here. The area served as a watch post to warn of British ships during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. During the Civil War, it was a Union military district in which the federal government established a hospital and prisoner-of-war camp. Hours: sunrise-sunset year-round. The park is open to night fishing with a valid license. |
| Rising Sun Inn |
1090 Generals Hwy. Crownsville, Md 410-268-9249 | The circa-1753 inn is a frame house and hip-roofed tavern of pre-Revolutionary days on a major Colonial road between Baltimore and Annapolis. It has been restored and is used by members of the Anne Arundel chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Hours: 1-4 p.m. second Sunday of the month, third Sunday in May. $5 donation. |
| St. John's College |
60 College Ave. Annapolis, Md. 410-263-2371 | This liberal arts college was founded in 1696 as King William's School and was chartered as a college in 1784. Four of its founders (Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase, William Paca and Thomas Stone) were signers of the Declaration of Independence. The college was used by Union troops as a barracks and receiving station during the Civil War. |
| The Barracks |
43 Pinkney St. Annapolis, Md. 410-267-7619 Fax: 410-267-6189 | Similar to the residences used to house troops during the Revolutionary War, the building has two main rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor. It is maintained by the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Hours: by appointment only as well as during Maryland Day celebrations in March. |
| Thomas Stone National Historic Site |
6655 Rose Hill Rd. Port Tobacco, Md. 301-392-1776 Fax: 301-934-8793 | This is the site of Haberdeventure, home of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stone and his wife, Margaret Brown, built the home in the early 1770s, and it remained the Stone family home until 1936. The National Park Service, which finished restoring the site in 1997, offers hiking and birding trails, as well as guided tours of the house. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Memorial Day-Labor Day; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, Labor Day-Memorial Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Free. |
| U.S. Geological Survey |
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. Reston, Va. 703-648-4748 | A visitors center at the federal agency offers an introduction to such topics as volcanoes, earthquakes, disaster preparedness and flooding. Hours: self-guided tours 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; call ahead for guided tours. |
| U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial |
Just north of Arlington National Cemetery, at Route 50 and North Meade Street Arlington, Va. 703-289-2500 | The memorial honoring all fallen Marines depicts one of the most famous images of World War II: Marines raising the U.S. flag while fighting the Japanese on the West Pacific Ocean island of Iwo Jima. The memorial is also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. |
| U.S. Naval Academy |
Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center
52 King George St. Annapolis, Md. 410-293-8687 tourinfo@usna.edu | The academy was founded in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. The visitors center offers walking tours, including a visit to a sample midshipman's room, and exhibitions. Visitors center hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March-December, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. January-February. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Visitors older than 16 must have a valid photo ID. Adults, $8.50; older than 62, $7.50; students, $6.50; 5 and younger, free. |
| U.S. Patent and Trademark Museum |
600 Dulany St. Suite 0100 Alexandria, Va. 571-272-0095 | Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Closed all federal holidays. Free. |
| Waterfront Warehouse |
4 Pinkney St. Annapolis, Md. 410-267-7619 Fax: 410-267-6189 | One of the few surviving examples of 18th-century warehouses, the structure is maintained by the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Open daily during daylight hours. Free. |
| White's Ferry |
24801 White's Ferry Rd. Dickerson, Md. 301-349-5200 | This is the only regularly operating ferry on the Potomac River. Hours: 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, weather permitting. $4 one way, $6 round trip. |
| William Paca House and Garden |
186 Prince George St. Annapolis, Md. 410-267-7619 Group tours: 800-603-4020, Ext. 4538+410-990-4538 | Built by Paca, a former Maryland governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the house is an example of 18th-century Georgian architecture. The grounds feature an 18th-century, two-acre garden. The property is operated by the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays, April-December; limited winter hours. Admission: Adults, $8; seniors, $7; ages 6-17, $5; 5 and younger, free. |
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