Search Results for: Annapolis

Touring the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland

ByJennRecord November 7, 2023November 7, 2023

On a recent visit to Annapolis, Maryland, we enjoyed learning all about the history of the state, and significant American history, while touring the State House in the heart of Annapolis.

Annapolis, Maryland was the capitol of America from November of 1783 through August of 1784, the first peacetime capitol and the only state house that served as America’s capitol. It is the oldest state house still in continuous legislative use and was the site of both George Washington’s resignation as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in December of 1783 and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War in January of 1784.

The original State House was built in 1735 and renovated in 1876-1877, with an annex built in 1905, identified by the black strip of flooring on the first floor. There were significant update in 1940 and an additional, thorough restoration project in 2014. Today, construction continues at the front entrance, in the old Treasury Building, and across the street with the Department of Legislative Services building. The first floor of the State House remains open to visitors for self guided tours, and several interactive exhibits are engaging for visitors of all ages!

Annapolis | maritime history | Maryland | museums

Exploring the Annapolis Maritime Museum

ByJennRecord October 3, 2023November 7, 2023

On a recent visit to Annapolis (check out our post featuring one of the BEST tours we have ever taken- the historical walking tour of the US Naval Academy.) we stopped at the Annapolis Maritime Museum to learn about the nautical history of the area. (Looking for other great, seaside spots? Check out our posts featuring New Bedford, Massachusetts; Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Newport, Rhode Island).

What was once the home of the McNasby Oyster Company throughout most of the 20th century, the property became the Eastport Historical Committee and Barge House Museum in the 1980s and then developed Annapolis Maritime Museum in 2000 with expansions less than a decade later. The museum showcases the history of the local watermen (the term for men who ) and the harvesting, and over-harvesting of oysters. By the start of the 21st century, less than one percent of oysters were left and today there is a massive restoration project to save the oysters, with the goal to reharvest 10 BILLION oysters by 2035.

Annapolis | family travel

Touring the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland

ByJennRecord September 26, 2023November 7, 2023

Founded in 1845 by George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy, the US Naval Academy, located in the heart of Annapolis, Maryland, is the college that trains officers for both the Navy and Marine Corps. What started as a 10 acre campus with 50 students and 7 faculty members has expanded to a 338 acre campus with over 600 faculty (half civilian and half military) and 4,500 students called Midshipmen (women are called Female Midshipmen), copied from the British naval ranking. Women were first admitted in 1976 and today, represent approximately 30 percent of Midshipmen. Each year, the Academy accepts approximately 1200 students, approximately 10% of applicants. All Midshipmen are on scholarship and are required to serve a minimum of five years in the Navy or Marine Corps following their four year college experience, culminating with a Bachelors of Science degree.

Over 80,000 people take guided tours each year, and over two million people visit the Academy each year. Our guided walking tour is one of the BEST tours we have ever taken and we think it is a must see and do when you’re exploring Annapolis, or driving through to Washington DC or Baltimore, Maryland, both a half hour away.

2023 Year in Review: 52 Highlights

ByJennRecord December 21, 2023December 21, 2023

One of my favorite year end activities is posting our Year in Review. We love looking back on all of our adventures from the previous year and giving thanks for the blessing of travel. We also like looking at some of our “trends”; this year was filled with many cool spots throughout New England (heavy emphasis on Vermont and New Hampshire) and the greater Northeast (Maryland and Virginia, and our favorite: New York) and lots of cool resorts.

The Hew Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire

ByJennRecord September 12, 2023November 7, 2023

The New Hampshire State House, located in the capital city of Concord, is the home base of New Hampshire’s 24 State Senators, each Senator representing 55,000 residents, and 400 House Representatives, one for every 3,500 residents. State House members have other full time jobs and several college student members are current House members (the minimum age to be a House Representative is 18 years old). The House Chamber, 204 years old (in 2023) is the oldest, continuously used House Chamber in the United States- the only additions over the years have been carpet, electricity, and female representatives. The original State House was built between 1816-1819, with additions in the 1860s and the addition of elevators and restrooms in 1910.

family travel | history | State Capitols | Vermont

Playing “I Spy” at the Vermont State Capitol

ByJennRecord May 30, 2023November 7, 2023

Vermont, the 14th state in the union, chose Montpelier as the state capital because of its central location and accessibility to the nearby Winooski River. The first State House, a traditional wooden meetinghouse, was open from 1808-1835, and then moved and expanded to a nearby, larger space from 1836-1856, until a fire destroyed most of the State House in January of 1857. The third, and current, State House was completed in 1859, built in an Italian Renaissance revival style, with all features made from masonry and cast iron; only the dome (57 feet high and covered in gold leaf) is made of wood. (Even the doors and staircase railing were painted to look like mahogany!)

The Vermont Senate Chamber, which has 30 members, is the oldest senate chamber in America that is still actively used and still has all of the original furniture and lighting from 1859 (except for two filing cabinets and a computer). The 150 member House Chamber is the largest room in the State House. Vermont legislators have no private offices at the State House; they conduct business at their chamber desks or in groups in large committee rooms on the first floor. And unlike most state Capitols, there is no rotunda inside the Vermont State House, the dome is an exterior ornament.

Hubbard Park, located behind the State House, is home to walking trails, a fitness trail, an interpretive trail, a 54 foot stone tower, and picnic shelters. The State House complex welcomes visitors all year and encourages exploration of its grounds.