Annapolis & Baltimore in three days - Not bad...

I had planned a three day trip to Annapolis, MD; however, after a bit of research I concluded there was not enough to do there for a family over three days. So I expanded out, and included a day or two in Baltimore (where there is a lot to do).

We left Long Island around 10:30am and got to Baltimore around 3:15pm (should have taken 4 hrs, but there was traffic). It was a toss up whether to go to the Baltimore Museum of Industry or the American Visionary Art Museum - they are not far from each other on the same street. We pulled into the MoI, and after finding out it closed around 4pm, we opted for the Visionary Art Museum. I would still recommend the Museum of Industry for another trip - it looked cool.

The American Visionary Art Museum is hard to miss. It looks a little like a homeless person has tried to decorate the outside of the building. Still it is cool - complete with a giant bird (made out of iron and steel) standing next to a giant nest which has been attached to the second story of the building. The kids really liked this stuff, as well as most of the exhibits (including the 5 foot high ball made out of bras). I would call most of what I saw "non-traditional folk art." Folk art is art made by people who have not been "trained" in the arts. (There is a great folk art museum in Williamsburg, VA - be sure to check it out if you are ever down there.) Non-traditional Folk Art is a little more "out there" - like the bra ball. Most of it was interesting, and the kids enjoyed it. We opted for a family membership (it was about the same price as a single day entry, and lets us come back again for 1 year). Staff was helpful and friendly. No photography was allowed. I asked why - since it was only us, and two other people in the museum, I though any publicity would be helpful for them. The answer I was given was, "We don't know what could happen to those pictures...they might end up on the net - who knows where." Sooo... if you do go there, tell them you saw pictures all over the "net". It cost us $35 total, and we were there almost till closing. It filled the first day well.
For dinner we went to Cactus Willie's - it is an "American Food - Buffet style" place - food quality is about a 6 out of 10. The place is clean, and the staff is friendly. There are two big pluses to this place: 1) You get up to get your food, so there is no waiting; and 2) it is cheap: $33 for the five of us.
For lodging we always stay at Hampton Inn's. They are clean, relatively nice, have Internet, and include a "hot" breakfast (i.e. *some* item that they are serving is hot.) The one we stayed at this time was in Glen Bernie, MD - halfway between Annapolis and Baltimore. Also, since Glen Bernie is in the middle of nothing important, we paid $93 per night (instead of the $217 they wanted in the Inner Harbor).

Day2 - Friday: Breakfast at the hotel, then off to Annapolis to hopefully catch the 11am tour. This tour (either this or the 11:15am tour) stops to view students "forming up" to go to lunch - it is like a mini-parade and impressive to watch. The additional bonus to visiting on Friday is that Friday is like a "dress up" day - students dress in the uniform of what they will do when they graduate - pilots wear jumpers, those who will be assigned to a ship wear tan uniforms, etc.
Overall, the Naval Academy is a "must see". The tour last about 1.5 hrs and costs $8. You learn a lot about the traditions and history of the Academy. You will leave proud and hopeful. It is very comforting to see that there are college age kids willing to work so hard for something they believe in.
After Annapolis, we grabbed ice cream in town, and then headed back to Baltimore, toward Fort McHenry. If you are already in the inner harbor, you can take a water taxi there. Since we were already driving, we opted to just drive there. It's free to park, and you can walk around at no charge. If you want to enter the fort it is $7 per adult (16 and older), and kids are free. We thought it was worth the $7. Go around 4:20pm, and you can see them "change the flag". They lower one flag, and the kids catch it and help fold it. Get opposite where everyone else is (with the sun to your back, and the flag in front of you), and you can catch a real "photo opp". After they lower the super huge flag, they raise the "president's flag" which flies until morning. This is the fort that took a beating in the War of 1812, and held out (thus inspiring Francis Scott Key to write what later became "The Star-Spanged Banner"). You can see where powder was stored, how the men lived, and how the officers lived. The highlight for the kids was walking along the bastions (it is a star shaped fort). They liked being "up high." While offering great views, the bastions are not "kid safe". Hold small children's hands, or run the risk of them falling about 20' (there are no safety rails). The fort closed at 4:45pm - and they were quick to kick us out.
After the fort, we drove a short distance to "The house where Babe Ruth was born." To be accurate, Babe Ruth was born there - but he never lived there. We did not bother with the tour, but did take a picture out front. The building is not far from Camden Yards, so if you are going there anyway, this is a quick, and somewhat fun stop.
From here we went for dinner. We ate at a "China Buffet" directly across from the Hampton Inn. It was as remarkable as any other Chinese Buffet we have eaten in. Reasonable prices ($10.95 per adult), reasonable cleanliness (though the bathroom looked like a bomb went off), and reasonable variety of food (they have pizza for when the kids are looking for something different).
After dinner, we spotted a Super WalMart. We went there to buy cough syrup, and ended up doing a 1.5hr "WalMart stroll". We will do these "strolls" in WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, Costco, or BJ's. We find them relaxing. I guess it is the suburban version of "going for an evening walk." Since we rarely buy much, these tends to be fairly inexpensive jaunts, and a good way to wind the kids down.
Day 3 - Saturday: Breakfast in the hotel, then off to The National Aquarium in Baltimore. This is a fairly good aquarium - neat, clean, interesting and a good dolphin show. Important things to know:
-It ain't cheap ($28.95 per adult, and kids are about $10 less). This price includes the dolphin show, and their "4D show". The 4D show is a 3D movie where the seats spray you with water and air (like in "Honey I Shrunk The Kids at Disney). If you are three or younger, it scares you and you cry. If you are older than three, you laugh politely and think it is lame. It runs 15 minutes. If you pull it from the ticket, you have $4. I would recommend skipping it.
-Entry is timed. We got there at 11:15am (took FOREVER to find parking - and at $18 for the day). The ticket we purchased allowed us to enter the aquarium at 11:45pm. At about 11:40am, people with an 11:45am ticket start lining up to go in, and at 11:45am, they let you in. The wait was no big deal, since you are right in the inner harbor, and there are boats and things to look at.
Once we got in, we started working our way through the place. It is laid out a lot like IKEA - they keep people moving along a set path. You can deviate from the path if you like, but if you stay on the path, you see just about everything. The exibits were interesting and informative, and most were well setup for children (ledges for them to stand on to see better). We took a break at 3:00pm and went and got lunch at Five Guys Burgers ($21 for the five of us) which is in a food court about a block from the aquarium. NOTE: if you are going to leave the aquarium and return later, get your hand stamped. There are no signs to warn you of this. We just kept searching till we found someone with "the power to stamp".
After a 15 minute lunch, we went back and checked out the frog exhibit and Australia Exhibit at the equarium. Both are organized and fun. The frogs are a lot of fun to try and find in the exhibits (the kids were amazed to find out frogs could be the color of rocks and leaves).
All in all the aquarium is not cheap, but is interesting. Five to six hours pretty much gets you though the whole place (including the dolphin show). To do it again, I might try the science museum (which is $10 less per person). We opted for the aquarium since the kids were "lectured out" after the previous two days, and we thought something very visual would be a good break. They were good through 6:30pm when we left.
After the aquarium, we started driving home, and stopped at a "Golden Corral" for dinner. We first discovered this chain in Florida. Food quality tends to be a 4-5 out of 10, but they are generally clean and inexpensive. They can be found as far north as New Jersey - generally close to I95 (like Cracker Barrel). What makes them a total home run for the kids, is that they have ice cream with all kinds of topping options that the kids put together themselves. Obviously, "healthy eating" is not part of the Golden Corral Mission Statement.

Overall Conclusions:
Annapolis is a great place to spend some time - if it is just you and your significant other. It has a "quaintness" that you might find in Conn. or R.I. It is a great place to relax - without kids. The Naval Academy is a great place for families to visit - great lessons and important reminders for all. But after that, you will want to head for Baltimore.
Baltimore is a great place for families with a lot of things to see and do. I would say we only saw 1/3 to 1/4 of what we might be interested in seeing. We plan on going back at least once more - probably twice more. What makes Baltimore really great, is it's proximity to Washington DC. If you get tired of Baltimore, the sights of DC are only about 40 miles away. Enjoy!!!!!!