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"Other Attractions" in Maryland

Started by Amras Elfwine, August 27, 2009, 12:08:21 PM

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Amras Elfwine

If youre coming to town for Labor day, here are some other, "non-ren fest" type things you may find interesting around here...let me know of any questions...cheers!

First, of course, is a catch-all web site to find out things about the area. Lots of info here...

www.VisitAnnapolis.org

See the links that Master James posted as well, especially for travel to the area type info...BWI is one of the busiest airports in the country...I think they even fly in there from Kitty Hawk...
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#1
Getting to the Fest Site:

Basically, there are two routes in and out, from the north and south:

From the North:
Head South on I97 from the BWI Airport area. Exit I97 at Exit 5 (Crownsville). You will be on MD 178 (Generals Highhway). Head South on this road until you get to Crownsville Road. Turn Right onto Crownsville Road, and follow the signs for 3 miles or so. The fest parking will be on the left.

From the South:
The Souther entrance can be accessed from MD 450 (Defense Highway). Coming from Annapolis, head west on 450. Turn right when you get to Crownsville Road. Pass under I97, and the fest parking is on the right.
Coming from the Crofton/Bowie area, head east on 450. Turn left on Crownsville Road. Pass under I97, and the fest parking is on the right.
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Places to stay:

That first web site up there has all the contact information you'd ever want to read about the hotels in the general area. They are plentiful near the airport (and its a straight shot to the fest grounds from there, see directions above).

All the major chains are represented.
If you have a favorite, just go to its web site, and I bet they are nearby.

www.VisitAnnapolis.org
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#3
This event just happens to be on the next weekend. If you like seafood, and are hanging around in the area, it is highly recommended:

42nd Annual Maryland Seafood Festival

www.mdseafoodfestival.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Annapolis Sailing Cruises: Schooner Woodwind

www.schoonerwoodwind.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Annapolis Segway Tours

www.annapolissegwaytours.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Annapolis Towne Crier
www.squirefrederick.com

Capital City Colonials
www.capitalcitycolonials.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Discover Annapolis Tours:
www.discover-annapolis.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Liberte', The Schooner

www.theliberte.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

The United Staes Naval Academy

If you like naval history, this place is worth a look...

www.navyonline.com

R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine


Other Activities:

HistoryQuest

Good source for local history tours.

www.annapolis.org
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Activities:

Another good source:

Ann Arundel County Historical Society
www.aachs.org
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Pubs, Places to Eat, Etc.

These places are all good and recommended...

Ramshead Tavern - Several locations
www.ramsheadtavern.com

Cafe Normandie - Annapolis
www.restaurant.com

Castlebay Irish Pub - Annapolis
www. castlebayirishpub.com

Fado Irish Pub and Restraunt - Annapolis
www.fadiirishpub.com

Brian Baru Pub and Restraunt - Severna Park
www.brianborupub.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

#13
Other Activities:

Sports: The Baltimore Orioles...now, if your looking for real baseball, this may not be the place...Baltimore has only  had this imitation team for a few years now...but, the ball park is one of the prettiest ones in the Majors, and the beer and food are excellent, if a bit pricey. Web site provided below if you are of a mind...

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bal
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Local Bed and Breakfasts:

If a B&B is more to your liking, here are a few of the local offerings:

www.annapolisbandb.com   (general website)

www.williampageinn.com

www.theannapolitan.com

www.chezamis.com

www.gatehousebb.com

www.GeorgianHouse.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Local Hotels:

Comfort Inn
www.comfortinn.com

Country Inn
www.countryinns.com

Courtyard
www.marriott.com/bwian

DoubleTree Annapolis
www.doubletreeannapolis.com

Hilton Garden Inn
www.annapolisstayhgi.com

Holiday Inn Express
www.hiexpress.com/annapolis

Residence Inn
www.marriott.com
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Other Various Attractions:

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museums
www.borail.org

Harbor Cruises
www.harborcruises.com

Linganore Winecellars
www.linganorewines.com

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
www.marylandzoo.org

National Aquarium in Baltimore
www.aqua.org


R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't pont out our proximity to our nation's capitol, just minutes away.

These sites will provide more info if you are interested, as well as more links...

www.smithsonian.org/museums

www.washington.org

www.culturaltourismdc.org/index.htm

www.house.gov/house/tour_dc.shtml
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

Hope at least some of this is moderately entertaining...let me know if anything I can find out for you.

See you in a week or so...cheers!
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Butch

My favorite attraction out there is Ft McHenry.  That's the fort that was being attacked during the War of 1812, where Francis Scott Key watched overnight from the harbor, and later wrote the Star Spangled Banner from his experience.  Very nice historical site!

Amras Elfwine

Butch is absolutely correct. This is a can't-miss place for history buffs. And you get a great shot of the USS Constellation across the harbor...well, a distant one, anyway...

www.nps.gov/fomc

Thanks, Butch!!
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

Amras Elfwine

...and, speaking of the USS Constellation...right here in Baltimore Harbor...
Sail geeks, such as myself, need to go here...

http://www.constellation.org/
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

analise

I am shocked, shocked you didn't mention the National Cryptologic Museum right up in Fort Meade, probably only 30 minutes from MDRF or so. It's free and will be open on the weekdays leading up to the faire (and the weekdays after labor day). It will also be open that Saturday (the 5th) but I imagine that is a moot thing since everyone will be at MDRF! :)

Uh, anyway, it's a really cool place and if you go, they usually have docents (mostly retired NSA folks) who can take you around the museum and tell some of its stories. Highly, highly recommend it. (And heck, it's cheaper than going to the Spy Museum in DC!)

Amras Elfwine

As well you should be shocked...an old exhibit at the National Cryptologic Museum entitled "Burned Out Warhorses of the Cold War" had an interesting picture of me under a pair of ancient headphones, but they took that exhibit down for reasons of national security...er, I mean, national decency...

Thanks, Analise!
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel

analise

Quote from: Amras Elfwine on August 27, 2009, 02:25:27 PM
As well you should be shocked...an old exhibit at the National Cryptologic Museum entitled "Burned Out Warhorses of the Cold War" had an interesting picture of me under a pair of ancient headphones, but they took that exhibit down for reasons of national security...er, I mean, national decency...

Thanks, Analise!

I totally missed that one! Awww. I always miss the good stuff.

:)

All that said, I also highly recommend visiting Annapolis and the Naval Academy is great. They've got a nice set of exhibits in the visitor center and definitely check out the chapel and the tomb of John Paul Jones and have a walk along the water.

And if you're looking for tasty seafood, I know a lot of people always recommend going to Cantler's. And don't be too concerned if you're going through a small road to get there through a residential area, you're probably not lost (unless you are!). I think they get a good bit of their clientele from boats that dock there on the Severn River.

And downtown Ellicott City is a nice place to visit too. Which, if you go, make sure to check out what I call "the Faerie store" (I haven't found Jareth in there yet, but it definitely feels like I'm visiting the Labyrinth there on their second floor....), the Rumor Mill Restaurant for tasty, tasty Asian fusion (try the Banana Wontons for dessert, or the crab dumplings, and definitely the sweet potato fries. Don't ask me what makes that last "Asian", just eat 'em. :) ), or The Wine Bin for. Uh. Wine. (get the Blueberry Wine.)

Amras Elfwine

Besides, Ellicott City is just plain cool!
R/F member since 2004
"They say that men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink." ~Tolkien

"Who are you callin' plushy??" ~ Todd the Squirrel