The Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park

Heritage Tour - September 28
2025-09-28 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Explore Annapolis’s fascinating maritime history and the Chesapeake Bay ecology on this guided two-hour cruise aboard the historic Skipjack Wilma Lee. Learn about the city’s fabled boat building industry, the dramatic history and future of the Chesapeake Bay Waterman and oyster harvesting plus facts about local points of interest like Carr’s and Elktonia Beach, Eastport and the Naval Academy. Tour guides will identify and share fun facts about native Chesapeake Bay wildlife along the route. Perfect for anyone interested in the Bay and those who work in and around it. Complimentary water is available onboard.

Adults-$50
Children 12 and Under-$20
Adult + Museum Combo-$52
Child + Museum Combo-$21

Order Tickets Online

Rum Runners Cruise - October 2
2025-10-02 17:00 - 19:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Step aboard the Historic Skipjack Wilma Lee for an unforgettable evening of high seas and high spirits!
As the sun sets over the Chesapeake, immerse yourself in the thrilling tales of Rum Runners who once ruled these winding waterways during Prohibition.
Discover how bold watermen turned the Bay into a hotbed of forbidden trade, defying the law with grit, cunning, and a splash of rebellion.
Enjoy expertly crafted rum tastings and beverages courtesy of Lyon Rum, the Eastern Shore’s signature distillery located just steps from the Chesapeake in charming St. Michaels.
Their award-winning rums are a tribute to the region’s spirited legacy.
This adults-only cruise includes complimentary snacks to pair with your drinks and stories.
· Ages 21+ only
· Docking location will be provided on your e-ticket
· No refunds for cancellations or no-shows
· No member or promotional discounts apply to this specialty cruise
Raise a glass to history—and maybe a little mystery—aboard Wilma Lee!

Wilma Lee Sunset Cruise - October 3
2025-10-03 17:00 - 19:00 | Park Campus, 7300 Edgewood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 21403, United States
Cruise with us for a memorable two-hour voyage, soaking in the golden hour on the Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy complimentary beverages including wine, beer, canned cocktails, and soda.
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Heritage Tour - October 4
2025-10-04 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Wilma Lee Sunset Cruise - October 4
2025-10-04 17:00 - 19:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Heritage Tour - October 5
2025-10-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Chesapeake Scenes II at the Annapolis Maritime Museum
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Chesapeake Scenes II at The Annapolis Maritime Museum
Sponsored by Andy and Leslie Price
The Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park was pleased to host a special virtual performance celebrating the traditions, culture, and heritage of the Chesapeake Bay. Led by Capt. Andy McCown, Chesapeake Scenes II wove together music, stories, and poetry that honored life on the Bay.
This one-of-a-kind program featured a talented lineup, including James Stankewicz, Zack Kelleher, Deb Campbell, and special guests Meredith Hadaway, Rebecca Hock, Sue Matthews, and Bob & Pam Ortiz. Produced by Echo Hill Outdoor School, the evening was a heartfelt tribute to the Chesapeake and the people who call it home.
Photos Provided by Tyler Campbell
Recording
For those who were unable to attend or wish to relive the experience, a recording of the event is now available to view on Youtube below.
https://youtu.be/5plrGgziUPM

Heritage Tour - October 11
2025-10-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Wilma Lee Sunset Cruise - October 11
2025-10-11 17:00 - 19:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Heritage Tour - October 12
2025-10-12 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Watch Party!
2025-10-16 10:30 - 13:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Bring your camera and join us aboard the historic skipjack, Wilma Lee for The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race Watch Party!
Come see the start of the 130-mile race from Annapolis to Norfolk Virginia. Tickets include drinks and a complimentary boxed lunch from Bread and Butter. Includes a sandwich or wrap, cookie, fruit and house chips.
(We provide wine, canned beer and non-alcoholic beer, canned cocktails and soft drinks.)
Oct 16 | 10:30AM – 1:30PM | $95 | 21+
Order Tickets Now!

Wilma Lee Sunset Cruise - October 17
2025-10-17 16:30 - 18:30 | Park Campus, 7300 Edgewood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 21403, United States

Wilma Lee Sunset Cruise - October 18
2025-10-18 16:30 - 18:30 | Park Campus, 7300 Edgewood Rd, Annapolis, MD, 21403, United States

Heritage Tour - October 19
2025-10-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Heritage Tour - October 25
2025-10-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Heritage Tour - October 26
2025-10-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States

Jay Fleming Holiday Party
2025-12-05 18:00 - 21:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Tickets are SOLD OUT for Jay Fleming’s 11th Annual Holiday Party! We look forward to celebrating with you on December 5th!
100% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the Annapolis Maritime Museum to support their education and outreach programs! Admission includes the following:

Wild caught Chesapeake Bay oysters on the half shell sponsored by Von Paris Moving & Harris Seafood Co.
Grilled oysters by Orchard Point Oyster Co
Blue catfish from chef Matthew Lego of LEO Annapolis
Dark and Stormy Rum drinks from Lyon Rum
Kegs of incredible beer from Forward Brewing
Light fare and appetizers
VIP ticket holders will get early admission at 5:30pm and a signed copy of Jay’s 2026 calendar!

Winter Lecture: The Poplar Island Restoration Project
2026-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
The Poplar Island Restoration Project
Speaker: Julia Moya, Senior Environmental Specialist, Maryland Environmental Service
Begin the New Year with one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most remarkable stories of ecological innovation. The Poplar Island Restoration Project emerged from an interagency partnership led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA), working alongside Federal and State environmental agencies. Recognizing the environmental value of restoring lost island habitat, the team solicited extensive input from local communities, businesses, and environmental organizations through the Environmental Impact Statement process.
Their solution was groundbreaking: use dredged material from the Port of Baltimore’s navigational channels to rebuild Poplar Island to its approximate 1847 footprint. After the first material was placed in 2001, wildlife quickly returned—ospreys, egrets, terns, herons, eagles, terrapins, and more. Early restoration efforts focused on creating wetlands that naturally filter water and restore critical habitat for birds, crabs, fish, and shellfish. Today, the project exemplifies large-scale engineering, environmental stewardship, and the ongoing revitalization of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

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Winter Lecture: Annapolis Goes to War
2026-01-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speaker: Dr. Craig L. Symonds, Author and Historian
Dr. Craig L. Symonds, Professor of History Emeritus at the U.S. Naval Academy, taught for thirty years and later served as the Ernest J. King Professor at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the award-winning author of eighteen books, including Nimitz at War, winner of the 2023 Gilder-Lehrman Prize, and Neptune, which received the S.E. Morison Prize.
His most recent book, Annapolis Goes to War, explores the Naval Academy class of 1940 and their path through World War II. Dr. Symonds has been honored with the Lincoln Prize, the Roosevelt Prize, and the Pritzker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

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Winter Lecture: Chesapeake Bound
2026-01-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speaker: Thomas Guay, Author and Musician (Eastport Oyster Boys)
Thomas Guay is the author of Chesapeake Bound, a historical novel tracing one young man’s perilous 18th-century journey from London to Annapolis—and the motivations that drove ordinary Britons to risk years of indentured servitude for a chance at a new beginning. A former Capitol Hill journalist, Guay turned toward history and storytelling, drawing on his work as a guide with the Charles Carroll House and Watermark Tours to bring colonial Annapolis vividly to life.
His lecture examines a central question: Why—and how—did Britain lose her American colonies? Through the firsthand experiences of indentured servants who arrived in Annapolis during the Stamp Act crisis, Guay explores the economic, social, and political pressures that transformed loyal subjects into reluctant revolutionaries.
A student of history at the University of Maryland under Dr. Gordon Prange, Guay credits Barbara Tuchman as a major influence. Since moving to Annapolis in 1999, he has been deeply involved in Chesapeake culture—as a sailor, longtime Severn River Association board member and executive director, advocate for habitat restoration, and member of the Eastport Oyster Boys.

in-person tickets (SOLD OUT)

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Winter Lecture: The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
2026-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speaker: Dr. Richard Bell, Historian and Professor, University of Maryland
Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home, a finalist for both the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held distinguished fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress, and is the recipient of the NEH Public Scholar Award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His newest book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, was published by Penguin in November 2025.
In this compelling program, Dr. Bell reframes the American Revolution not as a two-sided colonial rebellion, but as a global conflict that reshaped societies on six continents—from Caribbean sugar islands to refugee communities in Canada, from political revolutions in Sierra Leone and Peru to the courts of India. He traces how the war’s upheaval transformed the lives of the people it displaced, empowered, or destroyed.

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Winter Lecture: The Ben Ross Homeplace: Archaeology at Harriet Tubman’s Birthsite
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:30
Speaker: Dr. Julie Schablitsky, Chief Archaeologist, Maryland Department of Transportation
In 2020, archaeologists began searching the Eastern Shore wetlands for the home of Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father. Their work uncovered the remains of Ross’s homeplace and a second dwelling used by enslaved people. Drawing on documentary evidence and hundreds of artifacts, Dr. Schablitsky is reconstructing the lives of those who lived and labored there—offering new insight into how Tubman, her family, and her community endured and ultimately escaped slavery.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky serves as MDOT’s chief archaeologist and adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on sites of enslavement in Maryland, including Harriet Tubman’s birthplace. Her recent book, Belvoir: An Archaeology of Maryland Slavery, was published by the University of Alabama Press.

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Winter Lecture: Columbia Beach: “Gem of the Bay”
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speakers:
Mimi Giguère, Principal Investigator & Historic Architect
Faye Belt, Former President, Columbia Beach Improvement Association
Founded in 1940, Columbia Beach was one of several thriving African American waterfront communities established in Anne Arundel County during segregation. Now the first African American community in Maryland approved for submission to the National Historic Register, Columbia Beach stands as a vital part of the broader “Black Coast” story.
This presentation shares the groundbreaking research, interviews, documentation, and community engagement that supported the nomination. Historic architect Mimi Giguère—an expert in preservation and architectural documentation—led the project’s technical and archival research. She is joined by Faye Belt, a longtime resident whose family has lived in Columbia Beach for three generations and who has dedicated her career to preserving African American heritage across the region, including the historic Crownsville Hospital.
Together, they will offer a deeply informed look at the history, significance, and enduring legacy of this remarkable community.

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Winter Lecture: Ospreys on the Patuxent
2026-02-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speaker: Alex Pellegrini, Avian Ecologist
Discover the fascinating world of the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the iconic “fish hawk” of the Chesapeake Bay. Avian ecologist Alex Pellegrini will explore Osprey biology, banding, reintroduction efforts, and the remarkable conservation journey that brought this once-imperiled species back to thriving numbers.
Alex Pellegrini is an avian ecologist based in Maryland and a 2022 graduate of Towson University, where he studied Conservation Biology and Animal Behavior. As the Farmland Raptor Program Coordinator for the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, he oversees statewide efforts to support American Kestrels and Barn Owls. He also works at Patuxent River Park conducting Osprey monitoring, Sora migration research, and MAPS songbird banding.
His work extends to Operation Osprey data management, the Maryland/D.C. Records Committee, Project Owlnet, and international collaborations including the Global Owl Project and the International Short-Eared Owl Working Group.

In-Person Tickets

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AMM Volunteer Open House
2026-02-28 10:00 - 12:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Please join us for our annual Volunteer Open House and see all of the wonderful opportunities available to help support the Annapolis Maritime Museum (AMM). Whether you are interested in history, continuing education, visitor engagement, gardening, woodworking or crewing on the skipjack Wilma Lee, you will find great options for involvement with various levels of commitment.
Learn how volunteers play a vital role in advancing AMM’s mission to educate youth and adults about the rich maritime heritage of Annapolis and the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Open House if free and open to the community. RSVP is encouraged but not required. Email the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@amaritime.org.

Winter Lecture: The Winter Visitors: From Scapa Flow to Annapolis to Bletchley Park
2026-03-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
Speaker: David Gendell, Author, Sailor, and AMM Board Member
In January 1941, a state-of-the-art British battleship charges up the Chesapeake Bay on a secret mission. With no fanfare or entourage, the president travels to Annapolis for the rendezvous. Meanwhile, a team of American codebreakers pack their equipment and board a boat at Annapolis, on a secret mission of their own. Annapolis sailor David Gendell is the author of three non-fiction history books. His 2024 book. “The Last Days of the Schooner America,” was awarded the 2025 Brewington Book prize for maritime history. He is a member of the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Board of Directors.

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Celebrate Maryland Day: Oysters on the Bay!
2026-03-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second st., Annapolis, 21403, United States
🎉 Celebrate Maryland Day at the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park!
Join us on March 20, 10am–2pm, for a family-friendly celebration spotlighting one of Maryland’s most iconic species—the Chesapeake Bay oyster!
Enjoy hands-on activities, creative crafts, and interactive exhibit experiences that bring Bay ecology and maritime heritage to life.
We’re excited to welcome our community partners: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Watermark, and Magothy River Association.
🦪 Explore. Learn. Celebrate Maryland’s heritage—right on the waterfront.
