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7-night Chesapeake Bay Cruise

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10-night American Revolution Cruise

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Overview

Introduction

Founded in 1649 and the capital of the U.S. at the end of the Revolutionary War, Annapolis, Maryland, has been the state capital since 1694 and is the oldest continuously used capital city in the U.S. It is located 25 mi/40 km south of Baltimore.

Annapolis is a scenic town of trim colonial buildings along tree-lined brick streets. Quaint shops and restaurants draw strollers to the well-preserved downtown historic area, built mostly in the mid-1700s, and to the waterfront, where the long line of sailboats verifies the town's reputation as the "sailing capital of the U.S."

We suggest that you consider at least a two-night stay, starting with visits to the Government House, the governor's home; Hammond-Harwood House, a Georgian-style mansion from the 1700s; and the Maryland State House—built in 1772, it features the oldest statehouse in continuous legislative use in the U.S. and the largest wooden dome in the country.

Other vintage-building highlights include the Chase-Lloyd House, with its unique cantilevered stairway; the William Paca House and Garden, the circa-1700s estate of the Maryland governor who signed the Declaration of Independence—the restoration of the garden was a particularly impressive feat; and the London Town House and Gardens in nearby Edgewater.

Annapolis is perhaps best-known for the U.S. Naval Academy. A tour of the campus takes in Bancroft Hall, one of the world's largest dormitories; the chapel, where you'll find beautiful Tiffany windows and the crypt of legendary naval hero John Paul Jones; and the Tecumseh figurehead, a source of Annapolis tradition for generations. Try to be there at noon during school sessions to see the midshipmen march in formation. If you're there in July, you absolutely must witness Induction Day at the academy, when freshmen are sworn in.

The Naval Academy isn't the only institution of higher learning in Annapolis. St. John's College, a literary school of some 400 students, is the other campus in town. The "Mids" (Naval Midshipmen) and the "Johnnies" engage in a spirited croquet match each April.

Three more sights worth a stop: the Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden, a 6-acre/2.5-hectare botanical garden; the Banneker-Douglass Museum, which has changing exhibits dedicated to preserving Maryland's African American heritage; and the plaque at Annapolis Harbor dedicated to Kunta Kinte, a slave and character in Alex Haley's novel Roots.

Though you can see most of Annapolis' attractions on your own, walking, bus and boat tours are available. The city's narrow streets can get congested, and parking often seems impossible. Our recommendation is to walk: You'll get a better feel for this "museum without walls" while on foot.

Annapolis is an excellent place for food. Try lunch at Chick and Ruth's, an old-fashioned deli that's a favorite hangout of legislators. Walls showcase pictures that chronicle the local heroes who have been regulars. Or try some of America's best seafood, especially during the Maryland Seafood Festival at Sandy Point State Park in September.

The Candlelight Pub Crawl, in December, is a candlelit walk through the historic district, with a progressive seasonal feast. And on New Year's Eve, the city holds its "First Night Annapolis" celebration, which entertains with arts, theater, singing and fireworks.

Anglers might want to try catching their dinner in the nearby Chesapeake Bay, where the fishing is fine. Bay cruises and beach time are other possibilities. Lacrosse fans can catch a home game of the major league Chesapeake Bayhawks at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Overview

Introduction

On the western coast between Windsor and Yarmouth, the Annapolis Valley and Evangeline Trail route covers the area settled by the French Acadians. Stop along the way at the French fishing villages, with their clapboard houses, magnificent churches, bustling shipyards and colorful storefronts. You may want to make a stop at "chez Francois," as the local residents call Frenchy's, a chain of secondhand clothing shops renowned for their excellent prices and interesting finds.

Beginning on the Windsor end, about 40 mi/65 km northwest of Halifax, you'll want to make your first stop at Fort Edward National Historic Site, the oldest fortified blockhouse in Canada and the place from which many of the province's Acadians were deported. A short distance to the northwest is Grand Pre National Historic Site, the setting for the famous Longfellow poem Evangeline, which tells of the deportation of French Acadian settlers by the British. There's a chapel on the grounds with exhibits depicting Acadian history, as well as a statue of the poem's fictional heroine and an interpretive center that tells the Acadians' story. The park itself is set on land that was once part of the largest Acadian settlement in Nova Scotia.

A little farther on, a series of Acadian dikes surrounds Wolfville, which is set in a pretty countryside of orchards, vineyards and horse farms. Wolfville is a small town, the home of Acadia University and also the home of the Randall House Historical Museum. Birders should visit in summer to see the nightly dance of the chimney swifts. Wolfville is one of the towns throughout the Annapolis Valley that hosts the popular Apple Blossom Festival for six days starting in late May.

After Wolfville, you might consider taking Highway 358 out onto Cape Blomidon. At Blomidon Provincial Park, you can follow an 8-mi/13-km hiking trail to Cape Split—the view is breathtaking. Then head out to the coast, along Route 359, to the charming community of Hall's Harbour, where you can sit on the wharf, watching the tide rise or fall, and enjoy a dinner of fresh-cooked lobster.

Continuing west and southwest along the Bay of Fundy coast, you'll reach Annapolis Royal. It was in this area that the French established their earliest settlement. In 1605, Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain founded Port Royal on the north shore of Annapolis Basin (across from Annapolis Royal). The British destroyed the original settlement in 1613. A replica of the site can be visited at the Habitation National Historic Site. Visit this enclosed compound and hear the story of life at the Habitation from a guide in period dress.

In Annapolis Royal, the Fort Anne National Historic Park is another complex of British and French fortifications and ruins dating from the 1630s. If you can, time your visit to be in Annapolis Royal for one of the ghost tours of the historic cemetery that are held on summer evenings.

Dedicated history buffs will also want to walk down Lower St. George Street in Annapolis Royal, where many of the town's historic buildings (there are more than 150) are located. Take time to stroll through the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens (where you can learn the story of the province through flowers and plants). Children will probably insist on a visit to nearby Upper Clements Park—a combination of craft fair and amusement park open mid-June to early September. Nature lovers should head inland to Kejimkujik National Park, with its tranquil lakeside camping sites, Mi'kmaq petroglyphs, rare plants and wildlife. It also has miles/kilometers of backcountry trails and canoe routes.

Digby lies just to the southwest of Annapolis Royal. Home of the enchanting Digby Pines Hotel, the town is a port for a large scallop fleet and ferries to New Brunswick. The town celebrates Scallop Days in August. Whenever you visit, try the fresh, succulent scallops or some Digby Chicks—the smoked herring that was once eaten for Christmas dinner by local fisherfolk instead of turkey or chicken. While you're there, you might want to drive along Digby Neck and take a ferry to Long Island or Brier Island, good places for whale- and seabird-watching. Brier Island has the Balancing Rock trail system, a series of rugged seaside hiking trails.

Swing back through Digby to pick up Highway 101, which takes you to Highway 1 along the French Shore. There you will see the huge churches in Saint Bernard and Church Point. In Meteghan, you'll find La Vieille Maison, a house museum that illustrates 19th-century Acadian life. As you travel south toward Yarmouth, visit one of the many beaches and picnic spots along the shore.