Visitors to Annapolis find a vibrant city, proud of its heritage and charm, offering the latest in dining and shopping, unique sightseeing, and entertainment.

From its founding as a colonial Chesapeake Bay seaport, Annapolis has emerged as the sailing capital of the world, home to both the US Naval Academy and the third oldest college in the country, and the Maryland state capital.

The waterfront historic district is a well-preserved colonial seaport with cobblestone streets and more original 18th century structures standing than any other city in the United States. Many of the Founding Fathers visited the city, including George Washington, who traveled to Annapolis to resign his commission in the Maryland State House when the city briefly served as capital as the United States. Today, this easily walked historic district presents a blend of preserved structures, museums, restaurants, shops, live music, and nightlife. Throughout the historic district you will find a mix of visitors, groups on walking tours, uniformed Navy midshipmen, people in colonial garb, working and recreational boats, legislators, sailboat race crews, statues, and public art.

Some things to do while in Annapolis

• Walk the historic district, with its shops and nightlife
• Take a guided tour of the historic district or US Naval Academy
• Try steamed blue crabs or Chesapeake Bay oysters
• Take a 2-hour sail on the schooners Woodwind or Liberte
• Enjoy a tour of Annapolis by water on the Harbor Queen
• Rent an electric boat to tour the harbor
• Attend the second-largest Renaissance Fair in the country (late August into October)
• Fish for rockfish (striped bass) on a charter boat
• Enjoy the nightlife at City Dock
• Visit the Banneker-Douglass Museum and Annapolis Maritime Museum
• Paddleboard, canoe, or kayak the harbor
• Visit Washington DC (40-minute drive to capitol building)

Our Annapolis Training Center

Our relocated and fully updated training facility was opened in 2023 to provide maximum comfort for our participants.

The Aarcher Institute training center is located inside the Annapolis historic district, less than a block from restaurants, historic pubs, music venues, and art galleries. The facility is an easy walk to City Dock (the most active part of the historic district), the US Naval Academy grounds, and all of historic Main Street.

Travel

• 30-minute drive from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• 45-minute drive from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)(Traffic can cause travel time to increase significantly)
• Rental cars, Uber, Lift, and taxis readily available at airport (Uber from BWI is about $50)
• A free shuttle runs all day, every day, to City Dock area and back, from stops one block from our training facility and in front of the Graduate Hotel

Where to Stay

Graduate Hotel is our recommendation. This boutique hotel is located just two blocks from the training facility and an easy walk to all the restaurants and shops in the historic district, so you can Uber/Lyft from BWI (~$50) and skip the car. The hotel includes a lounge, and the décor is all Annapolis. The Graduate Hotel offers Aarcher Institute participants discounted pricing (below).

         

Aarcher Institute has negotiated discounted rates on rooms and parking for our students at the Graduate Hotel. A special room rate of $159 is available, but this rate is based on availability, so please make your reservations as early as possible! A discounted daily parking rate of $20 (lowest in downtown Annapolis) is also available to our students.

To get these special rates, identify yourself as an Aarcher Institute student when you call to reserve your room (410-263-7777).  If you have any registration issues or special requests, please email Jeff Clark at [email protected].

Other Options

• Historic Inns of Annapolis – Historic inns in Historic District (3 to 5 blocks from training facility)
• Other hotels and VRBO/Airbnb properties are available throughout Annapolis

Parking for the Training Facility

The Annapolis historic district was not designed around cars, but parking is available at several nearby hotels and public garages (recommended order):

• Graduate Hotel offers parking to its guests (fee) and normally has parking for visitors. This hotel is about two blocks away, so staying there simplifies parking. Aarcher Institute has negotiated a discounted $20 parking rate (less than the public garage options) for students who stay at the Graduate Hotel.
• Gott’s Court Garage is a covered garage less than 2 block away (25 Northwest Street)
• Knighton Garage is a covered garage about 3 blocks away (1a Colonial Avenue)(Behind Lemongrass restaurant)
• John Whitmore Parking Garage is a covered garage less than 2 blocks away (37 Clay Street)