Morning

Nestled amid state government office buildings in Annapolis is a hidden treasure, the Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden. Named in honor of Mrs. J. Millard Tawes, a former first lady of Maryland (1959-1967), this five-acre garden features representations of the state’s various geographic areas including a Western Maryland forest, a streamside environment, and an Eastern Shore peninsula. In addition, the barrier-free garden contains pleasant ponds; a raised planter with plants of varied textures, tastes and fragrances; and many cultivated plantings. Guided tours are available by reservation and last approximately 45 minutes.

The William Paca House and Garden offer a mixture of the formal and the informal, the beautiful and the useful, the scientific and the romantic, reflecting the political and social environment of Paca’s day. Tour participants relive the evolution of this hidden two-acre beauty as they explore its rose, holly, boxwood and flower parterres, visit the fruit and vegetable gardens, relax on the terrace and drink in the year-round appeal of a natural treasure, the only one of its kind in America today. Plan to spend approximately 1 hour.

Lunch

Enjoy a wonderful lunch at one of our great restaurants! With so many choices, you may want to allow them to be on their own for lunch.

Afternoon

Experience history, archaeology and horticulture at Historic London Town and Gardens. The tour includes the William Brown House, a National Historic Landmark, the gardens and the archaeology site. Expand your knowledge of gardening practices with tours of London Town’s woodland, medicinal, colonial kitchen and African American gardens. A lecture on London Town’s history, archaeology or gardens or workshops on hearth cooking, colonial building trades and techniques, rope making, or tobacco clay pipe making may be added for additional fees. A guided tour will last approximately 1 hour. Please add additional time for lectures or workshops.

End the day at Homestead Gardens, the largest enclosed garden center in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. A visit to Homestead Gardens is not another shopping trip, it’s an experience. Stroll the landscaped grounds for ideas, relax with a gourmet coffee from Saucy Salamander, visit with their llamas and explore the garden center for the perfect gift to take home! Plan your visit around one of their numerous events.