Just a couple more weeks of indoor time, and soon we’ll be out smelling the lilacs and strolling the sunny streets of Annapolis enjoying its history this spring. Until then, check out some of these terrific events that the good folks at Historic Annapolis have organized for us. Are we the luckiest people in the original thirteen colonies, or what?
A Day About Town in Georgetown (Historic Annapolis Preservation & Curator's Circle Members only)
Date and Time: Friday, March 16, 2018, 8:30 am - 4 pm Location: Georgetown neighborhood, Washington, DC
Historic Annapolis Preservation and Curator's Circle members travel together to historic Georgetown in Washington, DC. The full day trip begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of Tudor Place, a spectacular Federal period Georgetown house, followed by a curatorial presentation and boxed lunch. The afternoon features a visit to Dumbarton House, another fine example of Federal architecture with period furniture and decorative arts.
Cost: $85. Includes two curator-led tours, bus transportation, and lunch. Reservations required.
William Paca House Nooks & Crannies Tour
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 6 pm - 8 pm Location: William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street
Look behind closed doors to explore unique features and hidden stories in the extensive house and garden. This experience is ideal for those who know and love the William Paca House and want to delve deeper into the site’s long and rich history. Check out my earlier blog about this tour, Behind Closed Doors at the William Paca House here.
Cost: $20 for HA Members and Volunteers; $25 for Non-Members. Reservations required.
James Brice House Hard Hat Tour
James Brice House
Date and Time: Saturday, March 24, 2018, 10:30 am - 12 pm Location: Meet at the William Paca House, 186 Prince George Street
The historic James Brice House at 42 East Street is undergoing a major preservation effort to restore the house to its 18th century grandeur. This public tour looks behind the scaffolding and beyond the sawdust to discuss the lives of the colonists and servants who built and occupied the house. The hard hat construction site tour also focuses on the techniques of the craftsmen restoring the building today. For a little background info, see my earlier blog, Discover the Historic James Brice House here.
Cost: $18 General Admission. Reservations required.
William Paca House Tours
William Paca House with Blue Angels overhead
Dates: Saturday, March 24, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Tour times vary. Regular Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am– 5 pm, and Noon – 5 pm, Sunday. Hours are subject to change based on special programs and events. Location: William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street
Try a guided tour of the William Paca House and Garden, a Georgian mansion built in the 1760s by William Paca. Paca was Maryland’s third governor and one of Maryland’s four Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The house was carefully restored by Historic Annapolis and is now a National Historic Landmark and a museum depicting an upper-class household in colonial and revolutionary Annapolis. The adjoining two-acre garden was restored using details from historic artwork and archaeological excavations. The terraced landscape’s formal parterres, naturalistic wilderness, and practical kitchen garden showcase native and heirloom plants. A charming summerhouse and latticework bridge over a fish-shaped pond are the garden’s focal points. For a closer look, see Living History in the William Paca Garden here.
Cost: $10 – Guided full house tour and self-guided garden tour $ 8 – Guided house tour of 1st floor and self-guided garden tour $ 5 – Self-guided garden tour
Revolutionary Annapolis Walking Tour with Glenn Campbell
Date and Time: Saturday, March 31, 2018, 10:30 am - 12 pm; 1 pm - 2:30 pm Location: Tour begins at the William Paca House, 186 Prince George Street, and ends at the Maryland State House, with stops at ten other sites along the way.
Walk in the footsteps of patriot leader William Paca and follow his dramatic personal and political story through the revolutionary era. Learn how this promising young lawyer became a rebel, a revolutionary, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Governor of Maryland through the course of twenty years. This 90-minute guided walking tour is led by Senior Historian Glenn E. Campbell.
Cost: $10 for HA Member and Volunteers; $15 for Non-Members. Reservations required.
Maryland Day Celebration
Maryland Day Celebration
Dates and Times: Saturday, April 7, 10 am - 4 pm, and Sunday, April 8, 12 pm - 4 pm Location: William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street; Hogshead, 43 Pinkney Street; HA Museum & Store, 99 Main Street
Celebrate Maryland Day at the William Paca House. On Saturday, make and keep your own Made in Maryland crafts. On Sunday, witness a reenactment of the 1781 marriage of Julianna Jennings and James Brice. After the wedding, meet talented living history interpreters and enjoy hands-on activities. Stop by the Hogshead for more exciting living history and visit the Historic Annapolis Museum & Store for great specials on "Made in Maryland" items. Click here for more information.
Cost: $1 per person at the William Paca House on Saturday and Sunday; Free at other locations.
Decorative Arts Tour
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 6 pm – 8 pm Location: William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street
Take a special tour of the William Paca House with a focus on the fine decorative arts collection housed in the mansion.
Cost: $20 for HA Members and Volunteers; $25 for Non-Members. Reservations required.
Poetry and Pica, Celebrating Robert Indiana: Love and Hope
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018, 10 am - 4 pm
Location: James Brice House, 42 East Street
April is National Poetry Month, and Historic Annapolis is partnering with The Mitchell Art Gallery at St. John’s College during the Gallery’s special exhibition, Robert Indiana: Love and Hope. Historic Annapolis is one of several locations hosting local writers, who will use manual typewriters to create beautiful personalized poems for each visitor on any subject related to love and hope.
Cost: Free
Mr. Paca's Backyard Preschool Program
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, March – June
Youngsters can explore the 18th century garden of William Paca and hear famous children’s stories. Have you ever planted a rainbow? Had tea with a spider? Sat down beside a fish-shaped pond with a famous painter? These are examples of the fun children’s activities offered in this 1.25 hours program. Each session includes exploration in the garden, story time, an art project, movement activity, and a snack.
Cost: $7 per child and $5 for HA Members and Volunteers.
Historic Annapolis programs offer us plenty of options as we wait for spring’s arrival. For more information about these and other Historic Annapolis programs, visit http://www.annapolis.org. And, when spring does arrive and you’re out and about--don’t forget to stop and smell the lilacs!
Photos courtesy of VisitAnnapolis.org
