Annapolis: Colonial Capital & Chesapeake Waterfront

The Maryland State House, completed in 1779, is the oldest state capitol building in continuous legislative use in the United States and the only one to have served as the national capital — the Continental Congress met here from 1783 to 1784, and it was here that George Washington resigned his commission in December 1783. The brick dome was constructed without nails. The streets radiating from the State Circle follow the original 1695 Baroque street plan laid out by Governor Francis Nicholson, making Annapolis one of the few American cities with an intact colonial urban design.

The Naval Academy was established in Annapolis in 1845 on the grounds of the former Fort Severn. The 338-acre yard includes the Naval Academy Chapel (modeled on Les Invalides in Paris) where John Paul Jones is interred, the 1906 Bancroft Hall dormitory that houses the entire 4,400-midshipman Brigade under one roof, and the Mahan Hall museum. The free visitor's center and guided tours operate daily; the Yard is open to the public during daylight hours.

A converted 1909 craftsman cottage in the West Street arts district that functions as wine bar, restaurant, and garden patio simultaneously. The wine list runs 250 bottles deep with unusual depth in small-production East Coast wines, and the food matches the beverage program's seriousness — wood-fired pizzas, seasonal small plates, and a cheese selection that the sommelier team curates obsessively.