A guide to Maryland Day Weekend activities in and around Annapolis

Steve Ruark / Capital Gazette
Colonial re-enactors Carolyn Murphy, left, of Bowie, and Ruth Claussen, of Annapolis, stand outside Hogshead, a historic building in Annapolis.
John W. Adams / Baltimore Sun
And be on the lookout for orange, black and white (of course, since Lord Calvert's family colors must be obeyed). The Baltimore checkerspot butterfly has been Maryland's official state insect since 1973, instantly making all other butterflies gross and irrelevant.
Baltimore Sun
The state's unofficial motto is "Fatti maschii, parole femine," but people (understandably) don't really enjoy its loose translation: "Manly deeds, womanly words." Let's go with "Strong deeds, gentle words," shall we?
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
But only if it's a Chesapeake Bay retriever, which was named Maryland's official state canine in 1964. Or, if you don't have one, go door-to-door searching for one to play with. Maryland Day gives you an excuse to do that.
Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun
And look for the cute Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae Wilson, the official state fossil shell since 1994. It used to be the home of an extinct snail. I'm kind of jealous of West Virginia, though. Their state fossil is Jefferson's ground sloth.
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Wisely avoiding an uprising from every person in Maryland, the state named lacrosse the official state team sport in 2004.
Andre F. Chung / MCT
But maybe throw the rockfish back in. In 1965 it was made the official state fish. The General Assembly called it "this fine old Maryland fish." We now seem to celebrate rockfish by eating it at $30 a plate in nice restaurants. Sorry, rockfish! You're still fine.
Christopher T. Assaf/Baltimore Sun
But make it a white oak, our official state tree since 1941. The MSA describes it as "handsome and sturdy," just like Marylanders in general.
Steve Ruark / Capital Gazette
From left, colonial re-enactor Ruth Claussen, of Annapolis, talks to visitors Kaylee Weatherford, of Crofton, and Megan Coggins, of Bowie, at Hogshead, a historic building in Annapolis.
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
And make sure it's home to thoroughbreds, the state horse since 2003. It can go 40 mph, or roughly twice as fast as the JFX during rush hour.
Christopher T. Assaf / Baltimore Sun
And take home the lovable calico. Yes, more orange, black and white. This kitty has been our official state feline since 2001.
Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun
But make it a Smith Island Cake, designated as the state's official dessert in 1998, the same year milk was recognized. Coincidence? Or you can visit Smith Island, just 95 miles south of Baltimore.
Steve Ruark/Baltimore Sun
After all that yellow cake, just walk it off. Also in 1998, walking was designated as the state's official exercise. Uninspired choice or an accessible one? Talk amongst yourselves.
Baltimore Sun
But head to Center Stage for it. The Baltimore theater was named the official state theater in 1978. Oddly, there's also a state summer theater: Olney Theatre near Washington.
Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette
Banneker Douglass Museum Executive Director Chanel Compton, right, talk about the museum.
Matthew Cole / Baltimore Sun Media Group
The University of Maryland's mascot, the diamondback terrapin, is also our state reptile, named in 1994. The females are larger than the males. Do whatever you want with that information.
Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun
The Maryland State House, built in 1772, is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use.
Rob Carr / Associated Press
Milk became the official state drink in 1998. According to the Maryland State Archives (MSA) website, state cows produced 970 million pounds of milk last year. And yes, adding chocolate is OK.
Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette
People take turns grabbing the wheel of the Pride of Baltimore II at City Dock in Annapolis. The ship will be back for Maryland Day weekend.
Marissa Laliberte / Baltimore Sun
Maryland has, no doubt about it, the coolest state sport: jousting. We were the first (and the best) to adopt a state sport. Everyone pales in comparison. Really, Delaware? Bicycling? Snooze.
Picasa / Baltimore Sun
The state flag, the coolest-looking of all state flags, bears the Calvert and Crossland families arms and was first flown in 1880, according to the MSA. If you put an ornament on top of the flagstaff it needs to be a gold cross. No silver cross nonsense for Maryland's flag.
www.sailbaltimore.org / Baltimore Sun
But only a skipjack will do. It became our state boat in 1985, recognized for its presence collecting oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. It doesn't get more Maryland than that.
Debi MacKay / Baltimore Sun
And keep your eyes peeled for the Baltimore Oriole, named our state bird in 1947. You were expecting a snowy owl?

PUBLISHED: March 28, 2019 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: June 23, 2019 at 3:58 a.m.

Father Andrew White and his fellow travelers planted a cross on St. Clement’s Island in what is now St. Mary’s County 375 years ago after a harrowing voyage from England aboard the Ark and Dove. Now we celebrate Maryland Day to mark that occasion.

Monday was the actual anniversary of the 1634 ceremonies establishing the colony on behalf of Lord Calvert. But the weekend-long celebration comes Friday through Sunday with events planned in Annapolis and around Anne Arundel County.

More than 40 activities at 20-plus venues are free or cost $1.

You can take in plenty just wandering around Annapolis or take a hosted tour for the historic highlights. Visit the State House or historic mansions of founders William Paca or Charles Carroll. Or check out Hogshead, the museum of more plain folk.

Enjoy games, hands-on demonstrations and more throughout the city, in nearby Historic London Town and Gardens, or in south county. You can even take a tour aboard the Baltimore clipper replica Pride of Baltimore II which pulls into port at City Dock Friday through Sunday.

Though many of the places participating in the weekend’s commemorative events are open regularly, Maryland Day Weekend is a good excuse to revisit their history.

Here are a few of the activities and places to take in. For a full list, visit marylandday.org.

Historic buildings and villages

The Maryland State House, built in 1772, is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use.

Charles Carroll House, 107 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. Visit the mostly intact 18th-century property in the Annapolis Historical District, once home to Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll.

Deale Area Historical Society, 389 Deale Road, Tracy’s Landing, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Free. Get a feel for rural life in South County in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Visit the historic village at Herrington Harbour South, which includes a two-room home, a one-room schoolhouse, an African-American beneficial society building, a tobacco barn, a Russian Orthodox chapel and various smaller buildings. A Society docent will be on hand to answer questions.

Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Ave., Annapolis, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. $1 to tour the house, free to visit the garden. The house, built in 1774, is a fine example of Colonial architecture filled with an historic collection of late 18th- and early 19th-century paintings, furniture and decorative arts. Half-hour guided tours of the museum, limited to 20 people, kick off on the hour, from 1 p.m. through 3 p.m. The garden will be open all day.

Historic London Town & Gardens, 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. $1, or free for members. Throughout Maryland Day weekend, you can try your hand at making rope, see Colonial muskets fired, learn about hearth cooking, buy handmade furniture from a master carpenter and more. The 23-acre facility owned by Anne Arundel County was the site of a busy colonial port before Annapolis grew in size and importance. Anchored by the William Brown house (1764) it has reconstructed colonial buildings, the county archeology museum and extensive gardens.

Maryland State House, State Circle, Annapolis, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Free. Ours is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use in the country. See portraits of our earliest founders, the room where George Washington famously resigned his commission and more in the only state house to have also served at the nation’s capitol.

William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George St., Annapolis, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. $1. Witness the re-creation of the 1781 marriage of Julianna Jennings and James Brice performed by a cast of living history actors. James Brice built Brice House around the corner between 1767 and 1774. He served as Annapolis mayor twice before serving as Maryland’s governor on a temporary basis in 1792. After the ceremony, meet the historic interpreters and enjoy a host of other activities.

Banneker Douglass Museum Executive Director Chanel Compton, right, talk about the museum.

Museums

Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St., Annapolis. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday.Free. Learn all about oysters and other Chesapeake Bay critters. You can even get a little wet and dirty learning about the bay’s mollusks up close and personal on the museum’s Back Creek docks.

Banneker Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin St., Annapolis, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Free. Learn how African Americans lived and contributed to a growing nation from their arrival in 1633 to today.

Colonial re-enactors Carolyn Murphy, left, of Bowie, and Ruth Claussen, of Annapolis, stand outside Hogshead, a historic building in Annapolis.

Hogshead, 43 Pinkney St., Annapolis, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. Learn what life was like for the lower working class in early Maryland with guides dressed in Colonial attire who provide a hands-on experience to see and touch authentic and reproduction artifacts from the city’s early days. The museum is housed in a preserved early 19th-century wood-frame building with a gambrel roof, emblematic of the inexpensive housing where early Annapolitans lived.

People take turns grabbing the wheel of the Pride of Baltimore II at City Dock in Annapolis. The ship will be back for Maryland Day weekend.

Events and tours

Maryland Day Flag-Raising Ceremony, Susan Campbell Park, City Dock, Annapolis, 10 a.m. Saturday. Free. The ceremony kicks off the day with a performance by Annapolis Drum and Bugle Corps and flag detail by the U.S. Naval Academy League Cadets of the Training Ship Mercedes.

Watermark Tours trek to historic hotspots, Susan Campbell Park, City Dock, Annapolis, 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Free. Watermark Tours present a short trek through the historic district led by Annapolis native, and former mayor, Squire Richard Hillman. The excursion steps off from City Dock immediately after the 10 a.m. flag-raising ceremony.

Brewer Hill Cemetery tour, 802 West St., Annapolis, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Free. Take a guided tour on the hour of the cemetery and learn more about the city founders, casualties of the Revolutionary and Civil wars and members of the African-American community in the historic resting place. Participants will also learn about efforts to preserve the cemetery. Descendants of those buried at Brewer Hill are encouraged to bring photos, bible records and oral histories to share on a website being developed about the cemetery.

Pride of Baltimore II deck tours, City Dock, Annapolis. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. Step aboard the visiting tall ship to learn about the history of Baltimore Clippers and talk to crew members about what it’s like to sail today.