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April Museum Openings

Whats New4 e1634035998644
Apr 07 2021

April Museum Openings

What's NewWe’re excited to announce the openings of some of our museum partners this month. All sites are making tremendous efforts to ensure COVID-19 safety measures in order to provide you with a confident and enjoyable visit. April is a wonderful time to tour these historic homes and gardens.

Hammond-Harwood House

19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD

Hammond-Harwood House opened on April 1 for tours by reservation. Visitors are encouraged to make a reservation online to help maintain small group sizes for safety. Museum hours of operation are noon to 5:00 p.m (last tour at 4:00 p.m). The museum is closed Tuesdays.

Current exhibits include:

2020-2021 Exhibition: Decadent Décor: Global Imports in an Early American Port City – This exhibition features pieces imported from around the world during America’s early years. Highlights include a French-made George Washington clock, Spanish silver, British furniture, and Chinese porcelain. Objects are from the collection of the Hammond-Harwood House, as well as from other museums and historic sites.

Permanent Exhibit: Slavery at Hammond-Harwood House – The museum is in process of uncovering the lives of the individuals enslaved at Hammond-Harwood House. Documents including wills, letters, and records of lawsuits provide helpful information. According to the census records, up to seven women, men, and children were enslaved here in the nineteenth century. This exhibit is the summation of what scholars have uncovered thus far.

Annapolis Maritime Museum

723 Second Street, Annapolis, MD

Although the Annapolis Maritime Museum is currently open by appointment only, join the museum for its grand reopening this month. Starting April 25 the museum will be open by timed-ticket entry only. Tickets will be available at the top of the hour: 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Capacity restrictions apply. To ensure you and your family are guaranteed access on the day of your visit, it is recommend that you book your tickets in advance online. Tour dates will be released monthly, so be sure to check the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s webpage for updates.

Your visit will include their permanent exhibit, Our Changing Waterfront. By integrating technology with authentic artifacts, this exibit is designed to engage visitors with the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and local maritime heritage. The exhibits focus on three thematic sections: Bay Health, Oyster Economy and Annapolis Waters. Interactives invite visitors to learn, play and experience the maritime history and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay. Visitors can step up to a large-scale, four player digital game, interact with a life-like hologram of a Bay waterman, or board one of three boats to experience the Bay in a virtual reality setting.

Historic Annapolis’s William Paca Gardens

186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD

Although the Willliam Paca House remains closed to tours, the William Paca Garden will re-open on April 15, Thursdays through Sundays. Even with the house still closed, the gardens are well worth a visit.

The William Paca Garden is a two-acre oasis of natural beauty in the bustling center of Annapolis’ Historic District.  Although many colonial Annapolitans had gardens, only Paca’s has been returned to its original splendor and opened to the public. Intrigued by garden details in the background of Charles Willson Peale’s 1772 portrait of William Paca, researchers were able to reconstruct the site from a series of archeological digs that turned up evidence of the garden’s former glory. Enjoy this relaxing piece of reconstructed history.

Information regarding future reopening phases will be posted on the Historic Annapolis website, as well as on their social media pages, so be sure to check for updates.

Historic London Town and Gardens

839 Londontown Road, Edgewater, MD

The grounds at Historic London Town and Gardens are currently open to the public Wednesday though Sunday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Pre-registration is not needed for visiting London Town. The William Brown House is currently closed, but the gardens are in full bloom.

Garden highlights include:

Woodland Garden – The Woodland Garden features towering native trees, an extensive collection of magnolias, camellias, dogwoods, rhododendrons and viburnums, uncommon individual specimens of spring bulbs, woodland wildflowers, and shade-loving perennials.

Ornamental Gardens – The Cook Memorial Garden and the Lillian S. Hall Memorial Garden comprise the Ornamental Gardens. Daylilies, hydrangeas, roses, and crepe myrtles are featured in summer. Asters, mums, and salvias bloom in the fall.

Living Roof Garden – Between the Visitor Center and the Anne Arundel Archaeology Lab is a living roof (above the Discover London Town exhibit). This roof, the rain barrels, and rain garden in the dell are just some of the ways that London Town is committed to environmental stewardship.

Our partners look forward to seeing you soon!