The Tour Annapolis
PHILOSOPHY
The guided tour reimagined:
Welcoming. Thought-Provoking. Made to Inspire.
Our tours welcome visitors into a 375-year-old story. You will come to know Annapolis's venerable naval and civic traditions, her beautiful waterways and charming brick streets, her delicious local cuisine, her stunning neo-classical architecture, and much more.​
​Annapolis joins a fascinating past to a thriving present and future. Our tours combine national and state history with contemporary and family stories. We will share educational moments and also friendly conversation. Questions and special visit requests are encouraged.
Our tours are also easy-going and convenient. We'll take photos for you at the best locations. We can stop any time for ice cream, coffee, a restroom break, or just to sit in the shade and enjoy the view.
By the end of your tour, we hope to part as friends and fellow lovers of the "Jewel of the Chesapeake,"
that is, as fellow Annapolitans.
The Tour Annapolis
STORY
Hello and welcome! I'm Michael,
and this is the story behind Tour Annapolis.
I was young when I first started touring Annapolis. My father, a Naval Academy graduate ('83), submariner, and later Academy instructor, would take our family downtown to enjoy the city. As a competitive sailer in high school, I also got to know the waters of Annapolis—Spa Creek, Ego Alley, the Severn River, and of course, the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Annapolis fascinated me, and as I grew up, I began to make the city my own. Soon I was leading informal tours for family and friends.
When I went to college in California, I sought out colorful destinations like Ventura, Santa Barbara, L.A., San Francisco, Sonoma County, and Seattle. These trips motivated me to go deeper into Annapolis' quintessentially East-Coast story, including her neoclassical and Beaux-Arts architecture, her naval and seafaring traditions, her political history, and the lives of her famous citizens.​
My current pursuit of a PhD has opened up even more perspectives on Annapolis. Did you know that this city was once known as "the Athens of America"? Annapolis is where Charles Carroll wrote his First Citizen letters, the Sons of Liberty met under the old Liberty Tree, General George Washington resigned as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and the world's first Great Books curriculum was implemented.
Annapolis is a city unique in beauty and charm—I look forward to sharing it with you.