Be a tourist in your own town! Ideas for fun and educational outings with Are We There Yet?! columnist Frank Bolinsky.
Many of you have asked about indoor activities that are either free or not cost prohibitive. For the next few weeks, I’ll try to highlight some fun, free indoor activities in our area!
The Banneker-Douglass Museum, named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass is free, and my kids loved it. This museum is the State of Maryland’s official museum of African American heritage and their mission is “to document, to interpret, and to promote African American history and culture (particularly in Maryland) through exhibitions, programs, and projects in order to improve the understanding and appreciation of America’s rich cultural diversity for all.”
We easily spent an hour there, and I was happy that my son already (who is 9) knew a lot about many of the displays in the museum from school. The museum is mainly broken up into two large sections. One had a lot of static displays about history, and was located inside a converted church (Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church) with a lot of art. The man at the front desk was a wealth of information and walked around with us for a bit giving us the lay of the land.
After visiting the Banneker-Douglass Museum, we visited the State Capitol building which is also free, you just have to get in line and go through the metal detectors. They have multiple rooms set up like a museum with historical information and exhibits. Looking up at the Dome was neat as well. We even popped into a session of the house which may interest some, but we only lasted about 3 minutes.
After the State Capitol, we ventured onto the Naval Academy through the pedestrian entrance at Gate 1 on Randall Street. Again, you have to go through security but it was quick. The Naval Academy has two free museums. The first is the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center which had a lot of static displays and a movie to watch, and you could also sign up for guided tours. The real highlight was the Naval Academy Museum which is a short walk from the Visitor Center over to Maryland Ave. This was a two-story museum, also free, with amazing displays. The whole top floor was model ships.
Bring your kids, bring your parents, they would all love this. Two other fun stops on the Naval Academy are the goat statue near the visitor center and the indoor Crypt of John Paul Jones which is in the Naval Academy Chapel right next to the museum.
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