Do you need something to do with your kiddos but also need to check off that holiday shopping list? After Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, keep your support local by heading to Annapolis-area attractions for Museum Store Sunday. Enjoy a day learning about our community’s history, taking in the arts, or marveling in scientific progress. Then you can peruse the books, apparel, and housewares that everyone from your distant cousins to your dearest loved ones will appreciate.
Not every museum will be open on Museum Store Sunday itself, so be sure to visit them and their gift shops on another day to show your support!
Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park
Dive into the history of the Annapolis waterfront at this small but fascinating museum in Eastport. Walk through interactive exhibits, including a small boat that visitors can sit on and enjoy a VR experience of sailing or kayaking. Say hello to native fish and the museum’s very friendly cat, Mac. The gift shop has apparel, postcards, and even baby rattles! There are books for all ages from board books to coffee table books. You can also find work by local artisans, such as matchbooks and candles.
Avoid the Black Friday mayhem by visiting the museum on that day for activities and crafts. Then on Museum Store Sunday, come back and receive a 10% discount from the gift shop (with 15% off for members)!
Days/Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 3 PM
Address: 723 Second Street, Annapolis, MD 21403
Phone: (410) 295-0104
Price: $7 for adults. Discounts for children 3-17, seniors, and military/veterans. Children under 3 are free. Check your local library for passes that you can borrow.
Parking: Small lot with only a few spaces. Limited street parking.
Online Shop: No.
Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum
The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum (BDTM) is dedicated to African American history and accomplishments in Maryland. They have interactive historical exhibits, illuminating videos, and contemporary artwork. You can find the exhibition, Sacred Spaces, by mixed-media artist Jabari Jefferson, in the former Mount Moriah AME Church. It includes work made in collaboration with Annapolis students and residents.
Their gift shop includes mugs, tote bags, and books through Baltimore Read Aloud. This program brings diverse books to young people through mobile book stores, school book fairs, and collaborations with organizations such as BDTM. The book topics range from fantasy graphic novels to biographies of contemporary celebrities. They highlight the struggles and triumphs of African Americans in the city, state, and country. You can buy the poster or catalog for Sacred Spaces, which you will want to do before they have a new exhibition in 2026. You can make your purchase with ease by using the QR code on display. Then you can take a seat on the comfortable bench right next to the shop and enjoy your next read.
Days/Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM
Address: 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: (410) 216-6180
Price: Free, but donations are encouraged.
Parking: Limited street parking. Gotts Court is the closest garage parking.
Online Shop: Yes, the Baltimore Read Aloud website allows you to purchase books and items, with 10% of the proceeds going to BDTM.
Historic London Town & Gardens
London Town’s historic buildings, both reconstructed and original, take visitors back in time to the colonial era. The extensive grounds are home to beautiful trees and flowers in the warmer months, and in the cooler months offer a lovely walk with a view of the river. Their main building has interactive exhibits that are great for kids—they can dress up, build with blocks, and learn games that would have been played by children over 300 years ago. Their gift shop is right inside the main building, past the ticket counter. They sell pottery, glassware, notebooks, ornaments, teas, and more.
Winter hours of operation begin on Friday, November 28 and run through Maryland Day on March 20, 2026. They will not be open on Museum Store Sunday, but don’t let that stop you from adding them to your tour of area gift shops!
Days/Hours: Beginning on November 28, 2025, their winter hours will be Fridays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Address: 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater, Maryland 21037
Phone: (410) 222-1919
Price: $11 for adults. Discounts for seniors 62 and up, children 4-17, and AAA members. Children 3 and under are free.
Parking: Free parking lot.
Online Shop: No.
United States Naval Academy
The Naval Academy has been a major influence on both the history and culture of Annapolis. Whether your family has a Navy connection or not, the USNA Museum is a fascinating look into the important role that the Navy plays for our country. Historical artifacts and audio/visual technology bring to life the stories of the men and women of the Navy.
The gift shop is not within the museum itself, but is located in the visitor’s center at the entrance gate. Find Navy items for the history buffs and service members in your life.
Days/Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Address: Preble Hall, 118 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21402
Phone: (410) 293-2108
Price: Free.
Parking: No parking on-site. Off-site, there is limited street parking. The closest garage is the Mills Hillman Garage (formerly Noah Hillman garage).
Online Shop: No.
NASA Goddard Visitor Center
This free museum is a must for anyone who loves all things space. There are fun exhibits to help anyone learn about NASA’s exploration of our planet and the universe through sights, sounds, and even smells! Check out details about the James Webb Space Telescope (built on-site!) and go to their exhibit Solarium for a close-up reproduction of the sun’s surface. Then head outside to see rockets, lunar landers, and sculptures, giving kids the perfect area to run around.
Right next door, the Goddard Employee Welfare Association operates a gift shop. They sell NASA-themed apparel for all ages, moonstone and meteor jewelry, playful alien keychains, and STEM toys that both you and your kids will love. You’ll be sure to win the gift exchange if you get some astronaut ice cream!
Days/Hours: Thursday to Friday from 10 AM to 3 PM, Saturday from noon to 4 PM
Shop hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Saturday from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Address: 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Phone: Visitor Center (301) 286-8981; Store (301) 286-6476
Price: Free.
Parking: Parking lot.
Online Shop: Yes.
National Wildlife Visitor Center
On the sprawling landscape of the Patuxent Research Refuge, the National Wildlife Visitor Center is the perfect stop after a brisk hike along the scenic trails. Visitors can check out the displays of our country’s endangered and threatened species before doing some bird watching at a riverside window. Their gift shop—run by the Friends of Patuxent organization—is called Wildlife Images Bookstore but, trust me, it has so much more than books. This could be a one-stop-shop for Santa before the big day, with decorative objects such as art prints and functional tools such as hiking sticks. And, of course, there’s plenty for children including stuffed animals, educational books, and STEM kits. No matter if your loved one prefers creepy crawlies, feathered friends, or happy little trees, there’s something here for them!
Days/Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM
Shop Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 3:30 PM
Address: 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708
Phone: (301) 497-5772
Price: Free.
Parking: Parking lot.
Online Shop: No.
College Park Aviation Museum
The museum is attached to the country’s longest, continuously running airport. While it’s 30 miles west of Annapolis, this museum is worth the drive. The inside space is huge, with a number of full-size aircraft both hanging from the ceiling and down on the floor for up-close viewing. The children’s section, known as Cub’s Corner, has flight simulators, flight uniforms for dress-up, and a small, vertical wind tunnel for demonstrating lift. If your kids are anything like mine, they’ll love putting the paper planes into the tunnel to watch them fly into the air. That is only if you can get them out of the display helicopter or airplane! If you’re lucky, you can see small aircrafts taking off and landing on the runways outside.
Their gift shop is filled with aviation-themed items, including books on historical pilots, tote bags with Rosie the Riveter, and oodles of toy planes. If you don’t want your kids messing with the more fragile model planes (“you break it, you buy it” is a universal rule, after all!), there’s a table of building blocks for them to play with while you shop.
Days/Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM
Address: 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD
Phone: (301) 864-6029
Price: $5 for adults. Discounts for seniors and students. Free for children under 2.
Parking: Parking lot.
Online Shop: No.
Support our community organizations all season (and all year) by purchasing items from these gift shops. Everyone you know will want these presents under their tree!
Supporting Local on Small Business Saturday