We have lived near Annapolis for almost fifteen years and I am still surprised at how much Annapolis has to offer that we have not even seen yet. Last week we finally made it out for tea at Reynolds Tavern which was a lot of fun. Afterwards we walked over to the William Paca House and Gardens which was a half of a mile away and took about 8-10 minutes walking. It took us to a section of downtown with shops that we had never been to before.
The William Paca House & Gardens is a Georgian mansion that was built in the 1760s by William Paca, who interestingly enough, is one of Maryland’s four Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the state’s third Governor and is now part of Historic Annapolis. When we entered the house we were greeted by extremely friendly employees who gave us the rundown on how to visit the property. We had our 1.5 year old with us who would not have been interested in the one-hour guided tour of the house ($12 an adult and $7 for a child 3-17), so we opted for the free roam tour of the gardens ($5 for anyone 3 and up). This also included two rooms of exhibits and they had a TV outside playing a program that talked about the house and showed the inside, so it was perfect when you have children with you to keep them interested.
I think we spent 45 minutes to an hour exploring the grounds and it was a lot of fun. There are many beautiful different sections of the garden to enjoy. The real draw was the pond and bridge where the pond was filled with bullfrogs. Definitely bring a camera as it is a great place to snap some family pictures.
Information
Address: 186 Prince George Street Annapolis, MD 21401
Cost: $5-12 a person depending
Distance from Annapolis: 0!
By Frank Bolinsky, Parks & Rec Contributor
Moms’ Imaginary Audience