Maryland’s Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park reopened in April 2021 with a new, nearly $1 million museum-wide permanent exhibition, Our Changing Waterfront, featuring a variety of immersive and interactive ways to learn about the Chesapeake Bay’s history, ecosystems and oyster economy.
Highlights include an oral history narrated by a holographic Chesapeake Bay waterman, a virtual reality boating experience, and two 500-gallon aquariums that compare the health of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1700s to today.
An animated “Harry Potter-style” book examines the Bay’s watershed, while a touch-screen table game allows players to weigh the pros and cons of various oyster harvesting methods, including their economic and ecological impacts.
After learning about the bay, set sail aboard the Wilma Lee, a refurbished 1940 Chesapeake Bay skipjack (one of only 20-some skipjacks still plying the bay’s waters today). The 75-foot boat offers two-hour heritage, sunset and Wednesday Night Sailboat Race watch cruises.
Museum admission is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors, military and kids 3-12. Free for children younger than 3. Skipjack tours begin at $40 and must be booked separately.
Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, 723 Second St., Annapolis, Maryland, 410-295-0104