While Baltimore has grown into the state's largest and busiest city, Annapolis , Maryland's colonial and current capital, has changed little in size and outward appearance. Before the US broke free from English rule, this was considered to be one of the most genteel and attractive colonial centers, and though its time-worn streets are now usually crowded, Annapolis is still among the more engaging small US cities. Its once-vital Chesapeake Bay waterfront now has little of the feel of colonial maritime life, but the real attractions of Annapolis, among its narrow streets, include fine homes, the Beaux Arts campus of the US Naval Academy, and the beautiful state capitol. If you like the look of Annapolis, and want to get a better feel for the Chesapeake Bay region away from the crowds, head south to places like St Mary's City - the first capital of Maryland, completely reconstructed in the 1960s - or Solomons Island , one of many small Chesapeake Bay towns that seem not to have changed for decades.

Southern Maryland

• Southern Maryland

Explore Southern Maryland

• Annapolis
• Southern Maryland's back roads

Maryland cities


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