Ditching Family For Thanksgiving? Try Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Thanksgiving is the lead-off to a string of potentially stressful family gatherings. For every Hallmark-moment where everyone is thrilled to see a horde of relatives gathered at a table, there's an equally dysfunctional gathering of people complaining about the food, the host and the travel time.

So if you want to ditch your minefield of a family gathering and just get away, US News has a list of 30 spots to spend the holiday, which is an early Nov. 23 this year on the calendar. Some of the site's destinations seem obvious — Hawaii, Amsterdam, New Orleans, Florence, Italy — while others just say surf and sand, like San Diego and Miami Beach.

Richmond and Colonial Williamsburg, both in Virginia, also made the list, which is about a 50-50 mix of US and international destinations.

So if you want to forego turkey for blue crabs, oysters and water views, head to the Maryland capitol.

Here's what US News says of Annapolis:

"With striking coastal scenery along the Chesapeake Bay, delicious blue crabs and crisp autumn air, Annapolis offers a refreshing change of scenery. Admire the colonial architecture and cobblestone streets in Historic Annapolis before grabbing a bite at one of the area's fine dining establishments (Cantler's Riverside Inn, O'Learys Seafood Restaurant and Chick & Ruth's Delly are longstanding crowd-pleasers). And on Black Friday, after you stroll along the city's charming brick streets, peruse the boutique shops and galleries along Main Street in Historic Annapolis to pick up a few holiday gifts. Afterward, visit Dock Street in Ego Alley to people-watch on a bench, grab a bite to eat and admire the sailboats bobbing in the water."

Another consideration: spending the holiday in Annapolis give Marylanders an out from the increased security screening at BWI Airport. All electronic devices larger than cell phones must be taken out of carry-on luggage under procedures recently announced by authorities to strengthen security at airports nationwide.

Items that can be brought through checkpoints will not change, but passengers will be required to remove more of their carry-on belongings and put them into bins on conveyor belts for screening. Cameras, tablets and e-readers are among the items that should be taken out of bags for screening and placed into bins with nothing above or below them, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

PHOTO: The streets of downtown Annapolis, Md., in a Nov. 27, 2007, file photo near the U.S. Naval Academy. The Maryland Capitol dome is at right. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)