America's Best Towns for the Holidays Includes Annapolis

All of the holiday events Annapolis-area residents enjoy – Lights on the Bay, Midnight Madness Holiday Shopping downtown, or Handel’s “Messiah” sung at the Naval Academy – have gained national recognition.

Travel and Leisure magazine has ranked America’s Best Towns for the Holidays and Annapolis lands at No. 15 on the list.

»Related story: From Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade to Candlelight Stroll: Holiday Festivities in Annapolis Region

The competition was stiff, with the top spots going to quintessential ski destinations and sunny beaches for those tired of winter already. Aspen, CO, was tops on the rankings, followed by Vail, CO, Ogunquit, ME, Nantucket, MA, and Naples, FL, to round out the top 5.

The magazine’s writers said to come up with the best towns for the holidays, they combined the scores in a few festive categories: department-store shopping, notable restaurants, and Christmas lights.

Here’s how Travel and Leisure describes Annapolis during the Christmas holidays:

This military town along the Chesapeake Bay does plenty of pomp, circumstance, and tailgating during the holiday season. Annapolis ranked well for Christmas lights, notably the drive-through Lights on the Bay in Sandy Point State Park, which starts up in mid-November. Downtown Annapolis also keeps its shops lit and open until midnight on a few Thursdays during December. To celebrate alongside the military locals, you can hear Handel’s “Messiah” performed by the Naval Academy Glee Club in the Naval Academy Chapel, or just sit tight until the Military Bowl, which falls on December 27, 2014, at the U.S. Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. No surprise, the locals also scored well for being passionate sports fans.

>>Photo Credit: Patch file photo from Lights on the Bay