Summer 2018 Events List, New Dining In Annapolis, Anne Arundel

ANNAPOLIS, MD — There’s a lot that’s new in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Maryland this summer! To make it easy for area residents and vacationers to be in the know, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County has compiled a sampling of some of the latest attractions and experiences that beckon travelers in the months ahead. For a complete listing, visit the VAAAC website.

What’s New with Events

Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Celebration – From slave to statesman, Maryland-born African American abolitionist and social reformer Frederick Douglass spent a lifetime championing the cause of freedom and equality. Join Marylanders in a yearlong 2018 Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Celebration at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis.

Second Annual Smokin’ on the Creek BBQ Throwdown: Saturday, June 9, at 11:00 a.m. Admission: $10; kids under 8, admitted for free. Location: Hidden Harbor Marina, 600 Cabana Blvd. Deale. Organizers are looking for 20 amateur teams that think they make the best backyard BBQ around. Categories include pulled pork, ribs, brisket and more. This is not a KCBS event. Event features live music all day, a dunk tank, moon bounce, vendors from favorite local shops, and prizes. Proceeds will benefit a to-be-announced local charity.

Annapolis Sailor’s Triathlon: Saturday, July 28 Registration: $150 for individuals; $200 for a team
www.sailorstriathlon.com, Sailorstriathlon@gmail.com The event will travel along city streets, through the U.S. Naval Academy, Naval Station Annapolis and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Proceeds will benefit the Annapolis Department of Recreation & Parks and the American Cancer Society.

September Sunsets Concert Series: Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park introduces its first September Sunsets concert series featuring local bands. 9/6: Swamp Candy; 9/13: Higher Hands; 9/20: High & Wides; 9/27: Timmie Metz f/Tambo.Thursdays, September 6, 13, 20, 27 at 6 p.m. Location: Annapolis Maritime Museum Park, 7300 Edgewood Road, Annapolis Admission: Free; $10 donation suggested http://amaritime.org/ 410-295-0104.

New On Food Scene

Arundel Mills Mall opened a revitalized dining pavilion in November 2017. It features updated designs — including elevated banquet tables with charging stations and intimate conversation seating areas — and broader dining selections. Newcomers include: Crepe Escape & Creamery, Green Leaf's & Bananas, Suki Hana/Wokaholic, Charley’s Philly Steaks, and Maryland’s first Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar.

Boat House – Deale has a new watering hole: The Boat House next to the Anchored Inn at Hidden Harbor has kicked off its first summer season. The Southern Belle is the focal point of the 173-person gathering place. Before being transformed into a bar, the boat had been used for clamming, oystering and crabbing; a food truck sells food options.

Chesapeake Brewing Company began brewing beer in downtown Annapolis in fall 2017. The family-run business offers craft beers, local seafood and creative cocktails. The head brewer is a 1985 U.S. Naval Academy graduate. His locally-influenced craft beers include: Oyster Stout, Tangier Amber, BEAT ARMY Golden Lager, Waterman's Soul IPA and The Watchdog, named for the State's Comptroller. http://www.chesbrewco.com/.

Chuy’s – The Tex-Mex chain opened its second Maryland location at the Festival at Riva shopping center at 2339 Forest Drive in Annapolis in November 2017. Chuy’s menu offers items made to order from the freshest ingredients.

Crooked Crab Brewing Company – Opened in February 2018, the brewing company is housed in a 6,100-square-foot warehouse at the Telegraph Commerce Center in Odenton. Three Maryland natives and longtime friends are making and serving beer; their initial lineup includes six brews.

Flying Dog Tap House – The latest bar and restaurant at BWI Airport is Flying Dog Tap House, and it's the first restaurant location for one of Maryland’s most beloved brews. The menu features craft beer from Flying Dog’s Frederick brewery and food from Maryland’s Roseda Black Angus Farm, a cattle farm in Monkton.

Great Frogs Winery – Owners Andrea and Nate O’Shea opened a new Tadpole Barn with a new tasting room in March 2018. Great Frogs’ signature Tobacco Barn now features a club room and a Music Bar, featuring live music every Saturday afternoon from 1:30 until 4 p.m.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrell House is slated to open in summer 2018. Located on the Anne Arundel County/Baltimore County line in Halethorpe, it will be the first operational Guinness Breweryin the United States in more than 60 years. It’s located on the site of the old Calvert Distillery, originally Maryland Distilling Company, the first distillery opened in Maryland since the Prohibition. In the meantime, they opened a test taproom at the 5001 Washington Blvd., Halethorpe, which is open Friday-Sunday.

O’Brien’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant – A fixture in the downtown Annapolis dining scene for nearly 50 years, O’Brien’s Oyster Bar and Restaurantat 113 Main Street was sold in March 2018 to Kostas Alexakis. The Severna Park-based Alexakis is keeping the restaurant’s historic name. He’s transitioning the menu toward seafood. The historic site has housed an eatery ever since it was built in 1774 as the Rose & Crown Tavern.

Original Annapolis Dessert Sprawl – In May 2018, Annapolis Urban EvenTours launched a new dessert tour that includes dessert at four different locations. Available daily from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the $59 per person tour features signature desserts from four locations that are unique to Annapolis and Eastport.

Tavolo Di Chef, Inc. Culinary Adventures – Slated to open in summer 2018,Tavolo Di Chef (Italian for Chef’s Table) at 71 Amos Garrett Blvd. in Annapolis’ Arts District is designed to be an artsy entertainment space that will offer a monthly calendar of events, classes and other gatherings. In time, he plans to expand the offerings to include poetry readings, a book club, jam sessions for budding musicians and more.

Westfield Annapolis – Westfield Annapolis is building an all-new food-hall-inspiring Dining Court slated to open in summer 2018. All the eateries currently operating in the space – including Chick-fil-A, Charleys Philly Steaks, Five Guys, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill and Panda Express – will remain open for business during construction.

What’s New with Attractions

African American Experience in Annapolis Tour – In February 2018, Colonial Tours of Annapolis began offering an African American Experience in Annapolis walking tour. In addition to sharing what life was like for all classes of African Americans in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County and Maryland from the colony’s founding in 1632 until the present day, Annapolis native William Ridgley shares his own personal experiences and observations as an African American. Tradesmen, scientists, mathematicians were among the African Americans who arrived in the Maryland Colony in the 1600s. Others came as indentured servants or slaves. In his tour, Ridgley discusses how each of the groups experienced Annapolis and Anne Arundel County in a different way.

AngelWing Project – In December 2017, Chesapeake Arts Center announced its new Theater in Residence Program in Glen Burnie to present original productions and published plays. Its documentary theatre style enables it to tell the stories of real people and events not found in history books, but that have contributed to America’s cultural narrative.

Annapolis Electric Boat Rentals – The re-invented Annapolis Electric Boat Rentals opened for its inaugural season in March 2017. It has three eco-friendly electric boats for one-to-four-hour rentals. The 22-foot boats are equipped with full canopies, bathrooms and enclosable window systems to protect guests from inclement weather. Guests captain their own boat of up to ten passengers of all ages. The boats depart from the Chart House Restaurant in Eastport.

Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park – The Annapolis Maritime Museum is revitalizing the 12-acre Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek at 7314 Edgewood Road in Annapolis. The urban ecology park offers public access to the water, nature trails and 19 interactive storm water education stations with environmental storyboards.

Baltimore & Annapolis Trail – In summer 2018, Anne Arundel County plans to invest more than $3 million to repave the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail and improve the Earleigh Heights Ranger Station in Severna Park. The B&A Trail stretches 13 miles from Boulters Way in Annapolis to Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie.

Chesapeake Arts Center – The Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park has a MakerSpace that features a welding area, screen printing, textiles, computer lab, 3D printers, a hand-held CNC router, wood shop, metal fabrication tools and more. It is open to the public.

Compass Rose Theater – In fall 2018,the theater will offer performances out of a new, larger building at 1623 Forest Drive – at the intersection of Spa Road and Forest Drive in Annapolis.

Dave & Buster’s Arundel Mills – Dave & Buster’steam up with Charm City Trivia to provide a free, family-friendly live trivia show on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in their main dining room. No advance registration is required.

James Brice House Restoration – Historic Annapolis plans to restore the five-part Georgian mansion to its completed 1774 appearance. Once the work is done, the first and second floors of the center block will be open to the public for tours, preservation research, educational programming and exhibitions. In the meantime, hard hat tours give participants the opportunity to peek behind the scaffolding and sawdust to learn about the people who built the house, lived and worked in it, and the craftsmen who are restoring it today.

Maryland Renaissance Festival – The second largest Renaissance Festival in the nation has a new jousting show performed in light armor that allows the group to present more tricks and maneuverability.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament Maryland – In July 2018, a queen will ascend the throne at Medieval Times Arundel Mills. The new show marks the first time in Medieval Times’ 34-year history that a queen will be taking the throne. Along with the queen’s new reign comes an all new show, complete with new costumes, armor, fight scenes and musical score.

Mission Escape Rooms, Annapolis – Been to Mission Escape Roomsin Annapolis before? It’s time to go again! They’ve swapped out the old rooms for new ones! Their new themes include saving a sinking submarine; escaping the witch’s cottage in Hansel and Gretel; replacing gold in the Wild West Saloon; and sneaking out of the curator’s office in a Museum Heist.

Mission Escape Rooms, Arundel Mills Mall – Mission Escape Rooms is planning to open a new location at Arundel Mills Mall in 2018. The rooms will be themed Candy Island, Antarctic Expedition, Medieval Crimes, the Abandoned Theater, and Time Travel. A Mission Escape Rooms opened the at Waugh Chapel Towne Centre in Gambrills in March 2017. The theme of the 685-square-foot Waugh Chapel location is “Oddities.”

Orchid Gaming & Smoking Patio – In May 2018, Live! Casino & Hotel opened the first and only full-service outdoor gaming area that allows casino patrons to smoke while playing slots and table games. Orchid Gaming & Smoking features 12 live action table games, including Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette as well as 28 electronic table positions.

Image courtesy of city of Annapolis