(This article by Louisiana-based writer Kathie Rowell originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members. Learn more about the magazine here; learn more about joining MOAA here.)

Col. Andrew Fallon, USA (Ret), president of the Annapolis Chapter of MOAA, has lived in Annapolis, Md., off and on since 1981 and appreciates its links to the nation’s history.

“One of the premier places in town is the U.S. Naval Academy, which has a tremendous amount of history going back to the Revolutionary War,” he said. “There is the chapel there, which has the crypt of John Paul Jones and, again, goes back to the colonial days. They’ve got a great naval museum. The campus itself is absolutely gorgeous — both the facilities as well as its location right there on the harbor.”

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Guided walking tours of the Naval Academy include visits to all the historical and monumental highlights. Tours are available daily, excluding federal holidays.

Visitors can get a glimpse of Revolutionary War history with a tour of the Old Senate Chamber in the Maryland State House, where a bronze statue of George Washington marks the site at which he resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army Dec. 23, 1783.

Three weeks later, the war ended, making Annapolis the nation’s first peacetime capital.

The Museum of Historic Annapolis showcases objects from the 17th century to the present. A parade and fireworks light up the town for each Fourth of July.

Fallon also recommends checking out Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write The Star-Spangled Banner.

Something Extra: For visitors who would like to experience the character of Annapolis as well as classic Chesapeake fare, Fallon suggests Carrol’s Creek.