Annapolis Without the Boat Show: A Rec Center Pass, a Free Park, and the In Between Days

Destined for Adventure blog cover card: Annapolis Without the Boat Show.

Written by Hannah

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September 20, 2026

Most of a trip is not the trip. In spring 2026 I spent three weeks in Annapolis visiting my friend Sara, doing very ordinary things: the rec center, walks in the woods, food, painting. The useful part for anyone else is this. Truxtun Park is more than seventy acres, free to enter, free to park, open sunrise to sunset, with a two mile wooded loop, courts, a skate park, a boat ramp on Spa Creek and a municipal pool. The Pip Moyer Recreation Center sits inside it and sells single day passes: $8 for an adult resident, $10 for a non-resident. No membership, no residency.

A dirt trail climbing through green spring woods in Truxtun Park, Annapolis. — The Truxtun Park trails sit inside the same free park as the rec center, about two miles of them.

The empty indoor running track at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, lanes marked in red. — The indoor track runs above the gym. At 9:40 on a Thursday morning I had it to myself.

The climbing tower at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, rising 30 feet above padded mats. — 30 feet of it, listed on the city price sheet as a “3-foot rock wall.” The posted hours are on a sign at the base.

The view down the 30 foot climbing wall to the gym floor. — Looking down. The wall keeps its own hours, separate from the building's.

A woman in a tie dye hoodie standing on the wooded trail in Truxtun Park. — Late April, and the whole loop had leafed out.

A single white dogwood flower open against green leaves. — Dogwood, the Maryland state flower, right along the path.

A dark butterfly with white markings resting on a gravel path. — A red-spotted purple sunning itself on the trail, in no hurry to move.

White honeysuckle flowers on a shrub beside a woodland trail. — Honeysuckle, with a bee working it. Most of what I noticed that spring was at this scale.

The girls night paintings

Sara and I had a girls night at home and wanted to do something different, so we painted. Mine ended up as a woman and a dog on an orange beach.

An acrylic painting of a woman walking a yellow dog along an orange beach under a blue and white sea. — Mine. The beach came out orange and I left it that way.

Three painted canvases propped side by side: an orange beach scene, a tree, and a rainbow. — Nobody was trying to be good at it. That was most of the point.

Who made the three weeks good?

Sara. She is the whole reason I went to Annapolis. We have been friends for at least 15 years, and most of what I did there, I did with her. We went to yoga class together, took Sori the dog on walks, and mostly just spent time together.

Two friends smiling together, holding a tray of powdered cannoli. — The cannoli kept us at the festival longer than we meant to stay.

A wood-fired margherita pizza on a paper plate. — Cooked in the oven trailer parked out on the grass.

A cup of frozen yogurt piled high with whipped cream, cookie dough and sprinkles. — No self-serve machine on earth teaches portion control.

A foil tray of Mexican food on a table with a bowl of chips behind it. — Cinco de Mayo, which we did not plan for and then absolutely did.

A woman walking a white dog across a grass field on a spring evening. — Sori set the pace on most of these walks.

How do you get to Annapolis?

Annapolis is about 30 minutes from BWI by car and about 44 minutes from Washington DC, and there is no Metro. From Union Station in DC it is 31 miles on US-50 East to Exit 24A.

From BWI: about 30 minutes by taxi or rideshare. Anne Arundel County runs a free BWI Express bus, daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with stops at Annapolis Mall, Crownsville and the Millersville Park and Ride.
From DC without a car: Flixbus runs once a day, nonstop, for about $12 one way. On weekdays the MTA Commuter Bus 220 takes about 1 hour 8 minutes, and a one-way full fare in that zone is $6.
Metro: there isn’t one. The closest station is New Carrollton on the Orange Line, about 25 miles away.
Getting around once you are there: Annapolis Transit is $2 a ride or $4 for a day pass, cash only on board. The Magenta Shuttle from the West Street garages into downtown is free, and so is the open-air Current trolley on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., every ten minutes.

What is worth a day downtown?

Three things, all walkable from City Dock: the State House, the Naval Academy and the waterfront. I spent most of my three weeks on the Truxtun Park side of town, and this is the part of Annapolis most visitors come for.

Maryland State House: finished in 1779 and the oldest state house still in legislative use. Free, open every day 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and you need a photo ID to get through security.
US Naval Academy: the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center at 52 King George Street is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everyone 18 and over needs a REAL ID or a passport, and you park outside and walk in through Gate 1. Public visits only resumed on May 11, 2026. The guided walking tour is 90 minutes and leaves from the visitor center.
City Dock and Ego Alley: the old heart of the city, where boats parade up the turning basin. The Harbor Queen and the Schooner Woodwind both leave from here.
Annapolis Maritime Museum: across the creek in Eastport, $10 for adults, Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The water taxi runs between downtown and Eastport.

Where do you park downtown?

Use a city garage and the free shuttle, because street parking downtown is short and metered. These are the city’s own posted rates from its 2024 parking guide, the most recent dated rates I could find:

Noah Hillman Garage (Duke of Gloucester Street): $3 an hour, $25 a day, a five minute walk to the State House.
Gott’s Garage (Calvert Street): $3 an hour, $15 a day.
Knighton Garage (Colonial Avenue): $3 an hour, $10 a day.
Navy Stadium (Taylor Avenue): $10 a day and about a 20 minute walk.

Gott’s, Knighton and Park Place are free on Sundays if you leave before 2 p.m.

What should you eat in Annapolis?

Blue crab, and the season is longer than people think: April 1 to December 15. Steamed crabs with Old Bay, crab cakes, cream of crab soup, and rockfish, which is the Chesapeake’s signature catch.

My own three weeks ran more like this: wood-fired pizza from a trailer and cannoli at an Italian food festival, froyo more than once, Chinese food, Mexican on Cinco de Mayo, and a shoofly pie with a $7.59 sticker on it. None of it was fancy, and most of it was with Sara.

When should you go?

Late April to May, if you want Annapolis busy but not packed. That is when I was there, and it is when the trails leaf out.

Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show: April 24 to 26 in 2026, at City Dock.
Naval Academy Commissioning Week: May, with the Blue Angels. In 2026 they flew on May 20. Book a room early that week.
Fall: the city’s in-water boat shows, billed as the largest in the country.
Parks programs: the flyers at the rec center that spring listed Trail Buddies, a five week guided hike through the city’s parks for adults ($45 resident, $55 non-resident, Fridays 3:30 to 4:30), and a free Kids to Parks Day at Truxtun on May 16.

What does a week of this look like?

A routine, not an itinerary. This is roughly how my weeks went, and it is a good template if you are staying somewhere a while instead of passing through.

Mornings: the rec center. The track, the machines, a yoga class, and the climbing wall on the afternoons it was open.
Afternoons: the two mile loop in Truxtun Park, or a walk with Sori.
One weekday: downtown. The State House in the morning, the Naval Academy after, City Dock for dinner.
Weekends: ride the free Current trolley, or get out of town. Sara and I did a hike and a weekend in Ocean City.
Where to stay: downtown has historic inns (the Maryland Inn, the Governor Calvert House and the Robert Johnson House) and the Graduate Annapolis.

What I would tell someone staying a few weeks

Find the municipal facility and buy the pass. Every town has one and almost no traveler uses it, because we look for the attraction and not the place people actually live in. In Annapolis, a 30 day pass for a non-resident is $41, and it got me a climbing wall, a track, the machines and yoga classes, with a two mile loop through the woods in the same park. Mostly it got me a routine, which is the thing that actually goes missing when you live out of a suitcase.

Two friends on a back deck with a white dog between them. — Three weeks of this, which is the part that never makes the highlight reel.

Common questions

How much does Truxtun Park cost to enter?

Nothing. Entry and parking at Truxtun Park in Annapolis are both free, and the park is open from sunrise to sunset.

Where is the Pip Moyer Recreation Center?

At 273 Hilltop Lane, Annapolis, Maryland, inside Truxtun Park.

Can a visitor use the Pip Moyer Recreation Center without a membership?

Yes. Anyone without a full membership buys a guest pass. The adult drop-in rate is $8 for a resident and $10 for a non-resident, and the building is open 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day.

Is a 30 day pass worth it?

For an adult it was $36 resident and $41 non-resident, which is about four drop-in visits. If you are in town for two weeks or more and plan to go regularly, it pays for itself quickly and it covers the fitness classes.

Does the rec center really have a climbing wall?

Yes, and it is 30 feet, not the three foot wall the price list describes. It runs on its own posted schedule, so check the sign rather than assuming the building hours apply.

How long is the walking loop in Truxtun Park?

About two miles, running through the woods and along Spa Creek.

Is there a boat ramp at Truxtun Park, and what does it cost?

Yes, on Spa Creek, with two concrete launching ramps and adjacent finger piers. The daily launch fee is $10 and includes a parking permit for a vehicle and trailer.

Is there a Metro to Annapolis?

No. The closest Metro station is New Carrollton on the Orange Line, about 25 miles away. From DC, Flixbus runs once a day for about $12 and the MTA Commuter Bus 220 runs on weekdays.

How do you get from BWI to Annapolis?

About 30 minutes by car. Anne Arundel County also runs a free BWI Express bus daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with stops at Annapolis Mall, Crownsville and the Millersville Park and Ride.

Do you need ID to visit the Naval Academy?

Yes. Visitors 18 and over need a REAL ID compliant license or state ID, a US passport, or an Enhanced Driver's License, and walk in through Gate 1. Public visits resumed on May 11, 2026.

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