Visiting the Annapolis Maritime Museum: Hours, Parking & How to Get There

The Annapolis Maritime Museum sits on Back Creek in the Eastport neighborhood, housed in a former oyster packing plant that tells the story of the Chesapeake Bay's maritime and watermen history. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, admission runs $5–$7, and it's close enough to downtown Annapolis to walk, water-taxi, or drive in — though the museum's own site is specific about one thing: don't park across the street at the Eastport Yacht Center.

Where Is the Annapolis Maritime Museum?

The Museum Campus is located at 723 Second Street, Annapolis, MD 21403, in the Eastport neighborhood, at the Back Creek end of Second Street — a genuinely waterfront setting, not just "near the water."

An important detail most visitors don't know until they arrive: the museum actually has two separate campuses. The Museum Campus (723 Second Street) is where the main exhibits, gallery, and the skipjack Wilma Lee are located. A separate Park Campus — the Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park — sits at 7300 Edgewood Road, about 1.2 miles away and not walkable from the Museum Campus. If you're planning to visit both in one trip, budget time to drive or bike between them rather than assuming it's one connected site.

Hours & Admission

The Museum Campus is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., closed Mondays (year-round, excluding some major holidays).

Donations beyond admission are appreciated and support the museum's exhibits and environmental education programming.

What to See at the Museum

The museum is housed in the historic McNasby Oyster Company building — the last oyster packing plant in Annapolis — which sets the tone for the whole visit: this is real maritime and watermen history, not a generic nautical-themed attraction. Highlights include:

• The Wilma Lee — a restored historic skipjack (a traditional Chesapeake Bay oyster-dredging boat), available for heritage and sunset cruises on the water.
• A 2,500 sq. ft. renovated exhibit room covering the Bay's ecology, the oyster industry, and the lives of Chesapeake watermen.
• A waterside art gallery and outdoor exhibits along the water.
• Free public pier access — even without paying admission, the pier itself is open to the public for a waterfront stop.
• Hands-on exhibits well-suited to kids — the National Park Service, which lists the museum as a Chesapeake Gateways Network site, specifically highlights its interactive, all-ages exhibits.

Most visits run about an hour given the museum's small footprint — a genuinely worthwhile stop rather than a multi-hour commitment, which makes it easy to pair with other Eastport or downtown Annapolis plans the same day.

Parking & Getting There

Here's the detail that actually matters if you're driving: the museum has a small on-site visitor parking lot. If it's full — which happens on busy weekends — the museum directs visitors to nearby street parking instead.

On foot from downtown Annapolis: it's roughly a 20-minute walk from City Dock — take Compromise Street across the Spa Creek Bridge, turn left onto Severn Avenue, then right onto Second Street and follow it to the end.

By water taxi: Watermark's Annapolis Water Taxi serves a stop directly at the museum (listed on their route as "Annapolis Maritime Museum (McNasby's)"), running on demand within Spa Creek and Back Creek. This service is seasonal — offered mid-May through Labor Day, weather-dependent into the fall — so it's a great option in season but not something to count on for a winter visit. Fares run roughly $3–$8 depending on your pickup point, cash only.

By car from DC or Baltimore: the museum is a short drive from downtown Annapolis across the Spa Creek Bridge into Eastport. From Washington, DC, it's roughly 35–40 miles via US-50 East, typically 45–60 minutes depending on traffic; many visitors coming from the District arrange private car service rather than driving and parking themselves. From Baltimore, it's roughly 30 miles via I-97 South, typically 35–45 minutes.

Best Time to Visit the Annapolis Maritime Museum

Because the Museum Campus keeps a compact daily window — Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — the single most important planning tip is simply to arrive with enough of that window left to enjoy it. Late morning is a comfortable time to start: it gives you room for the exhibit room, the gallery, the outdoor exhibits, and a walk out onto the pier before the 3 p.m. close, without feeling rushed.

Season matters more here than at an indoor-only museum, because so much of the experience is outdoors and on the water. Late spring through early fall is when the waterfront setting is at its best and when the seasonal options — the Annapolis Water Taxi and on-the-water heritage sails aboard the Wilma Lee — are actually running. A visit in the colder months still works for the indoor exhibits and the free pier, but you'll be relying on driving or walking rather than the water taxi, and the on-water programming is limited or paused. Weekends draw the most visitors (and fill the small parking lot fastest), so a weekday visit tends to be the calmest if your schedule allows it.

One more timing note worth building around: if seeing or sailing aboard the Wilma Lee is a priority, check the museum's calendar before you go, since the skipjack's heritage and sunset cruises run on scheduled dates rather than continuously — it isn't guaranteed to be at the dock and available on any given afternoon.

Pairing the Museum With the Rest of Eastport & Annapolis

Since most visits to the Annapolis Maritime Museum run about an hour, it pairs naturally with a wider afternoon in Eastport and downtown Annapolis rather than being a standalone trip. The museum sits in the heart of Eastport — the walkable maritime neighborhood just across Spa Creek from the historic downtown — which has long been known as its own small community of boatyards, waterfront restaurants, and sailing culture.

The 20-minute walk back across the Spa Creek Bridge toward City Dock is itself part of the appeal, with harbor views most of the way and easy access to the downtown Annapolis waterfront, the shops and restaurants around Main Street, and the United States Naval Academy grounds nearby. Many visitors treat the museum as the anchor of a half-day loop: start with the maritime and watermen history at McNasby's, walk or water-taxi back toward the harbor, and round out the day along the downtown waterfront. Planning the pieces of that loop in advance — especially how you'll get between them and where you'll park — is what keeps a museum visit from turning into a parking-and-logistics scramble, given how tight the museum's own lot is.

Getting to the Museum for Groups & Events

Beyond a solo or family visit, the museum's waterfront setting and the Wilma Lee make it a popular backdrop for group outings, tours, and private events. If you're coordinating a group visit, getting everyone there together — and parked correctly, given the lot's limited size and the no-parking rule next door — is worth planning ahead rather than having everyone arrive separately. (For couples and planners specifically looking at the museum as a wedding or event venue, a dedicated guide on venue transportation logistics is coming — this piece focuses on general visitor planning.)

Frequently Asked Questions