When there’s a chill in the air and you’re looking for spooktacular getaway options, head to Maryland’s capital city to get your ghost on. It’s a great place to visit for haunted historical entertainment as well as hauntingly beautiful architecture and ambiance. Everyone seems to have a story to tell of ghosts that coexist with living residents amid the city’s 18th century building and cobblestone streets. On the campus of St. John’s College, in the graveyard at Church Circle, in local bars and restaurants, and even in the State House, the spirits reportedly linger.A number of historic city ghost tours blend well-researched history with tales of long-gone residents who seem to benignly stick around, playing occasional pranks and flickering the lights.The Historic Annapolis Foundation teams up with Watermark tours to offer terrible tales and suspenseful stories of spirits during weekend tours through town. The eerie evening begins by donning blinking skull necklaces to keep the group together. Our colonial-period costumed interpreter led us waterside to City Dock, beginning with tales of lives lost in the harbor. The engaging stories continued as we wound our way past historic residences, churches, and the State House (currently spookily shrouded as it undergoes renovations). We looked for specters in the windows and nervously giggled when the streetlights turned off and back on as we gathered in the graveyard. Although the historic ghost tours are also offered in the spring and summer, visitors on the fall tour can get up close with the ghosties on a candlelit creep inside the historic William Paca House, looking for the spirit of the ailing child who died here.
The Ghosts of Annapolis Tour (complete with glow stick bracelets) begins on the front porch of the Maryland Inn with a tragic story of two stymied young lovers who continue to haunt the building. The romance soon gives way to the bawdy bed-breaking fate of “working girl” Amy in the Rams Head Tavern, the hilarious story of the over-enthusiastic gravedigger at St. Anne’s Church, and the fate of scores of watermen in the harbor.For an adult-only spirit tour, coupled with the city’s brewing history and a quest for liquid spirits, try the Haunted Pub Crawl, which winds its way through the city’s taverns and restaurants spinning spine-tingling tales as you sip the house specialties.Pre-tour we savored one of the stops, indulging in the hearty Irish classics offered by Galway Bay. Proprietor Fintan Galway was coy about the spirits that may haunt his establishment, but he’s an enthusiastic host, ensuring guests warm up with shepherds pie, lamb shank, and oxtails. Although steeped in Irish traditions, his restaurant is one of several in Annapolis devoted to adding more local products to the menu. Look for the Green Plate Special logo to identify dishes made with locally-sourced foods. In the city’s Market House at City Dock, it’s possible to find just picked ingredients in b.b.bistro’s cafe items (the bistro has a backyard garden in west Annapolis), and just-off-the-water treats including oysters, clams, and softshell crabs, as well as locally grown produce. Also at Market House is the iconic Chick & Ruth’s Delly, which is a great place to indulge in their colossal milkshakes and famed jumbo lump crabcake sandwiches.
But if the crowd doesn’t snake too far down the sidewalk, take a seat in the original Chick & Ruth’s on Main Street for a sampling of owner Ted Levitt’s spirited magic show. Across the street, savor the spices of fall at the Annapolis Ice Cream Company, where entire pumpkin pies get mixed into the flavor. Good autumn combinations include the Apple Pie with the Cinnamon ice cream, or the Salted Caramel with the Pecan Pie.
Looking to R.I.P.? Some hotels like Loews are offering Halloween-themed “scary suites” for the season, but Navy football games and boat shows can fill up the city’s downtown hotels on the weekends. We found a roomy, convenient option an easy highway drive away at the Residence Inn by Marriott at Arundel Mills. The in-room gas fireplace and hot chocolate and popcorn in the kitchen made for a great warm-up after a chilly day of downtown exploring. Plus for those not spooked out yet, the Haunted Barn & Hayride at the nearby Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds offers up plenty more ghouls.
The Annapolis community hosts a number of Halloween-flavored events, from the Annapolis Bookstore’s spooky book talks, to the Naval Academy’s popular annual Halloween/All Saints’ Day concert, to a musical cult screening of the 1925 silent classic Phantom of the Opera at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church (with a special organ tour afterward).Seasonally themed events for children include Mr. Paca’s Monster Birthday Bash party (with costume contests and Monster Mash dance instructions), and the Hammond-Harwood House’s annual Pumpkin Walk (with apple-bobbing and a costume parade).Many of these events and tours require advance registration, so book early for a frightfully fun time. Visit www.visitannapolis.org for more information.