By John Frenaye

Travel columnist

updated 6:09 p.m. ET June 6, 2005

The Blue Angels have just completed their last flyover. The presidential motorcade is heading back to a waiting Marine One, and all of the Midshipman have picked up their hats. Now that all the hustle and bustle of Commissioning Week — better known to us civilians as graduation — is over, Annapolis, Md., will calm down. The locals will have their town and harbor back for a little while until the summer tourists begin their annual migration.

Whether you come for the history, the education, the water, or the hospitality, there is always something to enjoy in Annapolis. The city has been welcoming visitors for more than 300 years.

While Annapolis may seem synonymous with the United States Naval Academy, this world-famous institution isn’t even the oldest college in town. That distinction belongs to St. John’s College, founded in 1696 as King William’s School. It is the third oldest college in the United States, after Harvard and William and Mary. But our city offers so much more.

The capital of Maryland was the capital of the United States when the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was signed here. All four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence had impressive homes — all still standing — in Annapolis.

Any sailor worth his salt knows Annapolis. Its harbor plays home (temporarily) to boats from all over the world during one of the largest in-water boat shows in the world in October. (That event is a love/hate thing with the locals). And beneath those waters lie the hulls of the Peggy Stewart, burned during a tax revolt, and the great yacht “America” of America’s Cup fame. Annapolis Harbor is the same harbor where Kunte Kinte was sold into slavery and its working-class dock is where PT boats and mine sweepers for two world wars were built.

But if you are not a world-class sailor, what is there to do in Annapolis? That’s an easy answer. The tough one is: how to do it all?

Where to stay — Annapolis (at the moment) has an admitted shortage of hotel rooms so making a reservation as far in advance as possible is strongly recommended. The Loews Annapolis Hotel balances elegance and charm in a location that’s unrivaled. It is the city’s most luxurious hotel, with premier services, amenities, and meeting facilities. Located on West Street, within walking distance of pretty much everything, the Loews puts you in the middle of it all. The hotel has 217 rooms, one fabulous restaurant called Breeze, a great little bar called the Weather Rail, and a Jazz Club called the Power House. Rates at the Loews begin at $189 per night.

If are looking for that waterfront experience, the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront is the only place to go. Renovated in April 2005 (thanks to the 8 feet of water in the lobby from Tropical Storm Isabel), this hotel offers 150 deluxe rooms right on Annapolis Harbor. If you have ever been to Soper’s Hole in Tortola, you know Pusser’s Landing—well. They’ve got one, too. Sip a drink on the deck overlooking “Ego Alley” — where all the boaters come to show off their latest floating toys (and the locals tend to snicker at their pretentiousness), or look out across the harbor to see the mega-yachts with foreign home ports.

During the past year, Eric Clapton, Steve Forbes, and Walter Cronkite, have all moored their yachts in our harbor calling Annapolis home, at least for a while. Rates at the Marriott run $275 and up per night.

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