Take your pick of historic New Year locales in Maryland: a family-friendly event in downtown Annapolis, an oak bar in an historic paddleboat or a Prohibition-era bar in Baltimore, or on Berlin’s Main Street, one of America’s Coolest Small Towns. At any location, here’s to an historic year ahead!
HISTORIC LOCATIONS TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR’S EVE IN MARYLAND
Downtown Annapolis
Ring it in royal by celebrating in the state capital! The City of Annapolis hosts a city-wide celebration in multiple locations with fireworks from the City Dock at midnight. Festivities include live music by teen bands from the Lee Priddy Music Academy and later classic pop and rock hits from the Radio City Band, early-bird fireworks at 5:30pm, and other activities for all ages. Specific locations: Weems Whelan Field behind Maryland Hall and Bates Middle School and Susan Campbell Park.
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts wants to see you bring in the New Year in the Inner Harbor. There’s ice skating at the Pandora Ice Rink before a dance party beings at 9pm followed by fireworks over the Harbor at midnight. Or, if you’d like a uniqully-Baltimore experience, take a cruise between 8:30pm and 1am on Baltimore’s iconic Black-Eyed Susan paddlewheel boat, with an oak bar, canopied deck, and a state-of-the-art sound system.
Belvedere Hotel Owl Bar
Profiled by the National Trust for HIstoric Preservation for it’s Prohibition-era swagger, the Owl Bar at the Belvedere Hotel is a warm place to celebrate an historic New Year. Get tickets for their party that will feature a champagne and Boh bar, specialty cocktails, an oyster bar, photo booth, and ice luge. Dress in your best 1920s glam; the party goes all night.
Berlin
Head to the Coolest Town in America, Berlin, for a New Year celebration on the Eastern Shore. At 10pm, Berlin’s main intersection turns into a mini-Times Square with live music, dancing, and a ball drop at midnight. Tour the town’s highly-rated restaurants and microbreweries by foot and/or the town’s holiday lights and decoration by horse-and carriage ride.
This fun New Year’s Eve post was researched and written by Kyle Fisher, one of Preservation Maryland’s Waxter Interns. With degrees in history, communications, and teaching, Kyle has contributed greatly to our education and outreach programs, including this blog. Learn more about Kyle and our intern program here: presmd.org/waxter.