Special hotel rate at the Doubletree by Hilton on Holiday Court, Annapolis. Call 410-224-3150 for the Annapolis Friends of Lafayette room block. 

Friday, December 13 – Sunday, December 15, 11 am – 3 pm

Remembering Lafayette at the Museum of Historic Annapolis

Location: 99 Main Street

Cost: Included with Admission to the Museum – $7 General Admission (8+) ; FREE for Children 7 and under, HA Members, and SNAP/WIC through the Museums for All program

Celebrate with us the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-25 tour of the United States! Throughout the weekend, we’ll be offering special activities and events to mark this momentous anniversary.

At the Museum of Historic Annapolis, you can immerse yourself in the highlights of Lafayette’s remarkable life through a traveling exhibit created by the American Friends of Lafayette, on display in our Partner Room.

Throughout the weekend, families can partake in a special craft activity and learn more about Lafayette and our country’s beginnings through a curated selection of children’s books in our Anne Arundel County Public Library Book Nook.

For more information or to register for this event, visit Historic Annapolis at annapolis.org or by clicking here.

Saturday, December 14th

Bike Ride along the route Lafayette traveled on his way into Annapolis.  Sponsored by Visit Annapolis. Visit Annapolis.

Saturday, December 14th

Children’s Games from Long Ago presented by Chesapeake Children’s Museum

10 am to 12 noon

Location: Visit Annapolis!, 26 West Street

Cost: Free.

Learn the rules of Nine Men’s Morris and practice your string games. These activities were brought to Annapolis in colonial times and are still played with today. We’ll also make button whirlygigs, another ancient toy, that was easy to make with on-hand materials.

Register HERE.

Saturday, December 14th

Storytime at the Museum: A Spy Called James

Offered at 11 am and 1 pm

Location: 99 Main Street

Cost: Included with Admission to the Museum – $7 General Admission (8+) ; FREE for Children 7 and under, HA Members, and SNAP/WIC through the Museums for All program

Join Historic Annapolis for a special Storytime as we read A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent by Anne Rockwell. Learn about James Lafayette, a spy who gained his freedom through his brave and heroic actions during the Revolutionary War. The Marquis de Lafayette intervened personally in 1784, detailing James’ service during the Revolution. To honor their friendship, James Lafayette adopted Lafayette as his surname. Then test your spy skills with a special decoder scavenger hunt that takes you on an adventure throughout the Museum.

For more information or to register for this event, visit Historic Annapolis at annapolis.org or by clicking here.

Saturday, December 14th

Annapolis Tours by Watermark (www.watermarkjourney.com)

Open House and Author’s Storytime with children’s author, Selene Castrovilla, “Revolutionary: Friends General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette”.

Location: Watermark’s Tour office at 188 Main Street, Annapolis

When: Saturday, December 14th from 12:00 – 4:00 pm with book talks at 1 pm & 3 pm. 

Free and open to all. (Books will be available for purchase)

Special guest appearances by George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. Children’s crafts and activities are available.

Annapolis Tours by Watermark

Colonial Walking Tour with Lafayette focus (USNA add-on option).

Saturday and Sunday tours at 10 am. Meet at the Watermark Office-188 Main St. For more information, visit www.watermarkjourney.com or register by clicking HERE.

Watermark Maryland State House Tour with Lafayette focus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Saturday and Sunday tours at 1:30 pm. Meet at the Watermark Office-188 Main St. For more information, visit www.watermarkjourney.com or register by clicking HERE.

Saturday, December 14, 11 am – 12:30 pm

Book Talk and Signing by Bruce Mowday, author of “The Battle of Brandywine”, hosted by St. John’s College

Location: St. John’s College Bookstore at Edensword Hall, 60 College Avenue

Free book talk and signing. Books available for purchase at event! 

Parking at the Calvert Street Garage, 19 St. John’s Street.

For additional information contact Melinda Rooney, [email protected], 410-295-5549. Campus Map

Saturday, December 14, 2 pm and 3 pm

Music for Marquis de Lafayette at Chesapeake Children’s Museum

Location: 25 Silopanna Road

Cost: FREE

Live music, in historic costume, performed by David and Ginger Hildebrand. Miss Debbie leads everyone in a popular line dance of the time. Supported by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences.

Saturday, December 14, 3 pm – 5 pm 

Marquis de Lafayette Holiday Tea at Reynolds Tavern

Location: 7 Church Circle

Cost: $55 General Admission; $50 for HA Members/Volunteers, Military, and Children

Join us at historic Reynolds Tavern for a festive holiday tea celebrating the return of everyone’s favorite Frenchman: The Marquis de Lafayette! Observe tea customs of the Federal period from our costumed historic interpreters as you enjoy Afternoon Tea*. Learn about Lafayette’s visit to Annapolis on his 1824 Tour of America and his legacy as a revolutionary leader and abolitionist. 

You may even witness a special appearance by the Marquis de Lafayette, himself! Each participant will receive a special take-home keepsake.

For more information or to register for this event, visit Historic Annapolis at annapolis.org or by clicking here.

Saturday, December 14, 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm

A Night of Splendour and Elegance: Lafayette Bicentennial Grand Ball

Location: McDowell Hall, St. John’s College, 60 College Avenue

General Admission: $150

On the evening of December 18, 1824, Annapolis hosted a formal Ball at St. John’s College in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette’s final visit to Annapolis. The celebration was hailed as “a scene of splendour and elegance, seldom, or perhaps never surpassed in this country.” (Maryland Gazette, December 23, 1824)

Come relive this magical evening with Historic Annapolis in the Grand Ballroom of McDowell Hall, complete with costumed reenactors and a visit from the Marquis himself! Guests will be guided through the steps of the popular dances of the day by dance master, Corky Palmer, and accompanied by live period music coordinated by Dr. David Hildebrand, chair of the Lafayette 200 Music Committee. Guests will enjoy champagne and French-inspired sweet and savory seasonal delights!

Dress: Cocktail attire. Period attire encouraged!

For more information or to register for this event, visit Historic Annapolis at annapolis.org or by clicking here.

Sunday, December 15, 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Brunch with General Lafayette and Mary Nevette Steele

Lecture by Glenn Campbell. O’Brien’s Restaurant, 113 Main Street, Annapolis.

Cost is  $50 per person.Bottomless Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas with a choice of breakfast entrees Choices of the American Breakfast, Classic Benedict, or French Toast. Email choices to [email protected].   Parking is available for the full day of Lafayette activities next door at Hillman’s garage.

Sunday, December 15, 10 am & 1:30 pm

Annapolis Tours by Watermark

Colonial Walking Tour with Lafayette focus (USNA add-on option).

Saturday and Sunday tours at 10 am. Meet at the Watermark Office-188 Main St. For more information, visit www.watermarkjourney.com or register by clicking HERE.

Watermark Maryland State House Tour with Lafayette focus.                                                                         Saturday and Sunday tours at 1:30 pm. Meet at the Watermark Office-188 Main St. For more information, visit www.watermarkjourney.com or register by clicking HERE.

Sunday, December 15, 12:30 – 1:30

ASO Youth Orchestra playing music of the time of Marquis de Lafayette at Chase Lloyd House Dependency on King George’s Street, Annapolis. The local string band, The Blue Jays, will be playing a vernacular piece named “Lafayette” in his honor along with other period pieces from 1:30 to 3 pm. FREE 

Sunday, December 15, 2:30 pm – 4 pm

David and Ginger Hildebrand – Bicentennial Concert at State House for Gen. Lafayette.

Admission: Free to the Public  

Marking the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s Grand Tour, long-time Annapolis musicians/music historians, David & Ginger Hildebrand, will perform songs and instrumental pieces in the General’s honor.  Within the luscious surroundings of the refurbished Old House of Delegates Chambers, this concert will feature a variety of patriotic songs, ballads, dance tunes and marches, interspersed with spoken historical introductions — all presented in costume and upon instruments appropriate to the period.

At the invitation of Congress and President Monroe, the French/American General Lafayette came to tour America for more than a year, 1824-25.  As one of the few surviving heroes of the American Revolution, the aged Frenchman traveled to all 24 states and was greeted by massive public celebrations – dinners, balls, military displays and more.  The city of Annapolis followed suit then and will again this December 15, 2024.

The music begins at 2:30 pm, and will run an hour or so, followed by Q&A with David, Ginger, and a modern-day Lafayette!  Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance at [email protected].  Come join us to revel in the history and sounds of 1824, celebrating this influential French/American hero!