Visiting Annapolis for a Game?

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is approximately 21 miles from downtown Annapolis, making it the clear gateway for visiting fans. A rideshare or taxi is the most practical door-to-door option, running roughly $45-55 and taking about 30-35 minutes under normal traffic. Budget-conscious travelers have two transit options. The simplest and cheapest is the free Anne Arundel County BWI Express bus, which runs directly from BWI Airport to Annapolis Mall, with intermediate stops at Millersville Park & Ride and Crownsville, operating daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Alternatively, you can take the MTA Light RailLink from BWI to Patapsco station, then transfer to MTA LocalLink Bus 70 southbound to downtown Annapolis at West Street and Church Circle, costing around $4 total (approximately $2 per leg) but taking roughly 90-105 minutes including the transfer and wait time.

Annapolis does not have a robust citywide transit network, and Annapolis Transit bus service is limited in frequency and coverage, so a car or rideshare is strongly recommended for getting between BWI and the broader metro area. For game days, note that Annapolis Transit does operate a dedicated shuttle between Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and the Central Business District, which can be a useful option for fans already downtown. The downtown Annapolis area around the City Dock and Main Street is compact and walkable once you are there, but the stadium sits outside the historic core and is not walkable from most hotels. Uber and Lyft both operate in Annapolis and are reliable for game-day transportation, though surge pricing is common on football Saturdays.

Downtown Annapolis, anchored by the Historic District and City Dock area, is the best base for visiting fans, putting you within a short rideshare of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium while keeping you close to the best pregame bars and restaurants on Main Street and West Street. Expect to pay roughly $120-200 per night at mid-range properties like the Graduate by Hilton Annapolis or Crowne Plaza Annapolis, with 4-star options such as the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel running $200 or more, especially on football weekends. The Parole neighborhood along Route 50 offers budget-friendly chain hotels in the $90-130 range and is closer to the stadium, though it lacks walkable nightlife. Book early for Navy home games, particularly rivalry weeks and Parents Weekend, when rooms across the city sell out quickly.

Annapolis is essentially a one-team sports town centered entirely on the Navy Midshipmen, which gives the city an unusually tight-knit and passionate fan culture rooted in military tradition and USNA pride. The Army-Navy Game is one of college football's great rivalries and historically one of the most emotionally charged games in the sport, drawing fans and active-duty military from across the country, though the game itself is typically played at a neutral site. Visiting fans should know that Navy also fields a strong lacrosse program, so spring trips to Annapolis can yield college lacrosse action as well. The city's proximity to Baltimore (about 30 miles) and Washington, D.C. (about 33 miles) means a sports trip can easily be extended to catch an Orioles or Nationals baseball game, or a Ravens or Commanders NFL game, making Annapolis a strong hub for a multi-day sports itinerary.