SMU @ Navy - trip experiences?

[FriscoPMG]

I just booked my trip to DC for the weekend of the SMU @ Navy football game. Pretty excited to take in a game at Navy, but for those who have been in the past, any suggestions you can give for pre and post-game activities? I know Annapolis in itself is a great place to visit, but if there are any particular spots on or off the academy grounds, I'd appreciate any advice.

I'm a little bummed since I'm pretty sure the basketball home opener will also be that weekend, but if that's a Friday night game and it's televised then perhaps a DC/Annapolis game watching party will be in order.

[EastStang]

Contact your Congressman asap to get tickets to the Mint and see them print money as well as passes to White House and Congressional sessions. Go to the Smithsonian Museums if you have time. Start at Air and Space and then American History. You can get a Metro pass which takes you to the Mall in DC and all over the place. If you have an extra day or two, drive to Mt. Vernon and see George Washington's plantation and go to Arlington National Cemetery to see Kennedy's grave and the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. The Vietnam Memorial is one that you have to walk through to get the full effect (its near the Lincoln Memorial). Rest of the memorials you can drive by. Take a tour of the Naval Academy (if you can get on base - depends on the security level). That's pretty much the basics. Lots to see here. Oh, and when in Annapolis, try and find a run down looking crab shack, Maryland blue crabs are great (a lot of work to eat however).

[peruna81]

Agree totally on seeing Arlington National Cemetery. Visit the Custis-Lee home, and talk with some of the NP folks that are there. One let me upstairs to see the bedroom area that Robert E Lee paced on the night he was deciding whether to become commander of the Federal forces, or to go with his state Virginia and serve in the Confederacy. If you ask, those folks will help you see more of history than the average passerby.

It is also worth going to Ford's Theater. You will be amazed at how small it truly is, and how the assassination of one of our Presidents was carried out. The place Lincoln was carried is literally across the street. Worth going to if you are a history nerd like me.

The Maryland Blue Crabs are a must. We ate at Costas Inn on Northpointe. Simple, with paper on the table to keep the mess somewhat confined.

Fort McHenry is also worth the drive to see, and get a new perspective on our National Anthem. Good stuff, and you will have a great time up in Baltimore, especially if the Ponies pull it off.

[ericdickerson4life]

Make sure your in the stadium when the cadets march in, don't want to miss that. Grab some crab cakes and head to Arlington Cemetery.

[peruna81]

Make sure your in the stadium when the cadets march in, don't want to miss that. Grab some crab cakes and head to Arlington Cemetery.

yes...^^^THIS^^^

crab cakes are sooooooo good...

[lwjr]

I second everything eaststang and peruna81 posted. We were fortunate enough to have a private guide with us in DC. The man was a walking encyclopedia of DC history.
If your time is limited I would suggest, visiting the mall. All of the monuments and memorials are located there and within walking distance. Also go to Fords Theatre.

[PonyKai]

*Don't expect a pleasant experience as a fan at the game. It's not something you can really say out loud but, the non-cadets, are, rather unpleasant. I've been to numerous games at Navy-Marine Corps. Memorial Stadium and it's just a fact. In terms of unpleasant visiting fan experiences, it's pretty high up the list.

*Jimmy Cantler's in Maryland is a great place for crabs (though they might be out of season that late in the year).

*Consider a tour of the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland or Dogfish Head Brewery outside of Dover, DE., or D.C. Brau, the first brewery to open in the District in over half a century.

*Air & Space is the best of the Smithsonian sites.

*Go to the National Archives

*Tour the Naval Academy

*Don't rely on anyone's suggestion for "good" Tex-Mex/Mexican food. Chuy's was a revelation to this area.

*Have a Natty Boh, the official beer of Baltimore.

*Have at least one bowl of Maryland She-Crab Soup.

*If you're in D.C. in October (haven't checked on schedule), the Supreme Court will be hearing cases again for that term. It can be very difficult to get tickets to the "hot-button" oral arguments, but if you pick some obscure legal issue to be argued, you can get in, and I believe it's free. You just need to get there early enough. And seeing SCOTUS and hearing oral argument is much better than anything you're going to get on the generic White House tour.

*You probably won't get the White House passes through your Congressman/woman. They'll tell you that they'll try, but you probably won't get them. Just stick with a tour of the Capital and walk by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Then go across the street to "Off the Record" in the Hay Adams Hotel and grab a drink.

*If it's after 7, Uber, don't use Metro. Their off-hours performance is atrocious, and they are one the most monumentally incompetent entities I've ever encountered. I work in the city and worry more about getting killed by Metro's incompetence than I do by crime. Says a lot about how far the city has come. And don't use cabs. They're terrible in this city. On numerous occasions, I've had cabbies lie, cheat, and try and steal from me. Uber and Lyft were absolute watershed events here because you no longer have to deal with the cabs.

[PerunasHoof]

*Don't expect a pleasant experience as a fan at the game. It's not something you can really say out loud but, the non-cadets, are, rather unpleasant. I've been to numerous games at Navy-Marine Corps. Memorial Stadium and it's just a fact. In terms of unpleasant visiting fan experiences, it's pretty high up the list.

*Jimmy Cantler's in Maryland is a great place for crabs (though they might be out of season that late in the year).

*Consider a tour of the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland or Dogfish Head Brewery outside of Dover, DE., or D.C. Brau, the first brewery to open in the District in over half a century.

*Air & Space is the best of the Smithsonian sites.

*Go to the National Archives

*Tour the Naval Academy

*Don't rely on anyone's suggestion for "good" Tex-Mex/Mexican food. Chuy's was a revelation to this area.

*Have a Natty Boh, the official beer of Baltimore.

*Have at least one bowl of Maryland She-Crab Soup.

*You probably won't get the White House passes through your Congressman/woman. They'll tell you that they'll try, but you probably won't get them. Just stick with a tour of the Capital and walk by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Then go across the street to "Off the Record" in the Hay Adams Hotel and grab a drink.

To get a tour of the WH you need to be part of a group. When I was there they didn't do tours for individuals or families. However, if you do end up going, please don't ask the USSS personnel stupid questions. i.e. "Is this the real White House," or "Where is the dome?"

[PonyKai]

Oh, and please, please please: when all wonderful, patriotic, red-blooded Americans visit our fair city, please remember that it is in fact not an alternate reality. Thus, when you use an escalator to move from floor one to floor two, we do, in fact, stand on the right and walk on the left, just like everywhere else in the free world.

[72mustang1]

What is the mustang club going to do pre-game ? I am thinking of coming and going to the game with one of my cousins. A relative of ours was a superintendent of the Naval Academy in the twenties Admiral Henry B. Wilson so there might be a statue or a portrait .

[flockofseagulls]

Been in DC for 8 years now. Been to Navy for 2 SMU games over the years.

Stlhockey pretty much nailed it...

Expect a VERY unwelcoming crowd. Applauding an SMU first down = not supporting our troops = you are in ISIS. And it's not the cadets or veterans that are the problem, it's the anne arundel county townies. just be prepared. but yes the stadium is beautiful and the pre-game experience is legit.

Cantler's is great for crabs (and I cannot stress the she-crab soup recommendation enough) but it's also a little ways outside of annapolis. pusser's is in downtown annapolis and, while not a culinary juggernaut, is a great place for drinks and people watching.

I'll see you out there. I'll be the one getting beat up, most likely.

[PonyKai]

My problems have tended to be with drunk enlisted on shore leave and retiree academy grads who have absolutely zero sense of humor and one hell of an ability to look down their nose at you.

[skyscraper]

Sounds like a charming stadium experience...lol

[PonyKai]

Memorial Stadium is a wonderful setting. Highly encourage arriving extra early. Many tailgaters will be accommodating, it's a great stadium to walk around, and you really, really do want to see the Midshipmen march in. Just a percentage of its visitors aren't particularly pleasant. But I'm sure you've all been to a Tech game in Lubbock; you'll be fine.

[Digetydog]

My problems have tended to be with drunk enlisted on shore leave and retiree academy grads who have absolutely zero sense of humor and one hell of an ability to look down their nose at you.

For someone driving in from the North, would you recommend staying in the Annapolis, Baltimore, or DC area? We plan on driving down Friday night and leaving Sunday morning. I doubt we will have time for much sightseeing.