london town

A wonderful piece of American, more specifically Maryland History. Often special attractions and activities for children. The gardens at various times of the year are spectacular, I love early spring the most when everything is the light colored green and blooms abound. Also Christmastime is especially lovely with traditional Colonial music & decorations.

Well kept and presented history of one of the earliest settlements in Maryland, preceding the capitol in Annapolis. By water, a tour from the south of the West River, here on the South River, north to Annapolis and Maryland make for a wonderful 3 day weekend boat and learn adventure. Ongoing archaelogy of what is referred to as a "lost town of Maryland". There are several from the mid to late 1600s along the rivers and creeks in Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties. London Town offers period architecture, acres of marvelous landscaping and gardens (including spring sales of heritage plants introduced and raised in the 1600s), traditional colonial music, and extremely knowledgeable docents in the Publick House. it is a wonderful location for special events and meetings, great lawn overlooking the South River. And if you don't quench your thirst for history here, cross the river, head on up to Annapolis and learn more at the state Archives.

If you enjoy learning about history or even simply meandering through a beautiful setting, this is worth the trip. The historic house on the property is a great place to start, and on days when they're having special events at the site, period costumed people are in each room sharing the history of the place in full character of those who lived there at one time. Reconstructed outbuildings and an archaeological site are included in the tour. You can learn even more in the visitor's center by checking out the exhibits which have been recently added. The property is surrounded by water including the South River and thriving with beautiful trees, flowers and such in season. You can wander through pathways or find a peaceful spot to sit on a bench and relax, taking in the natural beauty and serenity. The staff is friendly and happy to answer questions and share interesting information about the place and its history. There is a fee to get in. If you live nearby, it's worthwhile to become a member for a small annual fee, like I did. Then you can enjoy all that there is to offer as often as you'd like year round without be charged an admittance fee and at the same time be supporting the maintenance of an important piece of Maryland history. Added perk; I found out that my membership will allow me to tour Winterthur historic site in Wilmington, DE for free...there may be other historic sites included. I will have to do more research to figure this out. In the meantime, check out Hisotric London Town and Gardens for a rich experience in Maryland history.

Londontown public house is a treasure from the past well worth visiting. It is a view into the 1600's of the actual structures and interpretation of use. It is right on the water and has a collection of beautiful gardens.

I live around the corner from this site and honestly don't visit it often enough. The site has a very interesting history. After visiting it changed my whole view of the South River and a historic deep water trade route. The gardens are beautiful and there is a great summer concert series where you can enjoy great music AND the grounds.

I live not far from here. For the last 10 years or so, I have watched the progress of this site. So much Maryland [and National] history is here, that I am surprised that it doesn't get more attention. A new interpretive and visitor center was built a few years ago. Many very dedicated volunteers work in the gardens as well as the historic site to uncover important secrets. They have a great Junior Docent program that encourages young people to become involved in historic sites. Several programs are available for home-schooled students (too many?), as well as other programs for teachers to bring their students from public and private local schools. When I was a girl scout leader, we took our girls here for a tour. I think they could come up with many more public events than the 'standard' musket-firings and plant sales for the general public.. Historic Annapolis is clearly better supported by it's neighbors, and better programs are available for the traveling public there. I hope that the State of Maryland will recognize this gem on the South River and encourage the efforts of the Anne Arundel County volunteers who keep the place alive and have pushed it to become a serious tourist destination for people interested in history. PLEASE support Historic London Town and don't let it disappear again!

Great demonstrations of how things were done in the time period, wonderful tour of the Brown house, gardens are great to wander through, the archaeological site and museum are great. Lots of fun for kids and adults

We came here for mother's day with a bunch of families and kids, and had a great time. The scope of the place is just large enough for kids to run around - especially in the gardens. The house tour is, as any indoor venue, was good for a while - but then as all kids, there is restlessness. The tour guide was excellent, and the entire schedule flexible enough that the kids could be in another room (with an adult) while the rest of the group followed the tour. The gardens are beautiful, albeit not as well tended and perhaps 5+ years ago (probably in favor of the house upgrades). Lots of things were blooming, exploring was fun for the kids.It is advisable for parents to keep a close eye on children in the garden because the property is a peninsula with a steep incline down to the edge of South River. It is easy to slip and fall down there...All in all a really nice day.

Working Archaeological site and museum. Tour a historical home and see how they are able to recreate how old homes used to be situated. Lots of fun for kids and adults - also have volunteer opportunities.

Londontowne in Edgewater, Maryland is a very interesting step back into 18th century America. The large house is on a height overlooking the South River where a ferry moved commerce across that expansive waterway. It's history has been preserved by the dedicated efforts of volunteer and generous contributions of local benefactors. The house and its gardens are definitely worth a tour to educate yourself on that period of American History.

I officiated a wedding here and from the gardens to the pavilions, this historic place is a real gem. It would also be nice for a picnic or a brief stop on the way to Annapolis.

Nestled at the edge of the water outside the town of Annapolis is a piece of history not to be missed. A visit to London Town begins at the Visitor's Center where interactive exhibits set the tone for the rest of the tour by placing one in the era when the area flourished as a stop on a water route north or south. The artifacts which are displayed were actively used by those who lived and worked there and later discarded. It's an ongoing archeological dig and the search for a connection to the people who lived, worked and flourished there is a continuing effort by the Executive Director of London Town, who is an historic preservation expert who is well respected in her field. The area features gardens which are meticulously maintained, and there is always something blooming which is native to the area. London Town is mesmerizing and you can spend hours there, drinking in the atmosphere and learning about a house which served as a Tavern and later as an alms house as well as the surrounding outbuildings which have been carefully studied and reconstructed to transport visitors back to an important time in the history of transportation in the area of the South River.

It's part of Maryland's history. Nice interior and property offers tours for a fee. Lovely gardens, right on the South River, just south of Annapolis, MD.

My wife and i were on an overnight trip to Southern Md and decided to visit London Town. As we were visiting on a spring weekeday, we were the only ones on the morning tour. The guide stayed with us for an 1+ 1/2 hr going over what life was like in earlier times. The museum had just opened an enlarged visitors center in the basement a few weeks ago. THe visitors center really brought the area alive and made it more human. As it was raining somewhat we did a fast trip thru the gardens. Note the gardens are not part of the guided tour but they do give you a garden map with admission.

London Town was a tobacco port and a major ferry crossing for the roads running between Charleston, SC and Boston, MA. It prospered for about 100 years, but failed before the Revolutionary War. The centerpiece of the town is the circa 1760 William Brown House, a National Historic Landmark. once a tavern for the ferry here and after a county alms house.Most of the effort at this site is on the large ornamental gardens adjacent to the Historic area. This is probably necessary to generate admission and venue-rental revenue to support the on-going records search, archeology digs, and reconstruction. Reconstructions are limited. The site only has 24 acres of the original 100-acre site, and interprets the mid-1700's just before the town began to fade.. The reconstructions are limited to the Lord Mayor's Tenement, a partially reconstructed carpenter's workshop, a 1720 tobacco shed moved to the site (since it is not open to the public, hanging hoses and tools were visible through the gaps in the walls, and the modern padlock securing the door, I assume it is being used for garden maintenance storage) a tobacco "prise," and a rope walk with attendant rough fences and period utility gardens.I attended the "Trades Day," hoping to get some context for my genealogy studies of several great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers who are linked to the birth of this town. The event included the run-of-the-mill colonial fare of cannon firings, an arrest of a thief, Hessian mercenary drills, cooking, children's games, dancing, and a local college fife and drum corps. Unfortunately neither the tobacco prise nor the rope walk were demonstrated. Inside the William Brown House, I met an indentured servant embellishing imported trim for her mistress's sleeves. She kept telling me that she can make various things for me, holding up examples of her work. She was by far the best interpreter on the site. The interpreter making bark baskets was very good, explaining when and how she got her materials in the modern world. Although the interpreter portraying the doctor was very knowledgeable, I found a woman portraying a man distracting. Most of the interpreters were volunteer reenactors with plenty of general knowledge, but had little specific knowledge about London Town. Bless them for their service. When I asked one about the founding date of the town, she pulled out the visitors' brochure and read it to me, then directed me to anyone with a name tag. I looked, but found none. My take-away impression is that the foundation is in dire need of interpreters trained for London Town and to be London Town characters.I got a great book, though pricey, at the site shop that has answered some of my questions and provided a bibliography for further inquiry. This site has great potential to portray and example of the lost towns of Anne Arundel County (http://losttowns.com/) .