The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum in Annapolis is Maryland’s official state museum of African American history and culture, and admission is completely free. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and right now it is showing “She Speaks,” a powerful exhibition of Black women artists.
I can’t believe it took me this long to visit, but I’m so glad I finally did. Tucked just off Church Circle in downtown Annapolis, this museum packs a big story. The museum’s named for three Maryland icons: Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. All three have deep Maryland roots, which is exactly why they anchor the state’s home for African American heritage.
If you’re building out a full Annapolis day, I’d suggest starting the morning at Bread and Butter Kitchen in Eastport, a waterfront breakfast cafe with from-scratch biscuits and scones, before heading over to the museum.
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What Is the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum?
It is Maryland’s official state repository for African American history and culture, run by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. What makes it extra special is the building itself: the museum lives inside the former Mount Moriah AME Church, a Gothic Revival brick church built back in 1875 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. So you are learning history inside a piece of history, which is very my kind of thing.
It sits right in the Colonial Annapolis Historic District, an easy walk from the Maryland State House, so it slots perfectly into a day of wandering downtown. While you are in the historic-Annapolis mindset, one of my favorite nearby stops is afternoon tea at Reynolds Tavern, which is the same kind of step-back-in-time experience.
What You Will See at the Museum
The exhibition everyone should catch right now is “She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory,” on view February 7, 2026 through January 16, 2027. It examines 250 years of U.S. history through a Black feminist lens, with 17 contemporary Black women artists working in collage, painting, print, photography, textile, and installation, alongside archival materials and family heirlooms. This is the exhibition I told you guys you need to see, and it’s the reason you need plan your visit before it closes.
Alongside the rotating shows, the museum keeps a permanent exhibition celebrating African American life and achievement in Maryland, so even between special exhibitions there is plenty to take in. Visits are self-guided right now, which is nice because you can move at your own pace, and you can easily spend an hour or so here without it feeling rushed.
What Are the Hours?
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and it is closed Sunday and Monday. So plan around that weekday-and-Saturday window, and note that a Saturday visit pairs really nicely with poking around downtown Annapolis afterward.
Where Do You Park?
Parking downtown is the one slightly tricky part, since street parking near the museum is limited to two-hour metered spots. Your easiest bet is one of the nearby garages, like Gotts Court or Whitmore, and then walking over or hopping the free Downtown Annapolis shuttle. It is a very walkable part of the city once you are parked.
Make a Day of It in Annapolis
The best part about this museum being downtown is how easy it is to fold into a full Annapolis day. Do the museum in the morning, wander the historic streets and the waterfront, and grab a bite nearby. My move for a classic, only-in-Annapolis meal is Chick and Ruth’s, the must-visit diner that has been an Annapolis institution forever. Between the history, the harbor, and the food, you have got yourself a genuinely great, low-cost day out.
And if you want to extend your Maryland adventures beyond Annapolis, the Spooky Solomons Ghost Tour is a great excuse to head a little further south into Calvert County for a completely different kind of day out.
Good to Know
- 📍 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
- Admission is free; donations encouraged.
- Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm; closed Sunday and Monday.
- Currently showing She Speaks (through January 16, 2027).
- Visits are self-guided.
- Limited two-hour street parking; nearby garages and a free downtown shuttle are your best bet.
- Located in the Colonial Annapolis Historic District, walkable to the State House and waterfront.
Have you guys visited the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum yet? Let me know if you make it to “She Speaks,” and tell me what other DMV museums I should be checking out.