<p>I will be accompanying my son to a candidate visit weekend in March. </p>
<p>To parents who have already done this, I'd like to know at what hotel you stayed, and if you'd recommend it. Also, suggestions of things to do with my "down time" would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi,
I stayed at Gibson's Lodgings which was awesome! It is a bed and breakfast. I believe it was 90.00 a night and the Naval Academy is right in the backyard. It is one of the few places that has parking too. My son and I were able to walk over to the yard when I dropped him off and I walked back by myself. It is right near the center of town and I walked all over. The Academy had forums, meetings and tours all of Friday, so I didn't have as much down time as I thought. I was done by 4:00 and did some shopping. One of my favorite things was meeting other parents that were going through the same process. I learned a lot!
Have fun. If you need any other help, let me know.</p>
<p>We're headed up there that same weekend and were able to get rooms at the Marriott downtown for $95.00. Priceline (Name your own price) rules!! We have also been lucky to get rooms at the Westin for about the same price last year for I-day and PPW. </p>
<p>I second the suggestion of being within walking distance if at all possible.</p>
<p>We use hotwire.com and use betterbidding.com to help identify the hotels. The 4 star in annapolis is the westin which we have paid $59-$75 a night. Use the forums and the thread which has tagged (identified) the hotels based on listed amenities. Have used it for all our visits.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>two years ago, they had briefings (military talk for meetings) for the parents on Thursday night and some on Friday too. it was too long ago for me to remember how many and what times. sorry.</p>
<p>Stayed at Westin for CVW last April....booked it on Priceline for $65 + taxes and fees( a long walk to USNA...2.5+ miles)....also stayed at Westin last weekend to visit my Mid for approx. $66(I always use Priceline).........have also stayed at Historic Inns of Annapolis , which is very nice and an easy 8 minute walk to USNA.</p>
<p>You can get lots of good deals on hotels around the area through Priceline, Expedia, etc. Every place we have stayed has had a differing level of "plushness," but they have all been clean and decent. Remember that it only costs $5/day to park at the stadium, and the shuttle bus is free. You can save a lot of money by staying farther out, and doing the "Park and Ride."</p>
<p>2012mom?, Does the shuttle bus have a regular schedule or does it only operate during events?</p>
<p>The shuttle has a regular schedule, **Except: on Major Holidays and Special Stadium Events! (So, don't count on it during home FB weekends, but you WILL be able to use it for I-day and PPW.)</p>
<p>**Operates:</p>
<p>Monday - Friday 6:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (State Shuttle runs until 10:00 on Monday's during legislative session) </p>
<p>Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Navy Blue Only)</p>
<p>For more info on Annapolis parking and a link to the shuttle page:</p>
<p>Parking</a> Information</p>
<p>Thanks 2012mom?.</p>
<p>We've stayed in quite a few places in Annapolis. For a candidate visit, I would actually recommend staying in a spot within walking distance of the Yard - either one of the Bed/Breakfasts or O'Callahan's (which you can get cheaper rates for than the other 2 hotels within walking distance). We had a lot of fun walking up and down to the Yard at various times of the day when we were getting to know the area - and O'Callahan's will have a shuttle that will take you back-and-forth to the Yard as well.</p>
<p>Call the hotels directly and ask for the USNA discount / USNA parent discount. You can get a lot better deals than what they are online. I just stayed at the Doubletree, which was nice location (by mall/Target/restaurants) and with great rates but very small rooms. I actually preferred staying at Springhill Suites for a little bit more to get the refrigerator in the room. (It's also a drive to the Yard but a really easy one.)</p>
<p>Honestly, though, if you're trying to get the "feel" of Annapolis, I really was glad we stayed within walking distance for our first few visits.</p>
<p>Meant to say.... also, if you stay within walking distance, you can just pay $30 for a shuttle from the airport and not worry about a rental car, which generally offsets the cost of the hotels.</p>
<p>Things to do in your downtime - don't laugh - I took one of the Segway Tours (and not the most agile person), which is located right across from the gate and really, really liked that. It was the easiest (and fun) way to really see the area. I also took one of the boat tours of the area. Seeing the Yard from the water was just so much fun and got me crying thinking of the future. There's also all the little shops. City Dock coffee (in the square area right by the Yard) has the best coffee around Annapolis. We did the historic walking tour one time, and that was interesting. You can also visit the USNA Alumni center. Just go visit the chapel on your own or Bancroft. If you go in the back of Bancroft in the Memorial area and read the wall of names of fallen Midshipmen, it will humble you and make things a little more real.</p>