The Boat Shows are coming! The Boat Shows are coming!

The Annapolis Boat Shows, producer of in-water sail and powerboat shows for over 50 years, launched a new website and updated their brand in February. With a focus on their continued growth and enhancing the boat show experience, the new website features a streamlined design that offers easy navigation, a user-friendly interface, and a mobile experience that convey the unique experiences visitors from around the world have come to expect when attending the shows.

“Our old website was terrific - when we launched it. It’s great to have retired it in favor of this new site. It loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and is a great resource for planning a visit to our shows.” said Mary Ewenson. “With the supply chain issues easing up, we’re expecting a big increase in the number of boats at all four of our shows as well as many new exhibitors. The new website is launching at the perfect time.”

The launch came just two months prior to the spring shows: Bay Bridge Boat Show (April 14-16) and Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show (April 28-30).

Set at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at the Bay Bridge Marina, the Bay Bridge Boat Show will feature a large selection of new and brokerage powerboats, as well as the latest in equipment, accessories, and apparel.

Favorites such as PropTalk’s Demo Dock and Boat U.S. Foundation “On-

Water Training” will return, and new features for 2023 are slated to be announced in the coming weeks.

Closing out the month of April is the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, which features new and brokerage boats including catamarans, monohulls, family cruisers, daysailers, and inflatables. Guests may meet with boating clubs, sailing schools and charters companies, shop gear and equipment, and expand their knowledge with free seminars, the First Sail Workshop, and Cruisers University.

For those looking to enhance their visit, LaVictoire Finance will host the VIP Experience at the Spring Sailboat Show. This premier ticket provides an elevated experience at the show featuring a place to relax, delicious buffets, and all-day drink tastings inside the Latitude 38 Waterfront restaurant.

Tickets are available for advance purchase on the Annapolis Boat Shows website. Admission is $20 but discounted to $18 per person when pre-purchased online. Children 12 and under are free. For more information, visit www.AnnapolisBoatShows.com.

The Annapolis Boat Shows is the producer of four annual shows: Bay Bridge Boat Show (April 14-16), Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show (April 28-30), Annapolis Powerboat Show (October 5-8), and Annapolis Sailboat Show (October 12-15).

Let’s admit it, we all love to peek through the closed doors and through the windows and walled gardens of others, especially the wealthy. There’s a bit of voyeurism in all of us, and online pictures and videos just aren’t the same as immersing ourselves in these private gardens rarely open to the general public. Even if you’re not a gardener, Historic Garden Week in Virginia April 15 – 22 this year, offers a rare chance to visit some of the area’s loveliest estates during a time when they’re all dressed up in spring colors.

Historic Garden Week is a statewide event, and the only statewide event of its kind in the country; this is the 90th year it’s been held. It’s sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia and its local chapters. During this special week in April, 250 of the most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks statewide will be open during “America’s Largest Open House.” This 8-day event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia’s springtime color, as well as beautiful houses and historic sites sparkling with over 2,000 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members.

In the hunt country of the northern Blue Ridge, take in some or all of the homes open on several different tours scheduled for April 15 – 22. Beginning on Saturday April 15th homes in Warren County near Front Royal will be open for the tour, the same day as Alexandria’s homes are open. Skip to Wednesday the 19th and visit the open houses of the Warrenton garden club in and around that town in Fauquier County. On Thursday and Friday April 20-21 homes in the Middleburg area open their doors and gardens for you, and on Saturday the 22nd, homes of Clarke County just west of Upperville are open to tour. Most ticket blocks for the tours start around $30 in advance and some popular tours do sell out. You can also purchase single tickets for just one property for $20.

The horse country around the village of Middleburg, is the location of the Loudoun and Fauquier Garden Club chaper’s 2023 tour, held Thursday and Friday April 20-21. Some spectacular properties in Upperville and Paris including two that belonged to the late philanthropist Paul Mellon, will open their doors. From an iconic Federal period mansion, to a French stone farmhouse, visitors will be delighted by the diversity of these grand estates and landscapes that celebrate the open spaces of Virginia’s Piedmont. The tour headquarters at the National Sporting Library and Museum, houses a worldclass collection and exhibitions of fine