Navy game and Annapolis - car rental necessay?

For those attending the Navy game and staying in Annapolis, are you renting a car? If so, is there parking at the stadium? I am not sure if a shuttle is available from hotel to stadium (4 miles apart). We fly into BWI on Friday night at 11pm and leave on Monday. Just took the kids to DC and Baltimore over Spring Break, so traveling outside of Annapolis is not necessary.

I am renting a car and there are parking lots a couple of miles away with shuttles to the stadium. If you go on line to the Navy site you can get to the information. You may be able to get a shuttle at your hotel, but parking at the stadium itself is very limited.

Yes, but…

Traffic on game day is going to be a nightmare. Annapolis roads will be overwhelmed because of the combination of the game and boat show at the same time. Parking at the stadium is for pass holders only. Ordinarily I’d say that public parking garages and lots near the stadium would be an option, but the boat show makes it very dicey so I wouldn’t recommend risking attempting to drive to the stadium area on game day.

As Red80 mentions, there will be outlying satellite lots with shuttles to the game, so check back with Navysports.com as we get closer to game day. (They haven’t updated the info for 2016 last check.) In addition, for touring around Annapolis, the boat show will also have lots with shuttles to the downtown waterfront, so if you want to tour the Naval Academy and historic downtown area on game day, that’s a good option. Check with the United States Sailboat Show website for information on that.

The midshipmen march from the Academy to the stadium so if you’re touring the waterfront area or Academy on game day, it’s possible to meander your way toward the stadium over the course of the day and walk it if you’re up for it. It would be on the long side of a walk for some, but I’ve done it a few times. Annapolis also has a trolley system downtown so you could try and catch one that would get you within a couple of blocks of the stadium. Check with the Annapolis City Website on the trolley route.

On Sunday, traffic will not be as bad and they will likely have the stadium lot open as a satellite lot for the boat show, so you could grab a shuttle downtown and back for that one as well. The waterfront, historic district and Naval Academy area is relatively compact so it’s all walkable.

Is anyone staying in DC for the game (that’s my plan if I go)?

If so, we can get a bus (game specific) from Union Station in DC to the game and back. My brother who lives in DC has taken them and they’re very convenient. My plan is not to rent a car the whole weekend so this will be howI get there.

My wife and I will be in DC. We plan on coming in that Wednesday and staying a week. Where in DC are you staying? I’m not familiar with the area. I was wondering if I could just metrorail it everywhere but wasn’t sure how to get to the game on Saturday

Our plans changed a bit. Still going to rent a car but now renting a house across the street from the stadium. Made more sense since now our party has grown to a group of 8 (family and friends-also alums-driving in from PA and NY). So we will end up walking to the game.