Young Sailors Love the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show
Date: March 16, 2026
There’s a moment every parent knows. You’re trying to plan a weekend outing, and someone under four feet tall announces they’re bored before you’ve even left the house. The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, April 24–26, 2026, is the cure for that. It’s a weekend where kids aren’t just tolerated; they’re part of the crew.
Let’s start with the obvious draw: boats. Lots of them, right there on the docks, ready to be climbed aboard, poked around, and generally investigated by curious hands. Kids get to scramble into cockpits, explore cabins, and peek through portholes. For parents shopping for the family’s next sailboat, this matters more than you might think. Exhibitors are more than happy to have littluns aboard as long as they’re supervised, and the ice cream cones stay onshore. After all, it can’t be your dream boat if they don’t love it too.
This show is on the water, so bring your kids’ lifejackets. But don’t worry if you arrive without them. BoatUS provides complimentary loaner life jackets at the gate.
Once the life jacket is on and the adventure begins, the Dock Ducks scavenger hunt gives kids a mission. Rubber ducks are hidden around the show grounds, and any young sailor who finds one can return it to the Ticket Booth for a prize. Don’t worry, they get to keep the duck too. There’s also the EWE Spirit Scavenger Hunt, where kids pick up a card at the SpinSheet booth and track down items scattered throughout the show. Find them all, bring back the card, and earn a prize. It’s the kind of structured fun that keeps small legs moving and small minds occupied while you sneak in one more look at that catamaran you’ve been eyeing.
For parents and grandparents who’ve been daydreaming about sailing with the family, the show offers a seminar built exactly for that conversation. “Family Fun When You Sail With Kids” runs Sunday from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. and features a panel of parents whose kids already love sailing. Presented by SpinSheet Magazine, it’s a casual Q&A where you can ask the questions that matter: How young is too young? What boats work best for families? And, critically, how do you keep everyone happy on a long voyage? Sailing is one of those rare activities that genuinely grows with a child, from afternoon cruises to weekend racing to a lifetime of memories made on the water. Getting them started early is one of the best gifts you can give.
After a full day at the show, downtown Annapolis is right around the corner. The city has restaurants to satisfy even the pickiest eaters and plenty of ice cream shops for dessert, which, as any experienced parent knows, is the real currency of a successful family outing.
One more thing worth mentioning: kids ages 15 and under get in free. So bring them. They’ll have a blast, and you might just find your next boat together.