Returning for a second year in a row, Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show will have Baltimore families flocking to the Inner Harbor to celebrate our nautical history. This year, more than a dozen ships and vessels will occupy our waters, representing U.S., Canadian, and British Naval fleets.

Tons of activities, can’t-miss events, and entertaining performances will be perfect for tourists and locals alike. Plus, some of our favorite Baltimore restaurants are even offering special drinks and dishes in honor of the celebration.

Here’s everything you need to know to make the most out of the seven-day maritime extravaganza.

Tour the U.S., Canadian, and British Navy vessels.
Take a special tour of the vessels on October 4-8 from 1-6 p.m. The vessels will be docked around the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Tide Point, and North Locust Point, including the USS Tornado, a patrol coast ship, the Frigate, also known as the ‘Black Duke’, the USS Stout, a warship that has offensive and defensive capabilities, and the USS Torsk submarine. Military aficionados, history buffs, and maritime admirers alike are drawn to this one-of-a-kind experience.

Toast to Fleet Week.
Celebrate the beginning of Fleet Week and the arrival of our servicemen and women on October 5 from 5-8 p.m. Grab a cold beverage, take a selfie with a sailor, and enjoy the live music at this kick-off celebration. 401 Light St., 866-639-3526

Revisit Fort McHenry.
On October 5-7, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Listen to ranger talks, view living-history demonstrations, and grab some delicious food. A bonus? The park is a prime viewing location for the air show.

Run the Fleet Week 5K.
On October 7, test your speed against U.S., Canadian, and British sailors at the Fleet Week 5k run through the Inner Harbor. Runners will receive Fleet Week T-shirts, and those competitors who are over 21 will claim a free post-race beer. Visit this site to register now.

Browse local breweries.
Fleet Week will add local Baltimore flavor by incorporating a brew selection from Heavy Seas Beer, Atlas Brew Works, and Union Craft Brewing. These regional breweries will offer signature beers at Rash Field and West Shore Park. Red and white wine from Pier 1. will also be available.

Drink a cocktail at Wit & Wisdom.

This chic bar, located in the Four Seasons Hotel, will join in on Fleet Week festivities with a special Tavern Menu, including Fleet Week themed-items like the Go Big. Go American! Burger and the First in Flight cocktail. The Four Seasons Hotel will also feature a special Fleet Week room package. 200 International Dr., 410-576-5800

Tour the distillery at Old Line Spirits.

This taproom and distillery is honoring service men and women with 20 percent off all drinks as well as free tours and tastings to all customers with military IDs. And on October 6, the taproom will host a special screening of Hot Shots, and the bar director, Steve Lamb, will suit up in a real flight suit. 200 S. Janney St., 443-218-9984

Sip stouts at the new Guinness brewery.
In honor of Fleet Week, the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House in Relay is offering a 10 percent discount on taproom tabs for patrons with valid military ID. Now through October 9, make your way toward to the 62-acre parcel of land to tour the brewhouse, snack on pub grub at the 1817 restaurant upstairs, and sip Guinness Blonde lager—which is now brewed exclusively at the Baltimore County brewery. 5001 Washington Blvd., Halethorpe, 800-909-2645

Catch the air shows from Sagamore Spirit in Port Covington.
The Sagamore Spirit Distillery is celebrating accordingly with Clipper City whiskey-and-cider cocktails named after the famed replica of the nineteenth-century cargo schooner. Free samples of the cocktail will be available to anyone who tours the distillery through October 9. Plus, the waterfront campus is the perfect place to catch the air show on Saturday and Sunday. 301 E. Cromwell St. 410-624-7488

Check out the Martin State Airport.
On October 6-7, you can view unique aircraft at the Martin State Airport Open House and Free Festival. Watch aviators take off and land, meet real-life pilots, view military vessels, and hit up local food vendors. The festival runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and the Thunderbird crew will be sign be present to sign autographs after their performances on Saturday and Sunday.

Watch the Fleet Week Air Show.
On October 6-7 from 12-4 p.m., you can catch the largest air show in Baltimore, featuring the USAF Thunderbirds. The best places to watch include Fort McHenry National Monument, the Inner Harbor Area, as well as on different water cruises and tours. The show will feature a variety of talented performances, including a demonstration by the Royal Canadian Air Force, an appearance by the Geico Skytypers in vintage WW2 aircrafts, as well as features from the U.S. Coastguard and the Black Daggers Parachute Demonstration Team.

Rock out with festival entertainment.
On October 5-7, there will be live music and entertainment on three stages that’ll be sure to amp up the party. Check out the Amphitheater Stage to view U.S. Navy Band, Moody Goose, and the U.S. Navy Drill Team. Head to the West Shore Park Stage to hear tunes from the U.S. Navy Band Commodores and the By & By Bluegrass Band. Or head to Rash Field Stage to catch performances by the USS Constitution Sailors, Eastport Oyster Boys, and the USS Navy Band Cruisers. Visit the Fleet Week website for the full performance schedule.

Listen to the Salute to Schooners.
Bid Fleet Week farewell at this patriotic send off. On October 9 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Schooners from the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race will fire off a cannon salute toward Fort McHenry while students sing spirited songs. This is certainly a flashy farewell.

Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show
Oct. 8-17. Various locations. Between our historic, national-anthem-inspiring fort and a certain highly decorated Olympian, Baltimore is no stranger to patriotism. It’s only fitting, then, that—for the first time in history—Charm City will host the Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show to celebrate the rich naval heritage of the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the state’s contribution to the defense of the United States. The seventh of its kind in the country, and a descendant of the 2012 Sailabration and 2014 Star-Spangled Spectacular, the festival will feature a full 10 days of red, white, and blue . Join hundreds of thousands of onlookers as historic ships arrive and thrive in the city’s waters, accompanied by the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, plus dozens of maritime-themed events. At the Inner Harbor and in Fells and Locust points, board the decks of navy vessels and schooners, catch more than 40 boats competing in the Constellation Cup Regatta, and check out the Fleet Week Fair, with regional food and live music by local and military bands. At Martin State Airport in Middle River, there will be aircrafts on display, both on land and in midair, with flight takeoffs, landings, and pilot autographs. But back where it all began—where a star-shaped fortress protected the city from British attack by the bay—celebrations will abound at Fort McHenry, with ship salutes, sailor meet-and-greets, and living history programs. Just don’t miss the main event, as the legendary Blue Angels fly over the grounds that inspired those iconic lyrics, long ago: “O say can you see . . . ”

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Pigtown Festival
Oct. 8. 700-900 blocks of Washington Boulevard. 12-7 p.m. Free. 443-908-7038. Just west of the hustle and bustle of Federal Hill, the small neighborhood of Pigtown sits pretty with charming row homes, timeworn warehouses, and a growing brood of businesses. During this 15th annual festival, watch the streets fill with people, food, live music, and the swine of its iconic pig races.

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Open Studio Tour
Oct. 8-9. Locations vary. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 410-752-8632. Go behind the scenes of the Baltimore art scene during this weekend-long look inside local studios, presented by School 33 Art Center. For the 28th year, visitors can meet dozens of artists across the city, view their creative processes, and browse their works in fine painting, mixed media, film, sculpture, and more.

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Baltimore Running Festival
Oct. 15. Locations & times vary, starting at 7 a.m. $15-280. 410-605-9381. Runners, after months of training, it’s the day you’ve all been waiting for—the Baltimore Running Festival is finally here. Whatever your abilities, hit the pavement with everything from a 5K race to 26.2 miles through the heart of Baltimore City. Test your endurance or run for one of many great causes, including the Kennedy Krieger Institute or One Love Foundation.

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U.S. Oyster Festival
Oct. 15-16. St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds, 42455 Fairgrounds Road, Leonardtown. Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free-$7. Oysters are all the rage these days, but whether you like ’em raw, steamed, or grilled, bring your appetite to the 50th annual U.S. Oyster Festival for a weekend of live music, local food vendors, and plenty of shucks to go around. Watch the country’s fastest shuckers compete for cash prizes in the National Oyster Shucking Championship, or try your luck in the amateur contest. Thanks to the recent boom in Baltimore’s aquaculture, this year’s oyster cook-off is sure to impress (and indulge) local oyster-lovers, with categories like hors d’oeurves, soups and stews, and entrees.

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WPOC Weekend in the Country
Oct. 15-16. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 1 p.m. $55-175. 410-715-5550. Even the most serious country music haters are now putting on their cowboy hats for the boot-scooting Southern genre that’s made its way into the mainstream. Don your bandanas and cutoff jeans to hear big names like the party-starting Little Big Town (“Pontoon,” “Day Drinking”) and up-and-comers like the dynamic duo LOCASH (which is one-part Baltimore native). After 15 years, local country music radio station 93.1 FM has turned this swaggering Southern music festival into a favorite fall tradition.

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Baltimore Craft Beer Festival
Oct. 22. Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St. $35-65. 410-252-9463. Get to know Maryland’s booming craft beer scene at the edge of the Baltimore harbor. For one fall Saturday, sample the state’s very best with nearly 150 local beers, including RAR Brewing’s Nanticoke Nectar IPA and Union Craft’s barrel-aged Old Pro with blackberries, plus live music and local bites by the likes of The Smoking Swine and BricknFire Pizza Co.

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Doors Open Baltimore
Oct. 22. Various locations. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 410-625-2585. For one day, go behind the scenes at Baltimore’s historic buildings, museums, and landmarks as part of the third annual Doors Open Baltimore. In this free, citywide event, explore more than 50 locations from Mount Washington to South Baltimore, like the Peabody Library, Peabody Heights Brewery on the former site of the old Oriole Park, and the new Baltimore Immigration Museum in Locust Point. Get started at the Maryland Historic Society to map out a self-guided tour of these Charm City sites.

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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Oct. 23. Executive Plaza, 11350 McCormick Road, Hunt Valley. 7-10 a.m. $10-50. Founded in 1993, Komen Maryland has contributed more than $37 million to breast cancer research and programs, and its volunteers, staff, and members won’t stop until they’re #OneStepCloser to finding a cure. At this 24th annual race, Komen brings survivors and supporters together for competitive and recreational 5K runs, a 5K walk, and a one-mile family fun walk, raising funding and awareness for the cause along the way. Afterward, celebrate the triumph of survivors with a recognition walk and dance party.