"The Blue Heron Center will not accept reservations until July 2027 due to upcoming renovations." The notice is one line on the county's venue page, and it's the clearest sign so far of the work going on at Quiet Waters Park. If you've walked past the Visitor Center lately, you've seen part of it. The rest shows up in Anne Arundel County's capital budget.
The work is all in one part of the park. The Visitor Center, the Blue Heron Center and the plaza between them are getting rebuilt. The trails, the dog beach and the overlooks above the South River are open as usual. And the money is concentrated in the current budget year, so this fall and winter are the busiest part of the project.
Two Buildings From 1989
The Visitor Center and the Blue Heron Center were built in 1989. The county's capital projects page puts it plainly: after 30-plus years of heavy use, both buildings have finishes at the end of their service life, life-safety systems that need updating, and gaps against current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The plan calls for complete interior and exterior renovations of both buildings. That includes new siding, columns, windows and railings, fresh exterior paint, new interior finishes and lighting, and a new fire pump building. The Visitor Center also gets structural repairs and updated art galleries and exhibits. The county lists RRMM Architects, Nichols Construction and KCI Construction Administrators as consultants. The project's status is "Under Renovation."
A second project covers the ground between the buildings. It includes repairs to the plaza, walkways and garden next to the Visitor Center and Blue Heron Center, plus improvements so the grounds meet ADA access standards. Pennoni Associates handled the design, and the county lists the project as in construction.
Together, those two projects take up the area most visitors walk through first.
What the Budget Shows About Timing
The county's FY2027 approved capital budget lists project P584600, "Quiet Waters Park Rehab/Imp," with these figures:
| Budget line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total project | $28,533,958 |
| Approved in prior years | $10,140,958 |
| FY2027 | $12,456,000 |
| FY2028 | $5,937,000 |
| FY2029 through FY2032 | $0 |
The FY2027 allocation alone is more than every previous year combined. The amount drops by more than half in FY2028 and goes to zero after that. The budget doesn't split the total among the buildings, the plaza and other work. It also gives fiscal-year allocations rather than construction dates. Still, the shape is clear: the spending is heaviest in the fiscal year now underway, and the county isn't planning a long series of follow-up phases.
The Blue Heron notice fits that timeline. Bookings reopen in July 2027, which is right around the end of FY2027.
What's Limited This Fall
The county's park page says the Visitor Center is open only for restrooms and main-office business. Normally the building also houses two art galleries. No separate closure dates for the galleries have been posted.
If you're planning a wedding, shower or business meeting, the county still lists two outdoor venues: the South River Overlook, above the river, and the James Lighthizer Gazebo, on the edge of a pond. The park office is at 410-222-1777.
What hasn't changed:
- Hours. The park is open 7 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Entry. The county lists vehicle entry at $8 per day.
- Dog beach. The sandy off-leash dog beach is open daily during park hours, and the county hasn't posted any fall or winter changes.
The October Calendar Goes On
The Friends of Quiet Waters Park are holding their fall events as planned, and the first ones are close.
Wednesday, October 7, 10 to 11 a.m. The county's Master Gardeners will give a composting demonstration at the compost site on the Wildwood Trail. Anne Arundel County residents can get a free compost bin.
Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Art @ the Park 2026 brings live music, ceramics, woodworking, jewelry and painting, demonstrations, and a lineup of food trucks. Children can paint and build their own wind chimes, and leashed pets are welcome in outdoor areas.
There's also an assignment for young artists before the weekend. For the Recycled Mask Challenge, kids pick up a tree cookie from the large playground in early October and turn it into a spooky, funny or strange face using recycled materials. The Friends suggest hot glue or E6000 as adhesive because the finished masks are displayed outdoors along the Concert Trail during the event. Their list of materials includes bottle caps, egg cartons, pinecones, acorns, sycamore balls and soda can tabs.
Art @ the Park lands on the same weekend as the United States Sailboat Show downtown. The City of Annapolis lists the show for October 15 to 18 and expects traffic and parking disruption downtown from October 5 to 21. For anyone on Annapolis Neck, the art show is the closer of the two.
The Friends' November calendar lists recurring hikes, another composting demonstration and a bird walk. December has hikes and a bird walk. Neither month shows a holiday lights event.
The Rink, Right Next to the Construction
The outdoor ice rink sits in front of the Visitor Center, at the edge of the renovation zone. The county's rink page says it was closed for the 2025-2026 winter season and is expected back in November 2026. That notice doesn't match the Capital Gazette's January 15, 2026 photo story, which shows skaters on the ice, an employee learning to drive the Zamboni, and the rink manager skating before the 3 p.m. opening. The county hasn't explained the difference. It also hasn't set an opening day or said whether the plaza work will affect the rink.
Days and hours may vary due to the weather conditions. Please call 410-222-1711 for daily updates.
That advice is on the county's rink page and will matter more than usual this winter. The rink's Facebook page, QWP Ice Rink, is the other place to check.
The page currently lists these figures. They are what's posted now, not confirmed prices for the 2026-27 season:
- Two-hour sessions starting every hour on the hour
- Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 3 to 9 p.m.; Tuesday closed except during school holiday breaks
- Admission $7 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under and for seniors
- Skate rental $3, sharpening $6
- Season passes $110 for an individual and $275 for a family, or $130 for 30 sessions
Plans at the Edges of the Park
While the center of the park is under construction, the county has started design work on projects around its edges.
The 19-acre Retreat property
The former Quiet Waters Retreat property next to the park is in design with GFT, Inc. Design began in 2026, based on a master plan the county developed earlier. The plan describes a low-impact expansion. It includes accessible stone-dust and natural-surface trails, overlooks at the Council Ring and a rehabilitated boathouse platform, native meadow restoration, invasive-plant control, naturalized stormwater work, and interpretive signs, all designed to protect specimen trees and keep views of the South River and Loden Pond. The first phase covers habitat restoration, trails, signs and meadow work. Outdoor classrooms and more education features depend on future funding. No construction dates have been published.
The shoreline
The county is working with the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County on an assessment of the park's shorelines along the South River, Harness Creek and Loden Pond. Stantec has finished the surveys, and the project team is now analyzing the data and ranking restoration projects.
Behind the scenes
The county also started design in July 2026 on a new 6,000-square-foot maintenance building, with AECOM/Jacobs as designers. It is listed alongside a multiyear program to repair 17 buildings, parking lots, paths and site amenities across the park.
Each of these is in design or study, and none has a construction date yet. The work around the Visitor Center is happening now, and FY2027 carries the largest single-year share of the project budget. The county's projects page was last updated September 22, 2026, and it's the best place to check before your next visit.
Liz Dooner keeps track of projects like the Quiet Waters renovation because changes at a regional park affect the homes around it. If you own a home on Annapolis Neck and want to know how your property is positioned while the park is being rebuilt and expanded, request a complimentary home valuation.
