When I started planning my very first trip to St. Michaels, there was one attraction that made the itinerary before almost anything else: the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. I'd heard so many people rave about it that I figured it deserved a few hours of my vacation. Turns out...a few hours wasn't nearly enough! Admission was $22 for adults, and one of my favorite surprises was learning that your ticket is good for two consecutive days. A volunteer at the front desk gave me a wonderful overview of the property, explained how everything worked and made sure I knew I was welcome to come back the following day as long as I didn't lose my admission sticker. That's tremendous value for everything there is to see! The first thing I realized after walking through the doors? This isn't just a museum. It's an entire waterfront campus! The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum sits right on the Miles River and includes historic buildings, floating vessels, exhibitions, gardens, a working shipyard where traditional wooden boats are still restored and built, and enough history to keep you wandering for hours. Whether you're interested in Chesapeake Bay history, boats, lighthouses, watermen or simply beautiful places to explore, there's something here for just about everyone. Now...in true to me fashion...I headed straight for the gift shop before I looked at anything else. My philosophy is simple: shop first, think about it while I explore, and if I still love it by the time I leave, I already own it. Except...that didn't exactly happen this time. I found something I loved immediately, bought it right away and happily carried my purchase around the museum for the rest of my visit. RELATED SIDEQUEST & PRO TIP: While I was wandering through the gift shop, I overheard another visitor asking an employee if they sold U.S. Lighthouse Society Lighthouse Passport books. Wait...what passport?! Excuse me while I casually eavesdrop. A very quick Google search later, I had fallen headfirst into yet another travel rabbit hole. Apparently there's an entire Lighthouse Passport Program where visitors collect official lighthouse stamps from locations all over the country. Well...that sounds dangerously like something I would absolutely obsess over! The museum has an official lighthouse stamp available at the front desk, so even though I don't own the passport yet, I stamped a blank piece of paper to tuck safely away until I order one. I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be back to stamp the real thing someday! PRO TIP: Get your lighthouse passport before you go! I spent the next several hours wandering the campus completely at my own pace. One thing I really appreciated was that the museum lets you create your own experience. Some exhibits fascinated me, others I breezed through, and there was never any pressure to see things in a particular order. It felt more like exploring than touring. The museum itself was fantastic and easily worth the $22 admission. More than anything, I came away impressed by how much pride everyone there takes in preserving and sharing the history of the Chesapeake Bay. It's clear this isn't simply a collection of artifacts. It's a place that's actively keeping an important part of Maryland's history alive. Whether you're visiting St. Michaels for a weekend or just passing , I'd absolutely recommend making time for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. And while you're there...don't forget to get your lighthouse passport stamp! read more

See all

What a treat to find this maritime museum when visiting Saint Michael's. From the Welcome Center to the Lighthouse, this place offers some exceptional Maryland and US history. A great place to explore and learn about crabbing, fishing, oystering and sailing on the Chesapeake, as well as historical information on Frederick Douglass and the slave trade. Very interesting! Incredibly insightful and thought provoking, the Frederick Douglass exhibit was fascinating. What a beautiful day (weather wise) to stroll the grounds of this museum on the water, enjoy the exhibits and interact with the staff here - all incredibly friendly. read more

See all

The museum has a variety of experiences showingcasing the history and stories of the Eastern Shore. The models were in pristine condition. I look forward to returning for one of museums boat tours. Their new exhibition, Stories from the Shoreline was an excellent introduction to the culture of the Chesapeake region. My daughter loved the interactive exhibits at the museum. read more

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Frederick Douglass museum - Museums Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

The Maritime Museum is such an interesting place to visit! We visited for a number of years at the old location, and we love all the updates at the new. The visitor center entrance building has great bathrooms and the new gift shop? Chef's kiss! We picked up a number of things for my toddler that she was interested in, including the cute Chadwick the Crab books. You can really tell the care that has gone into the exhibits, and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable. Hopefully we can do one of the fun day long experiences working on a project there in the future! Definitely worth a stop if you're in St Michael's! read more

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - My baby by the lighthouse light in the visitor center entrance - Museums Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

This is a lovely museum. The exhibita are well done. They have numerous buildings to explore with different parts of maritime history. We used the overnight docking facilities which come with electricity and showed and bathroom. We had a great time. read more

BLUF: A wonderful museum consisting of 18 acres, many buildings and even a river cruise, telling the history about the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is one of those museums that I enjoy visiting every few years. Since they recently opened a new building I was excited to check it out. With limited time to explore, I stuck to the new building which has their admissions/ticket counter, various types of Chesapeake Bay boats, a well curated display case of ship models on display and a lovely gift shop. Oh, and let's not forget Sailor the Iron Dog! Two of my all time favorite exhibits at the museum are the display of oyster cans and the crab picking machine. I laugh every time I see the crab picking machine and I always marvel at all of the big oyster cans. Being able to go inside the Hooper Strait lighthouse is also fun. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has lovely views of the river from shore but those who want a better view can take a cruise or sail on one of various historic vessels. Another things that makes CBMM great is its plentiful parking and close proximity to downtown Saint Michaels. read more

See all

At $20 per person, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was a bit of a letdown. They currently have an exhibit entitled "Sailing to Freedom" and that was the main reason for our stop here, especially considering we have recently visited a different nautical museum which was similarly priced and fantastic. Unfortunately the exhibit was small and, if I'm being honest, boring. The grounds here are not very large and are composed mostly of old wooden boats, bells, and a lighthouse, which was by far the highlight of our visit. They claim that the grounds are dog friendly however there isn't much to see outside so I would not recommend bringing a dog. I wouldn't personally recommend bringing children either as it doesn't seem like they would have a good time here. There were five or six children present during our visit and they were literally just running in circles on the grass. I understand that our visit was during the off-season but it was a wasn't a very good use of time or money in my opinion. read more

See all

A sign of a good museum is taking niche material and making it accessible and inspiring to the masses. Spread inside 12 buildings along the water, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum does just that. Park in the spacious lot and enter the new main building. Admission varies based on your age, military status, and whether or not you want to add on the Patriot Cruise 70-minute ride. Spread throughout different buildings, some historic, you'll see 90 different boats and learn about the history of using the bay for recreation and business. The history starts with the lands' Indigenous people and goes to modern time. Highlights include learning about the different ways to fish for oysters and climbing a historic lighthouse with an amazing view of the bay. Don't miss out on the gift shop, which includes local products, books, toys, and more. read more

See all

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) is a fantastic visit when on the Eastern Shore. It consists of several buildings, each dedicated to different aspects of shore life, including a lighthouse. You walk outside along the Miles River to the different exhibits. We spent hours here and didn't get to every building, so plan more time than you think. There is so much information and it's a great way to learn about the Eastern Shore. The lighthouse, which has incredible views, and the building that contains the oyster boat were the highlights, but everything is great. Staff is friendly and the gift shop is nice. We also added on afternoon river cruise, which was lovely. This is one of my favorite museums. You absolutely cannot skip the CBMM when visiting the Eastern Shore. read more

See all

This is a wonderful little museum which houses many different exhibits. It shows the maritime history of the bay area and how oysters ruled the day. There were three amazing exhibits that we will never forget. One was at the entrance where a drawbridge was brought by land and sea to enchant anyone entering the museum grounds. Another was The Pitt. It was a practice which hunters used to deceive ducks into believing they were merely swimming across the water but were shot en masse by this deception. It is no longer legal because it is not considered fair game. The other was the shipyard. Man's ingenuity, determination, and skill when it comes to the seas never ceases to amaze me. It was so interesting to see the hull of a ship and how this work turns into a miracle that has allowed man to conquer the earth. There is a Patriot Cruise at noon and two which we missed. It looked like great fun and is only an additional ten dollars added to the entrance fee. The lighthouse is worn and tired looking, but it is still exciting to see how someone managed to live in such isolation to ensure the safety of those at sea. The woman who was the representative at the desk was knowledgeable but officious. Things are a little rundown, but the museum is worth the price of admission. The gift shop is beautiful and the people there were both helpful and nice. read more

Came here for a wedding over the summer and it was an awesome venue. The cocktail reception and ceremony happened inside the main boathouse of the Maritime Museum exhibit area with the dinner afterward outside overlooking the bay. This venue used to be a crab/lobster processing facility. There's a ton of historical information on the walls along with some of the old fishing display. This venue is entirely over the water and as you step out onto the surround dock, you can look across the bay and watch the sunset. Attached to this venue is another restaurant with a rooftop patio area, but this was closed during the event. If you live in the area or are just visiting for the weekend it's definitely worth a visit. read more

See all

Excellent museum and worthwhile visit. Some of it is indoors and some outdoors with a lighthouse included in which you can go short steps up to the top. Many boats on display along with firearms used for hunting, ducks, info on crabs, and more related to water. read more

See all

Made reservation on our way in and viola! Great service, dock master helped us dock. Very good. read more

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Dock rental - Museums Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

This place is an absolute Gem. We have visited many maritime Museums from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, etc. I can honestly say this is one of the most well thought out and informative we have ever seen. The displays are top notch in the presentation and the preservation of all the articles on display. The boats are beautiful to look at and the Lighthouse is like a crowning Jewel. This place should absolutely be on your lists of places to visit. (Helpful hint; have lunch at the adjacent restaurant "The Crab Claw") read more

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Beautifully restored lighthouse - Museums Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

See all

It really lives up to the name more than I expected. This museum is on the waterfront and comprises a mix of exhibitions that really do seem to capture the maritime history of the entire bay. Admittedly, I write out of sentimentality. I discovered that they are building a new Maryland Dove (previously a landmark on my daily walks), the re-created sailing vessel that sits at St. Mary's City. I asked what happened to the old one, and got a story about how it looked nice but was not constructed by traditional methods and was not approved for passengers (I always wondered why). On top of that, a documentary on the ship was available for playing in one of the buildings, as well as a 3D camera view from its mast that you could scroll around by hand. Anyway, you can see the new ship being built, but that's hardly the only thing on offer. One of those quaint wooden lighthouses was open for viewing, and several independent exhibit halls covered topics ranging from oyster harvesting to recreational canoeing. There was beautiful photography, and interesting history, including a house owned by Frederick Douglass's family. Smith Island, the War of 1812, and one of those famous pictures of an island house sinking into the bay. It's all really thought provoking. And while you walk around between these buildings, you're getting a nice view out on to the water. There are a lot of tight lines to walk in terms of discussing history and environmental issues without dumbing them down or creating Manichean narratives, and I thought the museum did a pretty good job of that. You get a sense of the environmental destruction the bay has suffered over the years, but the museum is hardly anti-waterman, and it even makes the case that some harvesting is sustainable. I was a bit disappointed that no boat rides seemed to be happening when I visited (not sure if it's COVID or the seasons, but normally there are some boat tours), but making allowances for that, I could a couple of very filling hours for my modest admission fee. The gift shop was respectable as well, and I bought something (not that common of an occurrence for me). Parking is free and plentiful, and it's easy to walk around the town and find something to eat from here. By comparison, I'm struck with my experiences in the Charleston area, which has heavily invested in environmental and historical tourism, and Maryland's Eastern Shore, which is largely a set of gentrified McMansions that tourists bypass on their way to the beach. I probably drove or was driven dozens of times by this area without ever getting out of the car before I started exploring it during the pandemic because it was good for social distancing. For us DC area folks, the Eastern Shore is not on our radar; there's a class of people that own boats, and then there's the rest of us. But I visit this museum and the area and wonder what the best way is for all of us to enjoy the fantastic natural resources we have here. read more

See all

This was a great museum to learn so much about the local history. It is really well done and spread out across a nice piece of property and lots to see. The exhibits are well done and offer a true background of individuals from the area. We enjoy learning history and seeing the way things were accomplished. read more

I arrived 30 minutes before the museum closed, $16 admission, I decided to pass. Instead decided to check out the museum gift shop. I enjoyed the gift shop and all the neat wares. Highly recommend the gift shop. read more

See all

Fantastic sprawling museum turning over every page of the modern Eastern Shore world and the people who lived there tucked away in the small town of St. Michaels, this is well worth spending an afternoon to enjoy. There's a modern facility reviewing the development of the Eastern Shore from backwoods rural labor to resort and boating territory, the lighthouse to explore showing the harsh isolating life of those who worked it, older individual buildings covering model ship building, the wildlife hunting culture, shipbuilding, the rise and fall of the crab industry and local labor- you will leave with a definite understanding of where you are in time and place. Easy walk from town, plenty of parking. Not really for kids unless you are there for a specific event. And they are still building up! read more

My kids (8 and 10) and I had the best time here! Beautiful campus with lots to see. Plenty of opportunities for kids to be active and hands on. We also did the river cruise and throughly enjoyed it. We spent 5 hours there and were never bored. Highly recommend. We had a blast and learned a lot. read more

I love a local museum that teaches you about the area. This is An excellent local history museum with a great history of the Chesapeake Bay. read more

Lots to see and learn about during the museum visit. There's definitely something for everyone! It was interesting to watch the ship builders and see the inside of the lighthouse. We especially enjoyed raking for oysters and pulling the traps up. Lots of fun! read more

A must see while in St. Michaels or in the Eastern Shore area. Truly gives a definition and understanding if the Eastern Shore life and how the early settlers of the seafood industry began. Great spectrum of educational exhibits for the entire family. read more

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is as good as museums get, especially if you love the Bay, history, boats, and other nautical notions. I came here a week or so ago on my way back to Baltimore. I hate the Bay Bridge so I drive north up to Delaware and then to 95-- St. Michael's is a great place to stop along the way. This beautiful and rural part of Maryland is endless farms and the charming town of St. Michael's. I didn't linger in town but there seems to be a lively tourist trade here full of cute shops and restaurants. As I drove home I saw a store called the Preppy Redneck, maybe that says it all. At the museum entrance, admission is $15. While this may seem like a lot I have to say that this museum is well worth the price. Not only was I pleasantly greeted by the clerk, but I was also welcomed by a docent with a map who gave me the low down on where to find things. I really liked this. I was primarily here to see an exhibition of objects that people found on the beach in the region. It was small but mighty, I thought. The best part, for me, was two printer's type boxes full of glass, marbles, doll parts, china pieces, and clay pipes, all allegedly pulled from the Chesapeake. I loved the artful arrangement of objects and was thrilled to see such cool finds. Outside, at a pavilion I watched a few young men building a boat. I saw an old, barn building full of old, small boats. I climbed up an amazing old lighthouse and found a piece of a mystery shipwreck. What an amazing place! I exited through the gift shop-- didn't find anything I had to have. I actually might want to come back here, I didn't have time to see everything. This is highly recommended for families and kids, there are lots of educational signs talking about the importance of the Chesapeake Bay and what makes it unique in the world. Thanks, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, for a lovely couple of hours. read more

See all

What a gem. Come for the history but really enjoy the amazing view from the lighthouse.

Honestly, we didn't make it into the museum. My Aunt got terribly overheated during our walk to the museum and I tried to get an Uber back to our car so I could get her some AC there were no Uber drivers available so I flagged down a golf cart. I honestly can't thank Mike from the grounds crew enough for responding so quickly. He drove us back to our car and refused to accept any payment. Any museum with employees like Mike must be amazing. Thank you for your help Mike ! You're awesome!! read more

Kids had a blast exploring. We loved all the hands on exhibits. Really pretty area - lots of information. Some of the signs need to be replaced due to sun damage. read more

I had no idea this place even existed until I randomly searched the area on Yelp to see what was around. This place is huge and takes hours to see it all so you can pick and choose your highlights if you don't want to go overboard and spend all day here. My highlights were the boat building shop where you see a boat coming together and can talk to a carpenter, the lighthouse, the boat/cannery exhibit, and the dock where you can use the crab traps, eel traps, etc. They even have free water cooler water in the gift shop and you can park here and easily walk into town without moving your car. If you're in the area this place is a must see. read more

See all

Great time at the Museum. Lots of interesting exhibits, historical stories, photos and artifacts. Shipbuilders were working as we toured the area. The lighthouse was unique and gave you insight into the experience of living in the lighthouse. Particularly enjoyed reading the biographies under each of the light keepers' photos. Leave yourself time to visit all the buildings. read more

Great little museum, that's part outdoors and indoor exhibits. It was a great place to take pictures. When we went the weather wasn't too hot outside and was very enjoyable for the kids to run around and have fun. At the end, we went into the museum store, where the kids got some toys and I picked up a magnet for my collection. read more

See all

Is place was absolutely outstanding If you need A-day trip or a get away or just wanna have some fun and learn about history try Saint Michaels Maryland read more

See all

Awesome place to go for a weekend day trip that is for sure! I love this place - you can bring your own lunch or snacks in and eat along the more than 18 waterfront acres in this adorable historic town! Strapped for time? Check out the highlights tour - it is only 90 minutes long and literally shows you everything you need to know about crabbing/oystering/fishing along the Chesapeake - history and hands on experiences are included. Do NOT miss the "Waterman's Wharf" where you can literally pull up an eel pot, catch some blue crabs (with your hands, be careful!) and tong for oyesters - way too much fun!!! And another interactive component can be found in the building "Oystering on the Chesapeake" where you can find out exactly who is the culprit in the murder of the oysters...spoiler alert - (anyone who drove to St. Michael's is guilty!) Another great thing to note is that when you check in using Yelp - you get $3 off your admission - can you say score??? read more

The worker Chelsea was the one who did all this. The other workers were fine. I think this is not a good place to go for a field trip and it's mud everywhere its wild snakes and they force you to hold animals when you don't want to, bad customer service & The Lady was rude and she aggressively put a dirty oyster in my hand, when I said I didn't want to touch it she said she didn't care and she put it in my hand. And then when my teacher said that I didn't have to touch it then the lady said yes she does & The people here are doing way too much like they knew they didn't respect all of us and if they're not gonna respect us and let us not and then if we don't wanna hold it, we don't have to hold it so I mean it's not fair that we are. They're making us do something that we don't want to do some of us you uncomfortable about doing it and some of us just have a texture anxiety problem that's not fair they should never do that and they should have made us try to hold it because it's not fair for us to have the hold the I mean stuff that we don't want to hold and whatever else so I mean like it's gonna be a real problem if like whatever you read more

A beautiful spot that is preserving the history of Maryland's Eastern Shore. A great day-trip location that features a little something for everyone. read more

A great idea to come visit when it is warm. Because it is mostly outdoor, you are victim to the weather. Lots of nice artifacts about oyster fishing, boat racing, and boat making. read more

See all

One of the best museums I've been to, and the kids agreed! It has exhibits on all aspects of maritime life around the Chesapeake Bay, from oysters to crabbing to lighthouse life to all kinds of boating and sailing history. I could probably spend a full week there poring through every last thing. Even dashing after kids, I got to see plenty and the twins were pretty much ready to set up shop as lighthouse keepers and never leave. read more

See all

I was visiting the area and saw this on a tourism website. We spent about 2 hours here looking at the exhibits which were fairly interesting. This would be a fun place for kids. They DO NOT have a snack bar but they do have a soda vending machine. There is a crab house next to it, but if you have small kids, bringing a picnic lunch would probably be better. The light house was cool and the staff was friendly. I would recommend this museum and return. read more

This place is a hidden gem. I'm surprised I've never heard of this place before. We had a great time at the museum. It's pretty cool and also educational at the same time. I definitely would recommend. I really enjoyed the Lighthouse. That was one of my favorites. We did the boat ride. They also had a heated boat ride. Or Air conditioned depending on the weather. They also sell adult beverages on the same cruise. For about $25.00 l think. Not a bad price l may be off a little but I think that's what she said. Oh and the indoor cruise goes for 90 minutes. We arrived right after they left. We were on a tight schedule so we opted for the outdoor boat. They had outdoor seating available and the view was great. It was pretty windy out though. Nevertheless it was a great tour. This particular boat board every hour. Oh make sure you check in with yelp to save you $5.00 per person on the admission fee for the museum. :) The drive is about an hour away from the Severn /Hanover, md area but you could make a day of it because there was a St. Michael's Winery near by to do a wine tasting. We didn't get a chance to do that but we said on our next trip that would be on the agenda. :) read more

See all

This place is huge -- they say it covers 18 acres and has 10 buildings. We speculated that some of those acres may actually be in the water, but even so, it's big. I allotted a half-day for us to enjoy the many exhibits here, but it really didn't take us that long to cover it. It was reaaaaaaallllly hot, and the walk in between buildings was enough to get me sunburned, but most of the buildings were blessed with air conditioning. Truly blessed. There's a lot of information to be found here. The history of the bay, oystering, hunting, the development of the bay from a fishing center to a recreational area (I liked the older recreational boats in here). There is a large warehouse with lots of old bay boats once used for fishing and oystering. Truth be told, though, we were left a little uninspired. In part that's because some of the cool stuff wasn't described very well. For instance, in the Steamship building, there is a giant steam engine. Where is it from? When was it in operation? How did it work? I can't tell you, because none of that information was provided. The building was mostly fancy boat signage, and a display of a rather eclectic collection of stuff that had been donated to the museum. The other part of our disappointment was that none of the demonstrations were manned when we were there. There is a boat-building workshop that looked really interesting, and could have been really cool if someone had actually been in there working. There was a demonstration shack out on the pier where you could learn how to shuck oysters, try your hand at crabbing, etc., but there was no-one there. We bought tickets for a forty-five minute tour on the "Mister Jim", which was built to look like an old working boat. But Mr. Jim wasn't feeling well, and in fact didn't leave the dock all day. Maybe we caught the museum on a bad day? (The Saturday before the fourth of July? When would a good day be?) At any rate, if you'd like to come out to St. Michael's to see this museum, you probably won't need more than a few hours here. Or, you might get lucky and find the interactive exhibits more.... active. read more

Fun time spent learning about the area's history. Enjoyed 45 minutes aboard the Winnie Estelle and a tour of the local waters.

One caveat...I was with 2 teen boys (who are more or less non-plussed about everything) and a hubby with a short attention span. It's nice that the museum is mix of the indoor and outdoor. Also great that you can return the next day for free. I think younger kids would enjoy this more and would be especially captivated by the boats, machines and outdoor exhibits. read more