To start the young man at the front desk was very welcoming, professional, and knowledgeable. The…read moregrounds outside were well kept and extremely clean. Closed toed shoes for walking around the park is a must, I went unprepared with flip flops. The restrooms inside were also clean. There's a gift shop and a library as well. The exhibit was very well done and I absolutely loved how interactive it was, it's also handicap accessible and self guided! I definitely recommend checking out the wildlife drive across the street at blackwater refuge, we saw the statue of Harriet Tubman catching a muskrat to then seeing one at the refuge!

Beautifully done. This National Historical Park is well maintained and full of interactive…read moreexhibits. The space is handicap accessible and most exhibits include easy to read fonts and braille. I would definitely recommend this educational experience to learners of all ages.

A historical stop along MD-16 featuring the oldest community schoolhouse from the 1800s for African…read moreAmerican children. Its part of the harriet tubman underground tour. I highly suggest taking a day to do this mini road trip and stop here

Great stop along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. Looks like it did when the kids…read morewere going to school, desks and all! Has a VR tour for cell phones.

Love this spot for a view of the Choptank River. Visitor centre has several informative well set…read moredisplays. Notable history of the area, including being the birthplace of Harriet Tubman.

Beautiful place! Lots of literature and flyers on upcoming events available. Clean restrooms. With…read morea playground available for the kids. The views are amazing.

A wonderful stop along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Trail! While the building is falling…read moreapart and could use some TLC, it is a wonderful marker of history. This was a church that was frequented by the Tubman family and friends, her first husbands family is even buried there. It is major wetlands so be careful if you walk through the cemetery. Overall, definitely worth the visit

Worth the stop along the Tubman Driving Trail. This is a church that Harriet used to attend and a…read moreplot of graves in the back have stones with Tubman as the last name although none say Harriet it is interesting. The area is a little wet but is possible to walk through it all. Church is sadly getting run down a bit.

I had heard rumors about Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge while planning my Fourth of July…read moregetaway to Maryland. More importantly, I heard there was a scenic Wildlife Drive where I could experience the refuge without spending hours hiking in a 107-degree heat wave. As someone who enjoys both nature and air conditioning, this sounded like an outstanding life decision! Before leaving, I did a little homework. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk, and admission is normally just $3 per vehicle (or $1 for pedestrians), making it one of the best bargains around. Even better, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service occasionally offers free admission weekends, and I happened to visit during one celebrating America's 250th birthday. Admission was waived July 3 through July 5, making an already inexpensive adventure even sweeter. Free is one of my favorite prices, especially when it's attached to some place this beautiful! PRO TIP #1: If you're the type of person who enjoys quirky travel sidequests, ask about the Blue Goose Passport while you're there. I had recently learned online that National Wildlife Refuges have their own passport program, similar to the National Park Passport books, and naturally that became my newest obsession. The Visitor Center sold the passport for just $9, and I happily bought one and collected my very first refuge stamp. I arrived around 1:15 p.m. and immediately noticed...there wasn't a single car in the parking lot. Thankfully, the Visitor Center was open, despite looking completely deserted from the outside. While I was browsing the small gift shop afterward, I picked up a Christmas ornament, a sticker for my memory ball and, of course, my brand-new Blue Goose Passport. Prices in the gift shop were surprisingly low! Now, I have to be honest. The employee working that afternoon wasn't exactly the welcoming face of America's National Wildlife Refuge System. She seemed...less than thrilled that visitors existed that day. When I walked in, beaming and excited, and exclaimed, "You ARE open today!" She looked me dead in the eyes and said, dryly, "Unfortunately." Well, FORTUNATELY, she was a very small part of an otherwise wonderful afternoon! I began the Wildlife Drive and immediately noticed signage confirming admission was free for the holiday weekend. The drive took me about an hour because I drove nice and slowly, stopping whenever something caught my eye and scanning the marshes for wildlife. I saw plenty of birds...and not much else. But honestly, I don't blame the animals. If it was 107 degrees outside, I'd be hiding somewhere cool too. Even without a parade of wildlife, the drive itself was beautiful! Blackwater protects more than 30,000 acres of tidal marshes, forests and wetlands along Maryland's Eastern Shore and is famous for its bald eagles, osprey and incredible birdwatching opportunities. The scenery alone made the trip worthwhile! PRO TIP #2: Bring binoculars. Seriously. Phone cameras can only zoom so much before every bird starts looking like a tiny feathered blob. I spent half the drive wondering, "What is that?!" Binoculars would have made the experience so much better. One thing I really appreciated was learning that visitors are welcome to walk or bike the Wildlife Drive in addition to driving it. The loop is roughly four miles, completely paved and almost perfectly flat. I could already tell while driving that I'd enjoy it even more on foot during cooler weather. If hiking is more your style, the refuge also offers several trails, including the 2.5-mile Key Wallace Trail, the one-mile Woods Trail, the 1.5-mile Tubman Road Trail and the shorter Marsh Edge Trail. Based on what I saw, spring and fall would be incredible times to come back. If you're hoping to maximize wildlife sightings, November through February is prime time for wintering waterfowl. September also sounds fantastic with migrating ospreys, blooming tickseed sunflowers, abundant toads and peak songbird migration. Despite my less-than-cheerful interaction inside the Visitor Center, I genuinely loved my visit to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. It's peaceful, affordable, family-friendly and can be whatever you want it to be. Spend an hour driving the Wildlife Drive, spend half a day hiking or simply enjoy slowing down and taking in one of Maryland's most beautiful natural spaces. And if you're anything like me...don't leave without the Blue Goose Passport! Trust me. One passport stamp somehow turns into your next adventure!

This is such a special place to admire nature, waters, and animal and bird life. Anddd you might…read moresight a few bald eagles! My friend and I enjoyed the driving tour as well as the walking trails. Beware it can get muddy and watery in some areas but definitely worth it. When driving take caution, we saw a friendly turtle crossing . Would definitely come back in all seasons and try to catch sunset or sunrise! I know you will get some great shots!

On a beautiful sunny Saturday in October we stopped at Layton's Chance to sit back and enjoy some…read morewine. We each had a flight of six (Vintner's flight and Lazy Day flight) both delivering a couple of good options, but we enjoyed the Lazy Day flight more. The grounds are cute. We found some adirondack chairs to sit back and relax. There's a decent amount of outdoor seating but as it gets more crowded it's a good idea to bring your own chair as recommended on their website. There were no events on this day, but Layton's Chance does hold many events throughout the year that appear to be very popular. I noticed some of their upcoming holiday functions are already sold out. After finishing our flights it was on to the much raved about wine slushies. You can get small (12oz) or large (16 oz). It is with good reason the slushies are mentioned a lot in the reviews. Oh my they are delicious!!! The featured flavors on our visit were peach bellini and one made with the Freedom wine. Of course we capped off the visit with some bottles to take home and the mix to make the slushies.

We did a wine tour to learn the history of Laytons winery. Also included a free tasting. They have…read moresweet, semi sweet and dry wines available. Nice giftshop area with seating available. We purchased three bottles of wine. Including their 100% watermelon. So refreshing for the summertime. Very nice place to visit and chill with some wine.

Great stories and entertaining tour guide! We enjoyed the walk and details, I would do another one!read more

We are from Baltimore and went to St. Michael's for Labor Day Weekend. We signed up for the ghost…read moretour on Friday evening and it was great! We talked about the stuff we had learned all weekend! Keep up the tours - they really add a fun twist to all that St. Michael's has to offer! Tina Marie