When I started planning my very first trip to St. Michaels, there was one attraction that made the…read moreitinerary 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!

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

Beautiful, scenic and so much interesting history. It's so cool to see how people lived back in…read moretime.

While driving up Route 50 we saw a sign for this museum and turned off for it. Turns out it's only…read moreOpen on Saturdays 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. (May through November) but there was no sign anywhere indicating this. It wasn't until I got home and searched the internet that I found this out. However, we did stop by and peered through the windows and looked at a couple of the items they have in the yard. It looks like a very interesting place but needs more signage.

A great museum for the kids, and it is very well done. There have been several Calvert County…read moremuseums that are much nicer than I expected, and this one is awesome! The Drum Point Lighthouse is so cool and a lot of fun to explore. But honestly, the stars of the show... the otters!!!

I love this place and all it has to offer. I loved digging in the sand pit and looking for shark…read moreteeth!

There was SO much to do here! Between the gardens themselves, the beautiful structures, the…read moreplayground area, and the indoor art experiences, we easily spent an entire day exploring. We were also incredibly lucky to visit while the fairy garden installation was happening, which was truly the cherry on top. There were so many little details to discover, and it made the experience feel extra magical. We took our time wandering the grounds, had a picnic at the designated table area, and then spent time in the craft workshop making mermaids to take home as a special memory from our visit. We also loved getting to see the animals--it was such a fun and unexpected surprise! This was one of those places where every time we thought we had seen everything, there was something else to explore. It was such a wonderful experience, and I highly, beyond highly, recommend visiting!

Mt husband & I took a drive down to Solomons for lunch on Memorial Day. I persuaded him to stop at…read moreAnnmarie Gardens so I could check out the sculpture garden, which has been on my list for a while. It was a nice day. There is a welcome hut where they give out maps and collect the suggested $5 donation. We walked some of the woods to view some of the sculptures. Several were very attractive and other pieces were not as striking. There is a fairy garden type play area where a number of kids were running around. We walked through the main arts building. We saw some exhibits and the gift shop. On the whole, it was smaller than I expected, but we did not walk all of the paths. I'm glad we took a look. I would be interested in returning when they have a festival or for the holiday lights.

I'm writing to say the museum is now at 103 Hayward Street. There is an active boatworks where…read morepeople can learn how to build and repair boats. The Nathan skipjack is often docked here as well as the Dudley, although they both have their own websites. There are some special events here, including a Boatyard Bash and an annual skipjack race on the Choptank. The museum itself tells about the master boatbuilder Jim Richardson who built the skipjack Nathan and worked on countless boats in his lifetime. Models of skipjacks are displayed and boatbuilder tools, as well as a history of racing boats in Cambridge, Maryland. They also have a library and book store.

Excellent museum in downtown Cambridge, within walking distance of the marina. It's larger than it…read moreappears from outside and has many rooms to explore. The impressive collection details shipbuilding from Cambridge's past with replicas, antique tools, ship models and more. There is no admission fee but they do accept donations. Would highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Cambridge to better understand the historical and current importance of the water to this charming town.

While visiting this town with friends we went to this South Street Art Gallery - the owner and his…read moreassistant, Elizabeth, were very nice and very informative of their art work. Some of the artists who's work was on display was Jill Basham, Ted Morlock and Beth Bathe. There is a wide range of different types of art including some of the most beautiful wood art ever. If you are in the area stop in and see them - I do believe you will enjoy it and may even add some art to your life!!

Small historical museum of Talbot County, Maryland! There…read morewere 4 rooms open with very well executed displays of the county and prominent residents! Artifacts/examples of local tools and items of interest! Several display screens that had rotating slide shows of vintage pictures of history and social events. Small African-American display with spiritual music playing and information on that community! The museum was very well done. It is small, but mighty! If you have an interest in the local area, it is VERY interesting!!!

Very well kept interesting place in downtown. Easton would highly recommend the different galleries…read moreand events that they hold there. I used to do some catering and there was a very, very nice Venn

This was an interesting museum to stop by when we were in Salisbury. The museum showcases art…read morepieces and information about wildfowl - carved figures, informative video presentations, as well as a gift store on anything wildfowl. I was surprised at the their extensive collection in terms of the different types of birds, their habitat, their diet, as well as a realistic representation on how each of them looks like. I especially liked the Ward Brothers' 'Wildfowl Counterfeiters' exhibition, in which they are the premiere individuals to carve wooden representations of wildfowl. The staff were very friendly, and you can do a guided tour or a self-guided one. +for bird lovers!

Great museum featuring waterfowl and decoys. Would not be my first choice of topics, but in reality…read morethe museum was fascinating! Saw beautiful pieces of art and came away with an appreciation for the work put into these decoys. Museum provided details on the evolution of the art, as well as what decoys meant to watermen.