Quiet place, off the way from main roads, lots of wildlife, best in springtime / early summerread more

[Coronavirus review] Tons of people drive past the turnoff…read morefor this place on the way to the beach without ever giving it a thought. Is it worth making a detour? In our social distancing era, the calculus changes perhaps, as the beaches will be crowded and this place will not. Most of the actual preserve is a gravel road; you don't need four-wheel drive or anything, but you'll be dusty. Of several trails, the one at the very end, Ferry Point, leads through an interesting manicured landscape with gnarly trees encircling the path. The offshoot labeled "jack-in-the-pulpit trail" suggested some nifty pitcher-plant looking foliage, but I saw nothing like that. Maybe I just didn't know what to look for. There's a small beach, and some people were using it for boating or fishing. The water was as pleasant as I've seen on the Eastern shore; calm, clear, and with plenty of plant life. So much of the Chesapeake shore is private land that it's nice to be able to see what the scenery looks like without a McMansion, and this preserve is not a place where I'd spend the whole day, but it is convenient to stop at on the way to or from other things.

This was my first time camping at Martinak S.P. I was tenting in the Acorn loop. The park has nice…read moreamenities down by the water--rental canoes and kayaks, a boat ramp, and a special kayak launch. The bathrooms were clean, with flush toilets and hot showers. The rangers drove by regularly to check on things. I would not choose Site #33 again, solely because the view there is mostly of the base of the big blue water tower. There is electric on sites #32 & 33, however, if you need it. Those two sites are closest to the camp host site.

Recreation, retreat, and history--this is an excellent spot to camp! Electric hookups in Butterfly…read moreloop, clean, hot showers, cabin rentals, and on-site firewood make this a comfy spot whether you're vacationing or just passing through. A paved health trail, multiple playgrounds, and a little lending library (books ranging from the Magic Treehouse to Bill Bryson and MFK Fisher) make this a family-friendly spot. The amphitheater view of Watts Creek was a great spot to recharge watching fish jump, hear frogs, and spy a lizard or two creeping the trees. Denton has groceries and other amenities within driving or biking distance, and The Martinak Boat and interpretive signs were neat. Alas, the nature center by the pavilion was closed during the week, and Martinak is rehabbing trails and the boat launch--no sunset views from the Point Trail at present. The park is at least up front about these two bummer's and hopefully work will be complete soon. We still has an excellent camping experience despite the construction. Use the dump station at nearby Tuckahoe State Park as the Martinak dump station's closed. Bring a kite to fly in that nice field by the park entrance, and enjoy bird watching. Woodpeckers, song birds, river raptors, even a blue bird appeared in our short stay.

Parking is a bit slim. Dont park in the grass. Automatic $50 ticket…read more Overall great place to bring family. Very shallow and calm water since it's Bayside. Beach is roomy. Nice view of the Bay Bridge.

Visited on a Sunday, nice parking area with modern restrooms that were open. Plenty of maintained…read moretrails with different views of the water, woods, marsh areas. Only really issue was trail signage, did not have a map (should have took a picture at entrance) so trail signage was not the greatist. The Map Legend at entrance did not have a legend that we saw so distance was a guess. Overall, nice park, be back in the Summer.

Great stop to walk-around, use the restrooms, and get some information on local attractions. The…read morerestrooms are clean, and there is a playground next-door for little travelers. The young lady working was super friendly and informative. Birders- a must stop as they have maps & brochures for local spots. Informative displays in the basement Definitely worth the stop !!!

This is a wonderful, kid-friendly rest stop if you are driving from the DC area to Ocean City, MD…read moreor Chincoteague, VA. As you cross the Choptank River on US 50 East, you can see the park in the distance on the right side. Stay on the far right lane when you cross the bridge. Once you reach the Cambridge side of the river, take a right onto Byrn St. (which lacks a big sign) or at the traffic light (Maryland Ave.), then another right turn which will lead you toward the parking lot. We stopped by here in late December 2020 on a cold, sunny day. Inside the park, you will find clean public restrooms, the Dorchester County Visitors Center, and a lovely view of the river. The public facilities are open 8:30am-5:30pm every day. Parking is easy and free. The park also has a kid's playground and room to stretch your legs. If you have any family members who enjoy fishing, you can also walk on a path along the river under the Route 50 bridge. On the other side is a huge fishing pier!

We came here to launch our boat to go crabbing. Plenty of parking and open space on the ramp to…read moreget the boat in and out. They have 2 lanes available for launching. The surrounding park was nice with some modern junglegym stuff for the kids. There were also Porto potties to use.

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!

What a beautiful, well maintained state park…read more Lots of trees that keep you cool under shade while enjoying many trails. Not crowded on a Saturday. We drove around the camp area and the spaces are nice, cabins looked good too. I think we will camp here soon!

Great playground for kids and nice trails . Beautiful marsh hibiscus flowers this time of yearread more

I love tulips, so when I read about this place, I couldn't wait to visit. It's located as the…read morecenter of an expensive Baltimore block, surrounded by million dollar homes. There is no start or end, so just park on one of the surrounding streets and walk over. We were there the third weekend in April, and while the tulips were definitely past their peak, and many were completely gone, there were plenty of flower beds of tulips still blooming. Plus, almost all of the azaleas were blooming. I loved that they had so many different colored tulips and azaleas. They did different combination of colors in all the different flower beds, so we ended up seeing some surprisingly beautiful displays, even with some tulips no longer blooming. We weren't there very long because it was cold out, but this would be a great spot for engagement pictures or a picnic.

Sherwood Gardens is a privately owned community park in the Guilford neighborhood of Baltimore. A…read morenonprofit raises money for the gardens' maintenance and the spring planting. Although it's a privately owned park, the gardens are open to the public, with street parking on all sides. Up to 70,000 tulip bulbs are planted annually along with other spring flowering bulbs. The gardens are charming but as with anything spring-related, spring is shorter and shorter and less and less predictable. Use your best judgment to get the photos you see here. This spring, we had a mid-April heat wave and by this past Saturday, the tulips were already looking quite rough and the daffodils were gone altogether. For the best blooms and pictures, pay attention to the weather. The spring flowers were most beautiful early in April this year and the heat wave cut their beauty a bit short this year. When we visited on Saturday, it was certainly still a lovely place for a walk, and we did see plenty of people taking pictures and enjoying the gardens. However, it wasn't as beautiful by then as we might have expected for early April. A lovely little park. You can take a walk, read a book, take photos, enjoy a picnic... Certainly take advantage if you live in or are visiting this area of North Baltimore - especially in those weeks of the years when the tulips are in full strength and beauty!

What an absolutely lovely place to get away. The room was cozy, the screened porch was a dream, the…read morelawn with Adirondak and lounge chairs was so inviting, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the location was peaceful and serene. The 7am coffee-and-treats delivery was a welcome surprise and made lazy mornings that much more possible. I could honestly have sat on that porch all day and night. The town is sweet, and not far from Easton/St. Michaels if you need a little more "action". I would absolutely return and will recommend to my friends and family. Thank you for a lovely vacation!

My fiancé and I stayed for a weekend getaway. If you're looking for a relaxing and quiet escape,…read morethis is the perfect place! The scenery was breathtaking and the service was excellent. It's a perfect secluded environment right on the bay with some of the best sunset views. The staff were both respectful of our privacy and very attentive if we ever needed anything. My absolute favorite part was the coffee drop-off every morning. It was an extra touch that made the mornings effortlessly relaxing with a cup of coffee while you watched the boats putt around the bay.