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.

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.

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.

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!

If you're into art, popping into the Academy Art Museum is worth a visit. Spread across several old…read morebuildings, the galleries have several exhibits up. Wandering through every gallery, I spent 30 minutes taking in local and national art. There's free street parking, a small gift shop, and restrooms. Staff were very helpful and passionate to walk me through the art. Admission is free.

Definitely worth checking out with new exhibits each season. Free. Easy, free street parking out…read morefront. Friendly docents eager to guide you through. Beautiful garden. I love coming here every few months. What's stopping you?

What a well preserved unique lighthouse! It's right at the end of a pier of Cambridge MD's Long…read moreWharf park. Well worth a visit. Sunset is beautiful too. This is a hidden gem. Most people probably stop at St Michaels up north and miss Cambridge MD.

This is a short stop in Cambridge, MD. It takes roughly 30 minutes to an hour to explore. It's a…read morevisually pleasing replica of a screw pile lighthouse. It's very clean inside & well maintained. It also has AC inside surprisingly. They do sell several items related to the history of the lighthouse which goes towards maintenance. There are placards & pictures explaining the history as well as information on the Fresnel lens found inside lighthouses. While admission is free, they do welcome & appreciate donations. There is a parking lot available.

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

Pretty fun place to stop by. The woman at the front desk was very well informed. There was a cute…read morelittle art area for the kids to color. The merman was weird, but in a fun way.

Created for the 300th anniversary of the first European settlement in Delaware, the museum looks…read morejust like one the "house" I got on my last KLM flight. Yes, I've been to Amsterdam and this looks just like them. That's because the Zwaanendael Museum was designed to honor the city hall in Hoorn, Netherlands. The museum exhibits the history and settlement of the southern coast of Delaware. I thought the train lines were very interesting as well as the Delftware on display. Perhaps you missed that Lewes was bombarded by the British during the War of 1812 (there's a house with a cannonball not far away). The museum is free but definitely accepts donations. [Review 18199 overall - 116 in Delaware - 1721 of 2022.]

Absolutely love this one! I was in the area and had an hour before I needed to hit the road... I…read morewas late hitting the road! There is so much to see you cannot possibly see it all in an hour. There are a ton of aircraft displays, engines, and even a few videos. A good mixture of indoor and outdoor displays. Wear comfortable shoes so you can walk around a lot. I am a history buff, and was stationed at NAS PAX in the 1980's so I was very interested in all the historical information the museum presented. I WILL be back!

My wife and I took a Saturday drive and ended up at the museum mid-afternoon. Approaching the…read moremuseum, we saw all the aircraft parked outside on their ramp. A bonus for EV drivers is their onsite fast charger. Driving here from NoVA, we could use the charge. Admission to the museum is $10 per person. There are a couple of displays inside along with a gift shop. We quickly headed outside though to check out the aircraft. My wife's favorite was the A4 Scooter with its skinny head-on profile and Blue Angels heritage. My favorite was the Osprey. I had no idea the rotors were that large on it. We took a lap inside the gift shop before heading back on the highway with a full charge. We spent about 90 minutes checking out all the aircraft there and enjoyed our visit.