Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2018 Maryland Official Visitors Guide
Coastal Coasting
2017-11-29 02:29:47
Splish, Splash, Having a Blast
Soak up the fun in Maryland.
With nearly 8,000 miles of shoreline along rivers and lakes, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, find your sandy sweet spot on a beach in Maryland. Retrace history by boat, paddle through tranquil marshes or raging rapids, or sail the day away.
Maryland’s Beautiful Beaches
From the ocean to the mountains, Maryland’s got a sandy beach for every taste.
Is it really summer without a trip to Ocean City? A stroll on the boardwalk with a bucket of legendary Thrasher’s French fries, a handful of quarters at Marty’s Playland seaside arcade, and a spin on the classic carousel at Trimper’s Rides are the stuff memories are made of. And that’s before you get to the white sandy beach and a dip in the crisp, clean waters of the Atlantic. Or pitch a surfside tent just a few minutes away at Assateague Island State Park—an idyllic beach retreat crisscrossed by wildlife trails and home to the famous wild horses that roam the shore. It’s no wonder National Geographic Traveler named it one of the 10 best U.S. state parks.
At the landing foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore’s Kent Island, Matapeake Beach provides beautiful views, trails and a public beach (including a separate dog beach). Nearby, Hawk Cove and Pleasure Island at Hart-Miller Island State Park, accessible by boat, offer beach camping for those who want to go a little off-the-beaten path.
Sandy Point State Park offers stunning bay views, as well as swimming, fishing and hiking. Sandy Point’s location on the Atlantic Flyway makes it a perfect spot for bird watchers and wildlife seekers, just minutes from downtown Annapolis. Another perfect getaway is Breezy Point Beach, a half-mile of sandy beach with a netted swimming area, and a 200-foot pier for crabbing and fishing. Families will love to stay at the attached campground and search the beach for prehistoric sharks’ teeth.
The twin beaches of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach are connected by a summer shuttle, and they’re just an hour away from Washington, D.C. There’s plenty to do, and the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa offers upscale accommodations if you’re looking to get away from it all.
At Calvert Cliffs State Park, you’ll find a grand, natural bay beach for swimming, hiking and just being in the great outdoors. The big draw, though, is fossil collecting along the sandy quarter-mile stretch of beach—more than 600 species of fossils have been found along the shore.
In the Western Region, Rocky Gap State Park offers a full experience, with a public beach, biking and hiking trails, championship golfing, fishing and boating. For indoor fun, Rocky Gap also has a resort and casino on the lake. Deep Creek Lake’s 69 miles of shoreline make it the state’s largest man-made lake, with a swimming beach and boat rentals plus a host of events and nearby restaurants. For a dose of exhilaration, check out Adventure Sports Center International’s white-water courses designed for Olympic-caliber athletes (and those who want to be).
Get on Board: Watersports
Set on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, crisscrossed by rivers and streams, and centered on the mighty Chesapeake Bay, watersport adventures abound in Maryland.
Annapolis, Edgewater and Deale all have charter outfits that offer boat rentals with or without a captain. Tilghman Island Marina on the Eastern Shore has a fleet of pontoon and sailboats at hand, along with personal watercraft. Out west, area businesses on Deep Creek Lake rent pontoon and ski boats, and in Southern Maryland, Solomon’s Boat Rental can set you up with a powerboat.
If you’re interested in traveling lighter (and a little slower), a kayak may be in order. In St. Mary’s County, follow the numerous water trails of the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. In nearby Charles County, check out Mallow’s Bay, the sunken home of nearly 230 World War I-era ships. The Choptank and Tuckahoe Rivers Trail on the Eastern Shore includes Frederick Douglass’ birthplace. For a slower ride, tubing is available on Antietam Creek and the Gunpowder River. The Monocacy Scenic River Water Trail covers 41 miles through Civil War sites. Water trails also cover the Middle and Upper Potomac River and C&O Canal. Western Maryland’s New Germany State Park offers kayaks, paddleboats and rowboats to explore the 13-acre lake’s diverse wildlife habitat. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail traces his journey along the Chesapeake, or for an urban adventure, launch your kayak in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Paddlers head out to sea (or bay) on rented boards up and down the Coastal Highway in Ocean City. SUP Annapolis offers lessons and rentals on the Severn River. Boating in DC has paddleboards, kayaks and canoes for rent at National Harbor and offers stand up paddleboard yoga classes. Paddle or Pedal in North Beach and Chesapeake Beach covers all the bases with kayak, canoe, paddleboard and sailboat rentals. From Riley’s Lock at the mouth of Seneca Creek, Active Nature has paddleboard classes, as well as moonlight tours led by veteran paddlers.
For rafters, the Youghiogheny River’s Class IV and V rapids offer some of the best white water in the world. The Savage River in Garrett County has been home to white-water world championships and Olympic trials, and several times a year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers schedules dam releases for white-water recreation.
Public boat launch facilities (by county): dnr.maryland.gov/Boating/Pages/water-access/boatramps.aspx
Can’t Miss on the Chesapeake Bay
Play, sightsee, eat and explore along Maryland’s famous estuary. Here are three must-see places along the bay.
PHOTO: MATTHEW MCKINNEY/VISIT ANNAPOLIS; PATTY HANCOCK
Annapolis
America’s Sailing Capital is a charming historic town with tons of hip bars, restaurants and shops. October features sail and power boat shows, and the rest of the year is an informal boat show down at the city dock.
North Beach
Enjoy beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay while relaxing on the boardwalk. During the summer, check out the Classic Car Cruise In every Friday night.
Smith Island
Ride a passenger-only ferry to the home of the famous Smith Island Cake (the state dessert) and listen to the distinctive Elizabethan accents, remnants of the original English colonial settlers.
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