Maryland Official Visitors Guide • 2019 Maryland Official Visitors Guide • Southern Maryland

Southern Maryland’s bayside communities offer warm, welcoming and revitalized recreation destinations, making the region a premiere resort locale.

Unspoiled woodlands meet rolling farmland on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay here, in the birthplace of Maryland. Enjoy scenic drives, the bounty of local watermen and farmers and the hospitality of Southern Maryland in this quintessential tidewater wonderland.

Eat & Drink

The mood is conversational where wine enthusiasts gather for personalized daily tastings and retail sales of a variety of Old and New World varietals at Bay Wine & Spirits, located just off the boardwalk in North Beach.

Zahniser’s Dry Dock marinaside restaurant is always a class act, from the tasty Maryland crab soup to the peaceful water views. Enjoy the view of sailboats and yachts in Solomons Harbor while dining on fresh fish and sinfully rich deserts.

The Front Porch inside the Sterling House hosts an intimate, relaxed eatery that serves up Southern coastal cuisine in historic downtown Leonardtown. Local burgers, fried chicken dinners, pork belly BLTs, more than 40 wines, boutique beers and traditional cocktails are just some of the offerings found within this quaint building dating back to the 1850s.

See & Do

Way back in 1633, colonists set sail on the Ark and Dove from the Isle of Wight before landing at Old Point Comfort and establishing the colony that would later become Maryland’s first capital. Learn all about the early days in Historic St. Mary’s City and the Historic Village of Port Tobacco, formerly the state’s second-largest seaport.

Take a leisurely self-guided tour on the Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail, a mile-long coastline boardwalk through the Town of Chesapeake Beach that begins at the Railway Museum and concludes at Bayfront Park. Classic bay scenery and all sorts of wildlife and waterfowl from ospreys to crabs can be spotted along the way.

The “Charter Boat Row” at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa has been referred to as the “charter fishing capital of Maryland” since 1946. You can reel in rockfish, blue fish and Spanish mackerel on trolling tours with baited lines and lures drawn from the back of boats in motion, or use weighted lines to bottom-fish for white perch and croaker.

The Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons explains and interprets the physical history of Southern Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay with a handson, interactive experience and popular river otter exhibit. The museum’s annual Sharkfest takes place on the second Saturday in July, and riverboat cruises depart daily from the museum’s own dock.

Learn ongoing naval aviation history and how the U.S. Navy established its flight test center at Patuxent River Naval Air Station Museum in Lexington Park. Artifacts, photographs, film and memorabilia tell the story. View two dozen naval aircraft on display and test an F-14 Tomcat flight simulator.

Thrill at the sights and sounds of the world’s fastest sport at the Maryland International Raceway. You’ll want to bring your earplugs for the various motor sports drag racing events held on the tracks of Mechanicsville from March to November.

A great place for history buffs and nature lovers alike, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in St. Leonard is home to a small, secluded shore offering plenty to explore at a nearby reconstructed Native American village and coastal trails. See the Patterson Estate built in Colonial Revival style.

With 65 archeological sites, this museum at Jefferson Patterson Park serves as home to the Maryland Archeological Conservation Laboratory as well as the “FAQ Archeology” interactive experience in the visitors center. The Exhibit Barn includes the display “Farmers, Patriots and Traitors: Southern Maryland and the War of 1812.”

Entering their 10th season as a member of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs play 70 home games from late April to September at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf. Dozens of Major League alumni once honed their skills here with the Atlantic League.

A Tidewater plantation, historic Sotterley Plantation dates back to 1699 and is a testament to the region’s Colonial history. The former tobacco plantation is now a 95-acre National Historic Landmark dedicated to research, preservation and an interpretation of early American plantation life.

A significant stop along the trail of fugitive assassin John Wilkes Booth, the Dr. Samuel Mudd House & Museum in Waldorf is dedicated to the time and events surrounding President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Surratt House Museum in Clinton was once the home of Booth’s notorious accomplice, Mary Surratt.

Combining art and nature, the Smithsonian affiliate Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center features 30 acres of forests, fields and meadows and paved walking and bike paths adorned with a vast collection of outdoor sculpture as well as gallery Look Out exhibits.

Take a Southern Maryland lighthouse crawl from Cove Point and Drum Point to Piney Point and Point Lookout, which is reputedly haunted. Cove Point offers overnight accommodations, and the iconic lighthouse at Drum Point is located on the site of the Calvert Marine Museum and remains one of three surviving screw-pile lighthouses on the Chesapeake Bay.

For those seeking solitude in a natural setting, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary offers a nature center viewing room where kids can get up close to small indigenous animals, as well as short trails on the boardwalks through swamps and meadows. See an albino snapping turtle, a red-tailed hawk, barred owl and butterflies floating about this tranquil locale.

Places to Stay

The Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa is Chesapeake Beach’s premier luxury property offering 72 nautically appointed rooms with balconies overlooking the bay. Recent renovations include a second-story addition to the Rod ‘N’ Reel restaurant, two floors of suites, retail shopping and an arcade as well as a boardwalk promenade, additional dining options, a rooftop pool and bar and expanded gaming areas.

The Guest Quarters at the Westlawn Inn is a five-unit 1930s boutique-style hotel. This family-owned and operated hotel features two self-contained, condo-style apartments available for short or long-term stays as well as a whole list of amenities, from casually upscale dining To live entertainment.

Cities & Towns

Leonardtown, Southern Maryland’s premier Arts & Entertainment District, is home to the St. Mary’s Arts Council, dozens of galleries and studios, distinct artsy and craftsy retail shopping and dining. By the banks of the Potomac River, Newtowne Neck State Park presents a paddleboarder’s paradise on Breton Bay and ample opportunities for hiking, biking, bird-watching and hunting. Leonardtown’s Wharf Park provides the perfect vista for taking in the region’s signature sunsets on the Bay.

Where the mouth of the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay, Solomons Island has evolved from early- 17th century settlements into one of the state’s top tourism destinations—the town’s maritime history has been woven into the fabric of its allure. Climb the lighthouse tower at the Calvert Marine Museum, take a cruise on the harbor or charter a fishing boat. The craft beer craze has also found its way to the Island at the Ruddy Duck microbrewery located in the neighboring Dowell Township.

Events

The 27th annual ArtsFest La Plata—the largest arts festival in Southern Maryland with more than 60 artists vendors, food booths and live entertainment— is scheduled for the second Saturday each June on the scenic grounds of the La Plata Town Hall in Charles County’s La Plata.

Southern Maryland Balloon Festival presents an amazing vantage point of Jefferson Patterson Park. By day, delight in music, balloon rides, KIDZONE inflatables and local vendors, or watch the balloon glow and fireworks displays by night.

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Fine wine and beer with crab cake sandwich, salmon salad and homemade chocolates.

Island-style coffee and breakfast eatery with famous desserts like Key lime pie.

Sweet staff, spicy and authentic Thai favorites in Pad Thai and Drunkard’s Noodles.

American Heritage with a View

Secluded shores and stunning sunsets over the Patuxent River call from Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum. Public archeological digs at this 17th-century tobacco farm as well as a Native American village museum with reconstructed dwellings blend a mix of history that stretches from the indigenous people all the way to colonial, early American and 20th-century life.

The open and lush, green natural space presents a picturesque setting for public and private events throughout the year with scenic trails for wandering, old cabins and ruins. Quiet beaches provide a calm place to retreat, while fishing spots and kayaking lend leisure time along the shore.

Check the calendar of events for children’s activities and yearly traditions, such as the Halloween Festival and haunted barn in October along with the acclaimed Southern Maryland Celtic Festival and Highland Games competition in April.