BEACHES & WATERWAYS Making a Splash O From the mountains to the bay, Maryland’s got a sandy beach for every taste. BY CHRIS LANDERS Chesapeake Beach a perfect getaway spot. Families will love to stay at the attached campground and search the beach for prehistoric sharks’ teeth. North Beach and Chesapeake Beach These twin beaches are connected by a summer shuttle, and they’re just an hour away from Washington, D.C., making them an easy weekend trip for city folk. There’s plenty to do, and the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa offers upscale digs if you’re looking to get away from it all. Ocean City For Marylanders, summer means going “downy ocean, hon.” Amusement park rides at Trimper’s, a handful of quarters at Marty’s Playland, a huge helping of Thrasher’s fries, and a dip in the Atlantic Ocean are the essence of summer. Rocky Point and Hart-Miller Island If you’re looking for a different kind of sand, Rocky Point Golf Course is the only waterfront golf course on the western side of the Chesapeake. 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. Calvert Cliffs State Park This is 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. Assateague Island State Park A sandy stretch of land crisscrossed by wildlife trails, Assateague is the ideal spot for beach camping, made extraordinary by the appearance of 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. Sandy Point State Park This state park offers stunning bay views, as well as swimming, fishing and hiking. Sandy Point’s location on the Atlantic Flyway makes it an ideal spot for bird-watchers and wildlife seekers, just minutes from downtown Annapolis. Rocky Gap State Park Rocky Gap offers the best of lakefront living, 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. Matapeake Beach Just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore’s Kent Island, Matapeake provides beautiful views, trails and a public beach (including a separate dog beach). Breezy Point Beach A half-mile of sandy beach, a netted swimming area, and a 200-foot pier for crabbing and fishing make Breezy Point in Deep Creek Lake With 69 miles of shoreline, Deep Creek is 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 that want to be). ✥ VARIETY OF BEACHES Left: Ocean City Beach and Pier; Right: A beach on Chesapeake Bay 44 ✥ VISITMARYLAND.ORG | 1-877-333-4455
Maryland Official Visitors Guide 2017: Page 44
