North
Beach and Chesapeake Beach are twin bayside beaches. North Beach is located on
the northern tip of Calvert County and has a .50-mile boardwalk and 7-block
waterfront. The Bayside History Museum places emphasis on the history of North
Beach. The beach offers fishing, swimming, kayak rentals and boat slips. #1Xmas
town
The
best way to learn about Chesapeake Beach is to follow the Historic Heritage
Trail. It was developed as a resort area in the 1890s and the Chesapeake Beach
Railway operated from 1900 to 1935 and its story is related in the Railway
Museum housed inside a former station. The Railway Trail has wonderful views of
Fishing Creek and the surrounding terrain. baydreaming.com
Numerous
events and activities take place at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa. It
is a destination in itself but it is located within an easy drive of all the
main attractions on the Western Shore. It offers rooms with waterfront views,
fine dining, a spa menu of treatments, a casino and a vast array of water
sports. Rock the Dock, a series of concerts, is presented on the beach in a
unique Band Shell. chesapeakebeachresortspa.com
Visitors
can go from sea to stars in only a short drive. Spaceflight America and Science
Center is an excellent walk into the history of spaceflight. This museum is
filled with artifacts and interpretive galleries that will awe you. Everything
here is a highlight but you must not miss a full sized replicated space station,
the earliest digital camera, a 1998 model that cost $15,000 and held 6
pictures, Russian, Chinese and American space gear and an authentic Mission
Control console. With all those wonders my favorite was the medical treatment
apparatus. In space astronauts need speedy diagnosis and this milk crate sized
device takes 30-seconds to complete a full analysis of every possible medical
condition. Spaceflightamericamuseum.org
The
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum relates the history of more than 70-years of
naval aviation in a newly opened $5.6-million facility within an indoor-outdoor
complex. A replica of the first, 1911 naval airplane, greets you in the foyer.
After visiting exhibits in the main museum visitors proceed to the Flight Line,
21 planes including experimental and supersonic planes. The test pilot school
is on the adjoining base and these are actual planes tested there. People who
were part of the program give the tours and insider information such as, army
navy and marine planes must be 90% compatible so that parts are
interchangeable. The final stop on the tour has full sized flight simulators
that allow visitors to select their own combat mission. This is another hidden
gem. paxmuseum.com
Why stop on the surface when
you can dig deeper at the 560-acre Jefferson Patterson State Park and Maryland
Archeological Conservation Laboratory. Once the site of a, 10,000 BC, woodland
Indian village, it now contains interpretive trails and more than 65
archeological sites. The conservation lab features artifacts, 90% from MD and
10% federal and offers tours and public archeology days. Spotlighted on the
grounds is the site of Sukeek’s Cabin. Sukeek, Jane Dawson, an African American
lived there from 1880-1920. She died the day she received a letter that her son
was killed in WWI. jefpat.org
James
Bowles purchased 2,000-acres in 1699 and erected a 2-room cabin. In 1703 his
slaves built the main house. Records indicate that in 1723 he purchased 263
slaves and in 1729 he sold the tobacco plantation. During the War of 1812 out
of the owner’s 60 slaves 48 escaped to the British. One slave escaped during
the Civil War and joined the USCT.
Sotterley
Plantation is the sole remaining tourable Tidewater plantation. Mansion tours
begin with a 10-minute orientation film. Important features of the house
include the magnificently slave carved tulip poplar alcoves in the drawing room
and a 1760 Chinese Chippendale staircase. A slave cabin on-site houses “To Be
Enslaved,” an exhibit that interprets the slave experience in the region through
artifacts and displays. sotterley.org
The
1880s Old Wallville School is a significant site in American history. This tiny
building functioned as the separate African American High School. Teacher
Harriet Brown discovered that white teachers with the same experience and
education were paid nearly double the salary of black teachers. She went to the
NAACP where a young attorney, Thurgood Marshall, took the case. In 1937 it was
ruled that unequal salaries violated the 14th Amendment and this
landmark case laid the groundwork for equalization of salaries. oldwallvilleschool.org
The
Annmarie Sculpture Garden was founded n the 90s and it became a Smithsonian
Associate in 2003. A museum, surrounded by more than 25 outdoor sculptures,
showcases rotating exhibits. The most famous sculpture in the garden is Antonio
Mendez’s “The Oyster Tonger.” It as the first sculpture purchased and depicts
an oysterman in honor of the men who fished the region. annemariegarden.org
Serenity Farm is a 250-acre
working agri-tourism farm. It was a native Acquintanacsuck village, a landing
point for John Smith in 1609 and a campsite for British in the War of 1812. The
farm is family owned and offers tours, a petting zoo and a farm store.
Previously it was the Smith
tobacco plantation and recently 23 graves of enslaved infants and adults were
discovered. The most recent grave dates from 1810. Some of the bodies were exhumed
for DNA testing, one individual’s face has been reconstructed forensically and
visitors can see his face across the centuries. The burial ground has been kept
as they would have been and a documentary, “Remembered by the Wind,” is being
filmed. serenityfarminc.com
The Western Shore is ground
zero for seafood and farm to table dining. I could make dozens of
recommendations but here are a few favorites.
Walls
Bakery is renowned as the 3rd generation bakery of delicious éclairs.
They are made from scratch and are the favorites of movie producers and
presidents. wigwamwallsbakery.com
Rex
is located inside a 1920s movie theater and decorated with posters of movies
that were once shown there. Rex’s specialty is modern twists on comfort food
and their signature Rex Charcuterie is outstanding. The restaurant is in the
heart of Leonardtown’s Arts and Entertainment District, the only one in
southern MD. therexmd.net
Brick Wood Fired Bistro is not
to be missed. You may have seen some of the kids on “Chopped Junior” from their
children’s cooking classes. They use wood-fired ovens, locally sourced foods
and herbs that are grown on the restaurant’s roof. The menu changes seasonally
and it features a 6-course bourbon dinner. brickwfb.com
If after you have heard about
all the wonders of the Western Shore of Maryland you still aren’t convinced,
remember the US Oyster Festival. The festival will be held October 15-16 and
highlights the National Oyster Shucking Contest and the National Oyster
Cook-Off. There is nothing like it. usoysterfest.com
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