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.

What a great little spot to check out. I was expecting this to be more of an art gallery than a…read morehistory museum. An interesting and different history of the local families who founded Copperville and Unionville just north of here. Great printing making exhibit with more religious based undertones mixed with African themes. There are some cool biblical stories mixed with folklore you wouldn't find elsewhere. They have the place pretty well organized and have completed prints as well as the different etchings to each work. The walls are covered in prints. They have books showing other original works as well. Though still in it's infancy, there is a lot of potential for the museum. Even though the building is fairly small, they have managed to pack the place full of art and are able to tell some great history of the families to go along with the works. One of the guys who helps with the place traces his ancestors back to these founding families. It's a place unlike what I've ever been to before. The museum is on the side street and there are a few parking places right in front of the building. There is also an underground railroad marker out front showing where the trail passes by.

This small museum was informative about local artist Ruth Starr Rose who was inspired by Negro…read morespirituals to make an array of art pieces from oils to pencil drawings. The staff was extremely knowledgable.

had a little extra time before attending a graduation party, so decided to check out this…read moresmall-scale museum. So glad we did. Incredible collection of old medical equipment, china dolls, old-fashioned ice cream scoops (10 cents/cone). Then, as we continued into the basement exhibits, the president of the museum's Board of Directors, Butch Hammond, guided us through the exhibits about integration at Milford High School, as he was one of the original seven in 1962 to have attended MHS, rather than taking a bus more than 20 miles away to Georgetown or to Dover. He was a track & field star as well as a star on the undefeated basketball team. There is also a fascinating collection of photos and programs from circuses of yesteryear, although they aren't well-labeled or dated. But fantastic to see the elephants parading down Main Street, with a circus performer in the trunk of one of the pachyderms (perhaps the 1930s). Free admission (but donations gratefully accepted in a jar on the main level). This museum is a true gem, and has something for everyone. They are preparing an exhibit about Milford residents who've served in wars. I noticed when lists of the fallen were published in the Washington Post circa 2005, that most hailed from small towns like Milford, rather than from big cities. I hope to return to this museum when I have out-of-town visitors to Rehoboth Beach (my nearby destination, about a 40 minute drive from Milford). Farmer's market on Saturday mornings until 1 pm just a few hundred yards from this museum.

I've attended my fair share of music festivals and Delaware Junction was by far the best! The…read morecamping was atypical, but rather than being dust/clay it was actually grassy which was a nice change of pace. The camping lots were on the smaller side but if you happen to match up with some good neighbors, than you're in for a wild weekend! The concert stage wasn't too far walking distance from the camp lots and was very well marked. The shower trailer was FREE and was perfect on those hot summer days, and the porta-pottys were cleaned on the reg. Overall, was a great weekend and I am looking forward to going back next year!

Nice and free historic site of a childhood home for one of the nation's founding fathers. It's off…read morethe beaten path, but it's a big property. The visitor center has a small exhibit and an introductory film which is nice but the guide prefaces by saying it "focuses too much on John Dickinson" (?) The exhibit focuses more on the family and the enslaved/servants who lived there, which really rounded out the property, but we did come here because we wanted to learn more about John Dickinson. No gift shop, which was disappointing. The tour itself was very informative, and there was a big crowd visiting when I did. Again, the tour seemed to want to downplay Dickinson and his role in the American Revolution. Likely because he thought the colonies weren't prepared to go to war, he abstained from voting for independence, he is less remembered than other Founding Fathers, but I came to learn about him, and the guide wasn't all that interested in talking about him and what he did accomplish. Still, the furnishings were nice, and we got to learn about Dickinson's father, his wife and family, and his brother who all lived there with a focus on the lesser-known residents. I think that could have all been balanced better. The view of the river is lovely, and there are some out buildings and a garden to stroll through. It's a nice outdoor site, and for free, it's still a good site to visit to see history being preserved.

I like to go in old buildings, look at old furniture, but I am not much of a history person. The…read morehouse was interesting to see, and there were a few pieces of furniture that I loved- such as the rope beds, the chair that was oversized, the large loom, and the travel clock that one of the Dickinsons took with him when he traveled. The guide was nice and interesting. That is saying a lot, because I can get bored very easily. She spent an adequate amount of time in each room. Before we took the tour, we had to see a movie, that was about 15 minutes long, mostly about history. We were the only people there, and I got up during the movie and looked at the other exhibits in the room. I would say travel here if you like history or old houses/furniture.

It had a very eclectic collection of artifacts from the 1800s to the different World Wars…read more Recomment stopping if you're a history buff.

I enjoyed this museum when I was younger. I've always been a history fan, so anything history, I'm…read moreexcited to go to!

Beautiful, scenic and so much interesting history. It's so cool to see how people lived back in…read moretime.

While driving up Route 50 we saw a sign for this museum and turned off for it. Turns out it's only…read moreOpen on Saturdays 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. (May through November) but there was no sign anywhere indicating this. It wasn't until I got home and searched the internet that I found this out. However, we did stop by and peered through the windows and looked at a couple of the items they have in the yard. It looks like a very interesting place but needs more signage.

Small historical museum of Talbot County, Maryland! There…read morewere 4 rooms open with very well executed displays of the county and prominent residents! Artifacts/examples of local tools and items of interest! Several display screens that had rotating slide shows of vintage pictures of history and social events. Small African-American display with spiritual music playing and information on that community! The museum was very well done. It is small, but mighty! If you have an interest in the local area, it is VERY interesting!!!

Very well kept interesting place in downtown. Easton would highly recommend the different galleries…read moreand events that they hold there. I used to do some catering and there was a very, very nice Venn