Crisfield

In William W. Warner's study of the Chesapeake Bay, Beautiful Swimmers, Crisfield was described as a "town built upon oyster shells, millions of tons of it. A town created by and for the blue crab, Cradle of the Chesapeake seafood industries, where everything was tried first." Unfortunately, visitors can see the creeping hand of development changing the face of this charming, end-of-the-road town with the sprawling condominium complex at the end of Main Street. The many bustling seafood processing plants here—where workers still pick crabs and shuck oysters by hand, as they have for more than a century—have dwindled to just 3 from more than 150, but you can still marvel at the craft and listen to workers singing hymns as they work.