Skie

Trying to choose a picturesque spot for a weekend getaway. Had a good time in St. Michaels a few years ago but want to try some place new. Would like to find a nice town with pretty scenery to explore, shop, and eat good food.

How do these places compare with one another?

Would love to find something similar to Lewes, Delaware (which is less touristy than St. Michaels but still lively and full of charm).

Any inn/b&b recommendations welcome, too.

Thanks!

palette

I toured Chestertown on a house and garden tour a few years ago and was impressed. They have a reactment of their dumping of English tea (prior to, I think, the Boston Tea Party) but I suspect you have missed it for this year. Easton is good for the Waterfowl Festival, but again that's over for this year. If you want something like Lewes, why not just go back?

palette

Just missed it!
May 23 - 26 - Chestertown Tea Party Festival
The Brigantine "Geddes" dropped anchor in the Port of Chester on May 13, 1774. In sympathy with Boston, residents protested the British duty on imported tea by boarding the "Geddes" on May 23, 1774, and consigning its shipment of tea to the Chester River. Sat, 8 am-6 pm; Sun, 12N-4 pm. Downtown Chestertown is closed to traffic and is transformed into an era gone by to celebrate the town's historical contributions. The streets, filled with vendors, crafts, music, food and drink, are outlined with the town's charming red brick sidewalks and authentic 17th, 18th and 19th century structures. The colonial parade begins at 10 am and historical reenactments at 2 pm. Boat rides also available. 410-778-0416.

PamSF

We actually chose Chestertown for its quiet. We stayed at the Inn at Chestertown. It's a small hotel in the downtown historic district. We loved the Blue Heron as a place to eat there.
Try the crabcakes for certain. We explored much of the surrounding area including Easton and Oxford. To give you some idea of our preferences..we found St Michael's to be a bit overdone and Oxford way too quiet. Check out the Inn at Easton. Food and Wine did a favorable write up late last year. While in the area take a ride over to Rock Hall and sit on the deck at Waterman's for crabs and beer. We loved it!

Jon_Eric

I liked all these places, but regarding lodging The Inn at Perry Cabin just outside of St. Michaels is pretty grand.
I also visited Tilghman Island and Smith Island which is pretty remote. Being from New Orleans I'm no stranger to hearing "you talk funny" but my God, Smith Island's accent... I dont think I can adequately describe it in words! Go for that reason alone! I liked Chestertown a lot, espescially the approach to it over the bridge, sort of like a tiny Charleston as seen from Colonial Lake. The Kemp House in is nice in St. Michaels also. Snow Hill which is further south has the Snow Hill Inn and River House Inn which are supposed to be nice. Great Oak Manor just outside of Chestertown was very nice. I was only there one night, but its definitely scenic. Its more of an estate, lots of grounds, sits on the bay has its own beach. It may be just what you're looking for.

Traveler2320

You might want to look into Berlin, MD, where Runaway Bride was filmed.

I have stayed at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford and enjoyed it. We had a screened porch on the second floor and sat out and watched it rain one night - quite nice. Wonderful seafood, some of the best crabcakes in MD.

I love having lunch at the Inn of Perry Cabin, but I could never bring myself to pay the prices to stay the night.

Skie

Thank you all for your responses!

PamSF: Did the Inn you stayed at in Chestertown have another name? I can't find anything called The Inn at Chestertown.

Most of the moderately priced ($130 a night) places I've investigated in Chestertown, Easton, and Oxford are booked, so we are considering the Huntingfield Manor in Rock Hall.

The inn itself looks beautiful. Anyone know what Rock Hall is like?

Pallete: The tea party festival sounds great. Sorry we'll miss it, but thanks for the info. It's tempting to go back to Lewes, but also fun to try out new places.

Thanks again!

PamSF

Sorry Skie..I went on line to confirm the name. It might be Chestertown Hotel. I can tell you Rock Hall is a quaint and old town. There seem to be mostly bungalow type houses. There is not much there. There is a trolley that transports free around the place. We found some great antiques while poking around the town. We liked Waterman's so much we ate there twice. It's nothing fancy but great fun to order up a tray of crabs,drink some beer and watch the boats pull in and out. I'll try to conjure up the name of the hotel in Chestertown and get back to you. Look for a book on the Delmarva area. If you can't find one before you go there are copies in various bookstores once you hit the area.

PamSF

Wow was I off. It's the Imperial Hotel!
This is an old hotel in the downtown historic district. We had a room right off the porch at the front of the hotel and loved it. The porch is big enough for a few tables and has overhead fans as well. We liked sitting out there and watching the world go by. Down the street is the White Swan which is in an old tavern..I think a bit pricier tho.

PamSF

And all the other names I've given you are correct The tariff at the Imperial included a continental breakfast(toast,muffins,bagels, yoplait, granola,coffee and juice) juice). The Blue Heron Cafe is within walking distance from the hotel. We far preferred our meal at the Blue Heron to our dinner at the Imperial.

Skie

Pam: Thanks for the corrected info! The Imperial looks good but only has rooms available in the back. Still a possibility for us, though, as we decide between Chestertown and Rock Hall. Will definitely check out the restaurants you've recommended.

Jon and Traveller: Smith Island and Berlin seem to have a lot of charm. Maybe next time.

We got an amazing introductory deal at the Inn at Perry Cabin a few years ago, which got even more amazing when they gave us one night free after we complained of a buzzing sound in the room. That really impressed me. It is a beautiful place but way too expensive for us at their regular rates.

Thanks again for all your help.

PamSF

Skie~I just checked out the website for Huntingfield Manor. I will say I think the rooms at The Imperial look a little nicer. I also think Chestertown might be a bit easier to navigate on foot. There are many architectural gems in town as well as antique stores. Rock Hall seemed more spread out to us. We did spend an afternoon exploring the graveyard at the old methodist(?) church. This is where Talullah Bankhead is buried. You can check in at Talullah's B&B in downtown Rock Hall to ask for its location. If you like to explore old graveyards it's a good one.

Skie

Anyone have any experience with the Parker House B&B?

It's in the historic district of Chestertown and looks very nice. Less pricey than the Imperial and maybe cozier and quieter.

Pam, thanks for your comparisons. Have decided to take your advice and stay in Chestertown rather than Rock Hall.

Jon_Eric

Actually I think I do. If its the one I'm thinking of its very old, had been a tavern at one time and had just opened up as a B&B not long before my visit. It looks nice, very historic looking etc... but the reason it stands out is the area has a local author, Ed Okonowicz(sp?) who writes lots of books on local hauntings. A friend gave me a copy of one of his books that was all about haunted inns in Md,Va, & De and if memory serves correctly the Parker House was one of the entries in the book

Jon_Eric

Me again, you asked about Rock Hall earlier. The short time that I lived in the DC area I went with friends who had a boat and we ended up in Rock Hall. I remember the restaraunt was Fin, Fowl, and Feather or some variation of that name and it was a nice casual place on the water and thus popular with boaters.
Rock Hall seemed to be a very popular spot for boaters, but I'm not sure if its as popular as the other places you're interested in?

I'm curious, where are you coming from, Skie, and what time of year are you thinking about going there? I thought autumn was beautiful in Maryland, not Massachusetts autumn to-die-for but compared to New Orleans it certainly looked nice to me. Summers in this area aren't as bad as here (New Orleans) but they certainly come close which surprised me. That part of Maryland is also where I found people who said, "Y'all" which made me feel at home

Skie

Any info on the Inn at Pratt-Perry, Widow's Walk, or Parker House (all in Chestertown) would still be appreciated!

JonEric, thanks for your response. I'm in NC, so would feel right at home among the "y'all" crowd, too.

Maryland turns out to be the perfect location for meeting friends from NY/New England. Our trip will be at the end of June, and from past experience, we expect the Eastern Shore to be plenty hot and very pretty.

cartera45

Stayed at Widow's Walk several years ago and really liked the location - within walking distance of everything. Breakfast was good too. Also stayed at White Swan Tavern - liked it but it has more of a hotel feel to it. Check out Andy's - also on High Street - great live music.

Skie

Just got back from Chestertown and wanted to give some feedback.

Chestertown is charming and was definitely the right choice for us over Rock Hall. There is not much to do within Chestertown beyond one day's worth of walking around, shopping, and eating. We had a great lunch at Play it Again Sam's, an excellent dinner at the Blue Heron, and a fun evening at Waterman's in Rock Hall.

We stayed at the Parker House and enjoyed our innkeepers and the breakfasts. Our room, with twin beds, was adequate but nothing special. From one quick peek I could tell that the other rooms were much nicer. The location was perfect. The Widow's Walk B&B looks lovely from the outside.

All in all, had a very nice time, and look forward to exploring another town in the area next year.

PamSF

Hi Skie~your trip report made me long for the crab cakes at the Blue Heron and a tray of crabs and a cold beer at Waterman's.

Skie

Pam,
Your advice was SO helpful! As you can see from my previous post, it was almost as if you had come along on the trip.

Already dreaming of my next chance to have soft shell crabs. And here's to that cold beer!

Thanks again,
Skie