eastern shore?
 

we are arriving at reagan in d.c. on july 4th and have two days to kill before a family reunion. we are tinking of the maryland eastern shore and could use some help in where to stay, what are the "must sees" or a suggestion of an alternate nearby area.

The town of Easton is very quaint and has some hotels and B & B's.

St Michael's, I think, is more interesting than Easton. It's abt 10 min from Easton-- you can do both. If you go to St M, be sure not just to do the boutiquey shopping street. The interesting part (imo) is the back streets-- wonderful old restored houses and interesting little gardens.
also: if you do go to the Eastern Shore, try to stop at Annapolis for a few hours. You'll pass it going from D.C. to ES. (just before the wonderful Bay Bridge) Annapolis (the state capitol) is absolutely worth a visit. And, again: the walking tour of the back streets, with the wonderful old houses is where it's at. (Also the Naval Academy)
Chestertown is another fine colonial town on the Eastern Shore-- tho more out of the way than Easton and St Michael's. It has an even more splendid historic area. (18th cent homes on the waterfront)
July 4, of course, will be a very busy time. (And traffic in the Bridge area can be hellish).

I agree with all the above...Easton,St. Michael's and Chestertown. St. Michael's has more going on, but make a reservation early as it is theJuly 4th holiday. Solomon's Island in Southern MD might be another chioce and they have a great firework display...so you would not need to mess with traffic.

you can easily visit easton, st. michaels and oxford in a day or two. with the harbor, maritime museum and boutique shops, st. michaels is the most active. easton doesn't have waterfront but the historic district has nice shopping. oxford doesn't have many shops, but it does have a nice waterfront park and a very small beach. all 3 have historic, quaint homes and they all have good restaurants. they all have quaint b&bs and inns. if you give us a budget and what you like to do, we can recommned some places.

the three towns stagger their july 4th firework displays on different nights. last year, st. michaels was on the 2nd, oxford the 3rd and easton the 4th.

thanks, you guys. you've has been a big help. i'm a new user and if there's a way to print your responses, can anyone clue me in?

phil

Highlight which parts you want to print and press print. Enjoy your visit!

For a working waterman's town, you might try Tilghman Island, fifteen miles down the road from touristy St. Michael's. For dining, Harrison's Chesapeake Inn has good food. You might enjoy taking the Bellevue-Oxford Ferry from near St. Michael's to Oxford where the Robert Morris Inn is located. Excellent crab cakes at the Morris. A drive through the Blackwater refuge south of Cambridge can be fun. The town of Secretary, east of Cambridge, is an old oystering town on the Choptank River. The food at the Suicide Bridge Restaurant is fine. Further south, Crisfield is another old waterman's town. A few miles out in the Bay from Crisfield is Smith Island. A ferry takes you there once or twice a day. Smith Island is steeped in the waterman's culture, a way of life in serious decline on Chesapeake Bay.

With just 2 free days, I think you'd be making a real mistake trying to go anywhere farther than Easton-Oxford, St Michael's (Tilghman) and Annapolis. And Chestertown if colonial history and architecture are especially impt to you. That's PLENTY. The other places are much farther, and the driving would be a mess, especially that weekend.

Don't forget to go to the Chesapeake bay Museum in St. Micheal's. Its great.

I very much 2nd Italyagain. (In fact, we think so highly of that organization that we've become members-- and we're not usually "joiners.")

Annapolis and St. Michaels. Have fun!