I will be meeting my husband and kids in Havre de Grace, MD. They will be sailing the Chesapeake with my FIL, and I'm driving down to pick them up.

I'd like to arrive a few hours early and explore the town. Any interesting ideas for things to do while there?

Havre de Grace has a nice lighthouse, a plaque mentioning that the town was attacked during the War of 1812, two museums of some interest, and a shopping area. Check out

www.hdgtourism.com/do_tours.html

for more info.

There are also some very pleasant walks along the water, and a kind of little park if I'm remembering correctly.

Hi Karen. We keep our boat in MD and decided to spend an afternoon in Havre de Grace last summer. I believe it was a Sunday and found it to be very quiet with many places closed but we were able to check out a few antique stores. You might enjoy spending some time here:
http://www.washingtonstreetbooks.com/

I *think we ate at The Tidewater Grill but don't recall it being anything special (although I do remember someone landing a helicopter right there on the grounds to meet up with some friends, which was kind of cool) Looks like they a have a new wine bar in the area that might be worth checking out. Enjoy your day!

I don't know if you were headed here yesterday - or in the future. There's a great selection of things to do. Besides shopping and eating, several museums are open, a walk along our Promenade is great, a number of parks, just browsing the historic downtown to enjoy the architecture and historic buildings, Arts by the Bay gallery, check out this site:
http;//www.havredegracethemeetingplace.com

And hopefully, you'll come often! Welcome to our city!

Love Havre de Grace (my brother keeps his sailboat there) and agree with all the suggestions.

Bomboys is great for chocolate and ice cream,

http://www.bomboyscandy.com/home.php

If you're looking for a place to eat we love Laurrapin,

http://www.laurrapin.com/

BTW, pronounced ahv-RAY duh grAHz (rollling both r's)

Thanks - you all gave me great ideas for some things to see/do. I am debating whether I will join the sailors for a few nights, or only for a day sail.