4 Best Sights in The Eastern Shore, Maryland

Originally the Hotel Cecil, this market became Cramer's 5&10, an old-fashioned variety store operated by a pair of proprietors who themselves became historic treasures. The building's enterprising current owner created an antiques mart, but fully restored the building's exterior and retained its well-worn wood flooring, candy jars, and display counters. You could spend a weekend here!

You can often watch the crafting of oak baskets by hand, done here since 1876. Skilled craftspeople and weavers use techniques passed down through the generations.

About 6 mi south of the town of North East, this park juts into the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay to its west, with the Elk River flowing along its eastern flank. You can drive almost the length of the peninsula and then walk about a mile through pleasant woodlands to the cliffs on its tip. There you can find the sparkling-white Turkey Point Lighthouse, albeit no longer in use. The 270-plus-degree view from Turkey Point is stunning. Campsites are available here, as are some charming 1950s-era wooden cabins that are admirably well maintained. Elk Neck is a prime location for picnicking as well as for fishing and swimming off sandy beaches.

The two spacious buildings here, at the head of the North East River, preserve the rich heritage of both the commercial and recreational hunter. This unusual museum houses an extensive collection of boating, fishing, and hunting artifacts native to the Upper Chesapeake Bay: sleek sculling oars, rare working decoys, and the outlawed "punt" gun and "gunning" rigs.