Attraction magazine has partnered with the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office and Chesapeake Conservancy to help readers find their next adventure. Each month, we’ll feature a new place from their helpful website, FindYourChesapeake.com. There, you can also sign up for an e-newsletter, Trips and Tips, that delivers fresh ideas to your inbox each week.
Ready to try something new? At FindYourChesapeake.com, also find expert advice on experiences like birdwatching, fishing, camping, and hiking. Their team also developed content to help people explore the Chesapeake virtually so folks can stay safe at home during the pandemic.
This month, the spotlight is on Talbot County’s Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels. We are sure that the museum and its community outreach are well known to local residents, and for good reason. CBMM is considered a world-class museum and is a recipient of many awards, from the Maryland Historical Trust to Talbot County Economic Development and Tourism. Marylanders are indeed fortunate to have such a great place to enjoy right in their backyard.
The CBMM campus is comprised of 12 buildings that showcase the tradition of building workboats, carving duck decoys, processing crab meat, tonging for oysters, and much more. Its working shipyard, Hooper Strait Lighthouse, and Point Lookout bell tower are among the attractions that welcome guests to come inside and experience the Chesapeake’s nautical past. But the museum has even more to offer, and its’ amazing fall lineup of events should lure you back for a visit regardless of how many times you’ve already been there – not to mention some fantastic virtual offerings.
On September 7, join the director of Pickering Creek Audubon Center onboard CBMM’s buyboat Winnie Estelle for an exploration of the trees of Delmarva as seen along the shoreline of the Miles River. You can also watch all the exciting action of the log canoe races from the deck of the Winnie Estelle on September 11, 12, 18, and 19. Amateur photographers, sailing aficionados, and wooden boat enthusiasts will all find something to enjoy on a cruise.
Have you been thinking about starting your own oyster garden? The museum will be presenting a virtual class on September 22 where you can learn the practical aspects of oyster gardening, and why oysters are so important for the Bay’s health. Follow up the virtual class with an in-person workshop on September 25 to construct your own oyster cage.
Possibly the highlight of the fall season at the maritime museum is its virtual Maryland Dove Symposium. The current Maryland Dove has served as Historic St. Mary’s City’s floating ambassador since 1978. Cambridge shipwright James B. Richardson worked with a handful of assistants over 15 months at his boatyard off the Choptank River to build the vessel. The five-part symposium will consider the legacy of the iconic tall ship, as well as the future of the new vessel currently being worked on at the museum’s shipyard (with a targeted launch of spring 2022). The symposium will be running on Wednesdays, September 29 to October 27. There will also be a Maryland Dove Shipyard Tour every Thursday in October.
Other museum fall events include a Paddle and Overnight at Trap Pond State Park, Sunset Yoga on Navy Point, and Whaling Captains of Color: America’s First Meritocracy, a virtual discussion of how whaling was the first American industry to exhibit any diversity.
View Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s complete calendar at cbmm.org/events.