Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Maritime history is deeply woven into the fabric of our State’s identity, shaping our economy, culture, and way of life. Native American tribes first navigated the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, relying on the abundant resources for sustenance and trade. With the arrival of European settlers in the early 1600s, the region’s waterways became a critical artery for commerce and transportation. Ports soon rose in Annapolis, Baltimore, and other Bay towns, flourishing in trade and commerce—especially with the oyster and crab industries, which became internationally renowned.
Rich in maritime culture, Maryland is home to several unique museums that share this history.
Annapolis Maritime Museum
The Annapolis Maritime Museum focuses on Naptown’s maritime heritage and the historic ecology of the Chesapeake Bay. This museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum highlights our celebrated oyster industry while also acknowledging its shortcomings, such as over-harvesting and species depletion. Located inside the old McNasby Oyster Company property, the museum showcases collections of artifacts, paintings, drawings, and more. A few miles from the museum’s main campus is the beachside park, a 12-acre waterfront parcel that offers hiking trails, an education center, and a public paddle-craft launch area. Patrons can experience a clamshell walking trail that spans one mile, providing the perfect opportunity for real-world viewing of local wildlife and marine habitat. The museum also hosts water tours aboard the restored skipjack Wilma Lee, lecture series, and seasonal exhibits inside. Tickets to the museum and its tours can be purchased online or in person. Visit amaritime.org.
Located in the peaceful Eastern Shore town of St. Michaels, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) offers visitors hands-on learning through its exhibits and on-the-water experiences. Special exhibitions can be seen in the Van Lennep Auditorium and Steamboat Building galleries that offer patrons a deeper look into the historical significance of the Chesapeake Bay. The museum also offers water tours, a demonstration shipyard, family-friendly activities, lecture series, and special events on site. CBMM operates from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, April through October. Tickets can be purchased online or on-site, are valid for two days. Learn more at cbmm.org.
Calvert Marine Museum
Founded in memory of captain James B. Richardson, the Richardson Maritime Museum in Cambridge focuses on the culture and craftsmanship of boats uniquely made on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The museum also preserves the craft of boatbuilding and teaching the next generation of boatwrights traditional skills. Home to memorabilia that spans 300 years, the intimate museum experience is open by request for tours and visits. In the near future, the museum plans to open with regular hours. For boat-building enthusiasts, the museum is always accepting volunteers to help repair boats, research local history, support collection and documentation for exhibits, become a tour guide, and more. Those interested can sign up on-line, where patrons can also find a link to make donations. Learn more at richardsonmuseum.org.
In southern Maryland, the Calvert Marine Museum (CMM) hosts a range of experiences for kids and adults alike. The Discovery room is kid-focused but gives visitors of all ages the chance to sift and search for real fossils, ranging from eight- to 20-million years old. Also, you can explore a model of the Cove Point Lighthouse, and see creatures of the Chesapeake Bay. The Biology Gallery houses three distinct Bay habitats, while the outdoor marsh walk crosses upland marshes in their natural habitat. With a history gallery, oyster house, lighthouses, model boat showroom, and even a section designated for paleontology, CMM is a must-do! Tickets can be purchased online in advance, or in person on the day of your visit. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit calvertmarinemuseum.com for details.
Avery Museum
Also in southern Maryland—specifically Shady Side—the Captain Avery Museum showcases local maritime history through the lens of the historic house once owned by Chesapeake Bay waterman, Captain Salem Avery. The house was constructed circa 1860 and was expanded in the nineteenth century, and again in the 1920s by the National Masonic Fishing and Country Club. The property consists of the main house with additions, three sheds formerly used as bath houses, and a modern boathouse built in 1993 that features the Edna Florence, a locally-built 1937 Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat. Today, the museum is open in the summer on Sundays, 1–4 p.m., between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The rest of the year, the house is only open during public programs and events. Learn more at captainaverymuseum.org.
