Chesapeake Sailing Charter Article

What's new in Baltimore, Maryland's largest city? Visit the brand-new Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park (1414 Thames Street), one of the city's most historic waterfront properties and a national cultural center dedicated to African-American maritime history. The facility's centerpiece is a working shipyard, reminiscent of the first black-owned marine railway and shipyard in the country. The site honors Isaac Myers, the shipyard's owner, as well as Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave who worked as an abolitionist.

Don't leave Maryland without a stay in the beautiful Eastern Shore, with its abundance of creek to bay fishing, quiet country roads, and beaches. This is the best place to enjoy a succulent, super-fresh dinner of Maryland's famous crabs, to explore a fragile Chesapeake marsh, or simply to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

ANNAPOLIS/ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTRY

Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is home to so many of the Mid-Atlantic region's most visited attractions. Historic Annapolis, Maryland's capital, charms visitors with its maritime heritage, African-American heritage, and charming historic homes. Travel south of Annapolis to Historic London Town & Gardens and see public archaeological digs and a natural shade garden that includes an artful combination of native and exotic plants. Continue your tour of south Anne Arundel County with the new audio travelogne, Roots & Tides, a Journey Through Southern Anne Arundel County. The CD and accompanying map take listeners past old tobacco farms and 18th-century mansions though the picturesque watermen's villages of Deale, Shady Side, and Galesville. Historians, archaeologists, musicians, and local residents tell the story of this unique slice of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline.

For more information or to request a free visitors' guide to Anne Arundel County, call 410-980-0445, ext. 10, or visit .org.

CALVERT COUNTY

Calvert Count, a short drive from Washington, ., is a place where time really does move a little more slowly. See the majestic Calvert Cliffs with their treasure of prehistoric fossils.

Experience Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary, America's northern most stand of bald cypress trees. Explore the heritage and agricultural history of Southern Maryland at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. Cruise around Solomons Harbor on a sightseeing boat or visit the Calvert Marine Museum. Climb up the stairway to the Drum Point Lighthouse or take a shuttle to see the Cove Point Lighthouse. Calvert is Maryland's sportfishing capital, with the largest fleet of charter boats in the state.

Enjoy the Chesapeake Bay lifestyle and discover a place where there are still places to discover.

CHARLES COUNTY

Less than an hour from Washington, ., Charles County is a haven for nature lovers and history buffs on southern Maryland's coastal plain. Enjoy first-class fishing, 150 miles of spectacular shoreline, beautiful forests, lakes, ponds, and extensive wetlands.

The county's abundant undeveloped areas support a dense population of bald eagles and 321 other bird species. Every spring for the past fifty, years, nearly 1,500 great blue herons nest in the treetops of Nanjemoy Creek Great Blue Heron Sanctuary. This creek, popular with fishermen, also is a good spot to sight ospreys and bald eagles. Birds are also seen at Chicamuxen Wildlife Management Area and Cobb Island, a popular spot tot fishing and boating.

History buffs won't want to miss a tour of the Dr: Samuel A. Mudd House, the early Victorian frame thrill house that was home to the country doctor who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin, unwittingly aiding in his escape.

DORCHESTER COUNTRY

Dorchester County is centrally located on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the Heart of Chesapeake Country. With 1,700 miles of shoreline, Dorchester offers unsurpassed natural resources as well as a distinctive heritage and warm hospitality. The county inspired James Michener's epic novel Chesapeake and is the birthplace of Harriet Tubman. It is home in the only fully operational wooden barrel manufacturer and English post-style windmill in Maryland, pins world-renowned Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Imagine yourself paddling, cycling, fishing, or boating along our waterways ... watching as watermen harvest their day's catch ... sailing on a skipjack, or strolling historic towns. When you're done, retreat to a quiet inn or pamper yourself in the luxurious resort accommodations. In Dorchester Country, the seafood dining is always casual and fresh.

FREDERICK COUNTY

Discover the many attractions and historical sites of Frederick Country, less than an hour away from Washington, . Amid vineyards, covered bridges, and old railroads, Frederick boasts a strong Civil War heritage. The county is home in Antietam National Battlefield, one of the best preserved battle sites in the country, where the bloodiest one-day battle in . history took place. Other sites include the Monocacy National Battlefield, where a battle held on July 9, 1864, resulted in delaying Jubal Early's raid on Washington, and South Mountain Battlefield State Park (includes Gathland State Park and Washington Monument State Park, where you can hike on the Appalachian Trail). Also visit the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Aim Seton, which honors the first American-born canonized saint.

GARRETT COUNTY

Long awaited and anxiously greeted, the warmer days of spring coax pale green buds from bare branches. Young creatures venture into the sunshine to explore a new world transforming from grays to greens and golds. The Deep Creek Lake area, with its promise of renewal, is the perfect place to experience this season. It will awaken your senses to the colors, the sounds, and the scents of the natural world.

This would be the time to have a camera ready to capture the sights and the memories of springtime in the mountains. To find the best places to hear bird song, to glimpse woodland critters, to see early wildflowers, or just get out and stretch those muscles, there are guides, tours, and rental equipment available.

Explore the biological riches of Maryland's mountain wild lands and forests on a guided hike or comfortable walk with Elk Ridge Nature Works. Take a bike tour or flat-water kayak trip with High Mountain Sports. Camp Earth offers to connect you with nature on a custom ecology tour, which may be on land or water. If you prefer exploring mountain trails by horseback, visit one of our local stables or discover a wide range of outdoor spring programs, such as wildflower walks, medicinal plant walks, and birding.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Bordering Washington, ., Montgomery County is a great place to stay when you want to explore the nation's capital but also benefit from the county's very special attractions. Choose from any number of museums, public galleries, theaters, historic sites, and parks. Visit the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo (301-492-6245; open daily, 10 .-5 ., shown by guided tour only), which commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The home, built in 1891, served as the headquarters and warehouse for the organization. Special events, such as plays and open houses, appropriate for all ages and free, are offered throughout the year.

Nearby the Barton house is the historic Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, which operated from 1828 to 1924 and follows the route of the Potomac River for miles, from Washington, ., to Cumberland, Maryland. Along this route, you'll find hundreds of original structures, including locks, lock houses, and aqueducts, dating from the canal's heyday. Bike or hike along the nearly level, continuous trail through the spectacular scenery of the Potomac River Valley.

QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY

In lovely Queen Anne's Count, on the scenic Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, enjoy a succulent crab or oyster dinner beside a bustling marina, fish and crab on the Bay, bicycle through historic and picturesque small towns, and hike through marshes.

Start your journey at the Chesapeake Exploration Center on beautiful Kent Narrows. The center is home to "Our Chesapeake Legacy," a hands-on, interactive exhibit providing an overview of the Chesapeake Bay region's heritage, resources, and culture. The exhibit covers the Bay's early history, and explores the importance of the key industries of agriculture and commercial fishing.

Kent Island, just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, is the oldest settlement in Maryland. In Stevensville, the largest town, visit the restored Stevensville Train Depot and Christ Church, home to Maryland's oldest congregation, founded in 1631. Matapeake State Park, on the island's western shore, offers views of the Bay Bridge, boat ramps, and a 900-foot-long fishing pier. Terrapin Beach Nature Park includes a one-mile nature trail, pond, two observation blinds, and a boardwalk to the Chesapeake Bay.

ST. MARY'S COUNTY

The expansive Chesapeake Bay and two mighty rivers, the Patuxent and the Potomac, cradle the peninsula of St. Mary's, shaping both its geography and its way of life. Cruise open water on an authentic skipjack, and explore tidal inlets by canoe or kayak. Climb to the top of the only remaining lighthouse on the Potomac. Here, where Maryland began, historic sites abound. Visit St. Clement's Island, where English colonists landed in 1634, or Historic St. Mary's City, the state's first colonial capital and its premier outdoor living history museum and archcological park. Enjoy the seasonal harvest of crabs and oysters--available for sampling at waterside eateries and the many heritage festivals held throughout the year.

TALBOT COUNTY

In Talbot County, explore the unspoiled beauty and historic lore of Maryland's Eastern Shore. Talbot's charming and historic small towns include the waterfront village of St. Michaels, Easton, Oxford, Tilghman Island, and Wye Mills.

This spying the county is sponsoring a spectacular long weekend (April 29 through May 2) dedicated to three of life's best subjects: great food, line wine, and Maryland's Eastern Shore. Top chefs from all over the country joined by renowned sommeliers, will gather here to prepare meals "as breathtaking as the Chesapeake sunsets." The host chefs and vintners will dazzle festival-goers with their delectable treats, cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, and educational discussions. While you're visiting, stay at a luxurious country inn or resort, and allow some time for a host of appealing attractions: swing away at the Harbourtowne Golf Resort, browse through antiques shops and art galleries, climb aboard a skip, jack sailboat or bugeye, or take an ecotour of restored Poplar Island.

WORCESTER COUNTY

Located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Worcester is known as the "seaside county," where you'll find the year-round beach resort Ocean City and the famous wild ponies of Assateague Island State Park.

With a range of habitats--barrier islands, coastal bays, tidal wetlands, cypress swamps, fields and forests--it's not surprising that Worcester has more recorded bird sightings than any county in Maryland. This spring, celebrate the migration of warblers, shorebirds, and waterfowl as well as many nesting birds and raptors during the Delmarva Birding Weekend (April 24-25), which combines boat trips, canoe and kayak treks, and other expeditions. Read about this weekend and the county's spectacular birding at .

Worcester is known for its more than a dozen championship golf courses and 100 miles of marked bicycle trails on flat country roads. Accommodations range from casual bed-and-breakfasts to charming inns on the National Register of Historic Places.

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS

Founded in 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins is the oldest university press in continuous operation in North America and a great source of publications of special interest to naturalists. For example, Rock Creek Park, by Gail Spilsbury, celebrates Rock Creek Park, a resplendent wilderness retreat in Washington, ., conceived in 1902. Beautifully illustrated with fifty paintings and archival and contemporary photographs, the book tells the riveting story of this unique park's formation and preservation, focusing on how Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and other visionaries laid down precedents for its preservation. Located in the middle of our nation's capital, Rock Creek Park has managed to remain true to its original vision, the "permanent preservation of its wonderful beauty, and the making of that beauty accessible to the people without spoiling the scenery in the process."

Spilbury recounts the park's history and explores how its philosophy of landscape deeply influenced its remarkable degree of historic integrity over the past century. The book pays tribute to the Olmsted family for their contribution to urban and park planning throughout the United States.