Escape DC Crowds To A Vacation Town Located On Maryland's Chesapeake Bay With Seafood And Nautical Charm

The waterfront town of St. Michaels is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, along the Miles River as it bends its way into Eastern Bay. 45 miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, it is an ideal diversion for road trippers exploring the state via the "all-American" Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway. It's also just over an hour and a half drive from both Washington D.C. and Baltimore (Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is around 70 miles from the town).

Particularly for city dwellers, a few days in St. Michaels is like stepping into a different world, where the pace of life is slower and the waves lapping gently on the shore provide a calming break from the buzz and noise of the metropolis. The town is home to several delightful accommodation options, including the Inn at Perry Cabin, a luxurious resort famous for featuring in the 2005 comedy "Wedding Crashers." There are also plenty of quaint bed and breakfast options, such as the historic Wades Point Inn on the Bay, as well as fabulous hotels, like the carefully curated Wildset Hotel on North Talbot Street. The town is an oasis of great seafood, quality restaurants, as well as nautical activities and attractions that give insights into the town's history as a hub of shipbuilding, fishing, and oyster catching.

Right on the water, you will find two of St. Michael's most famous seafood spots. The Crab Claw Restaurant (the name gives a nod to one of St. Michaels' most important commodities in its early days) dates back to the 1950s when it first opened as the Eastern Shore Clam Company specializing in clam and oyster shucking. It became a restaurant in 1965 and is now one of St. Michaels' best-loved establishments, known for its gorgeous steamed crabs and other seafood options and its beautiful views of the water.

St. Michaels Crab and Steakhouse just along the harbor is equally historic, based in a former oyster shucking shed that dates back to the 1830s. Downtown, the seafood options continue, with Corah's Corner. The restaurant is famous locally for delicious British-style fish and chips, though it also offers a host of other great dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, and has a wonderful cocktail menu.

There are countless great nautical activities to busy yourself with in St. Michaels. Chief among the attractions is undoubtedly the highly rated Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, based in St Michaels Harbor. Since 1965, the 18-acre museum has been telling the story of the area's local seafaring history, becoming one of the country's most famous maritime institutions in the process. Today, it welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year and offers exhibitions as well as guided tours of the St. Michaels dockside and educational boat cruises.

Other operators, such as Patriot Cruises, offer chilled cocktail cruises, with music accompanying a gentle journey down the Miles River. Fishing is popular with both visitors and locals in St Michaels, with several companies offering charters, including Nauti Hooker Charters, which also provides live bait.

Looking for more in the area? Maryland also offers the "hip and historic" city of Frederick an hour from Washington D.C., as well as hidden mountain escapes nestled in the Appalachians.