The notebook of Southern Maryland et Chesapeake
Go where the days smell of salt.
Rural peninsulas, fossil cliffs and first colonial sites between Potomac and Chesapeake.
At your own pace
Identity summary
3 to 6 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Coast · River · Heritage · Countryside
Variable accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Southern Maryland et Chesapeake
Rural peninsulas, fossil cliffs and first colonial sites between Potomac and Chesapeake.
To understand what Southern Maryland and Chesapeake are, you have to look at Historic St. Mary's City, Point Lookout State Park and Calvert Cliffs State Park. These places give us a view of a territory marked by the coastline, riverscapes, heritage and countryside and allow us to move from emblematic sites to more intimate stages.
See all
For a stay of 3 to 6 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: services spaces outside cities. A car is usually the easiest way to connect the different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be verified step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Historic St. Mary's City
- Point Lookout State Park
- Calvert Cliffs State Park
Before you choose
- Recommended car to connect sites
- Services spaces outside cities
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
Major site
Historic St. Mary's City
Historic St. Mary's City revives Maryland's first capital with colonial buildings, historic site architecture and an archaeological narrative that avoids the mere reconstruction. It is clear in a few hours how the daily life of a colony was organized in European and indigenous exchanges.
Culture and heritage
Point Lookout State Park
Point Lookout State Park occupies a point exposed between Potomac and Chesapeake Bay, with beaches, marshes, lighthouses and long views of the water. The history of the site, marked by a camp of prisoners of the Civil War, gives a particular gravity to this coastal landscape. The tour alternates easily memory, fishing, walking and maritime horizon.
Culture and heritage
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Calvert Cliffs offers cliffs of miocene sediments that let the teeth of sharks and shells touch through erosion. The trails cross woods and marshes to a discreet beach, with the caution of respecting unstable areas that also protect the terrain.
Culture and heritage
Sotterley
Sotterley preserves an old plantation with main house, outbuildings and slave box, all overlooking the Patuxent River. The visit puts in relation architectural, social hierarchies and agricultural work, without attenuating the reality of the contrasting lives that shaped the place.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Escaped to discover
Alexandria et Mount Vernon
Virginia, 🇺🇸 United States of America
Discover this idea
Escaped to discover
Annapolis et Chesapeake Bay
Maryland, 🇺🇸 United States of America
Discover this ideaSimilar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
