WHY YOUR NEXT JOURNEY SHOULD BE TO SOUTHERN MARYLAND
STORY BY Holly Smith
Take a trip to another world – one rich in history, natural beauty, culture and inventive cuisine – all without leaving the state. In fact, you won’t even have to cross 
the Bay Bridge. Your destination: Southern Maryland. If you’ve never made the journey down, you don’t know what you’re missing.
“Our region is very laid-back,” says Joyce A. Stinnett Baki, a tourism specialist at the Calvert County Department of Economic Development. “It is a great place to unwind, enjoy a day, a weekend or a week.”
And whether it’s for romance or recharging, couldn’t we all use a little unwinding right about now?
THE PAST IS PRESENT
Witness to many pivotal happenings in our state’s past, Southern Maryland – 
comprised of Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties – boasts one especially important first: It’s home to Historic St. Mary’s City, site of the first English Roman Catholic settlement in the New World, as well as the state’s original capital. Today the outdoor living history museum is a mecca for olden-days buffs.
“With 40 acres of exhibits on the banks of the beautiful St. Mary’s River, the museum is a chance to step away from the usual hectic pace and enjoy a trip back in history with friends and family,” says Regina Faden, executive director of the museum. “[It’s also] one of the finest 17th-century archaeology sites in the United States.”
Not quite as old, yet no less powerful, is the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum in Waldorf. In 1865, a wounded John Wilkes Booth sought treatment at the Charles County physician’s farm. By tending to Lincoln’s assassin, Mudd forever cast a shadow over his own legacy. The home looks much as it did during the Civil War, but offers no easy answers; visitors must decide for themselves whether Mudd was a doctor doing his duty or an abettor to the assassination.
Other facilities – among them the Calvert Marine Museum, the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, and the Piscataway Indian Museum – provide more ways to immerse yourself in the area, and some include interactive exhibits for visitors who can’t keep their hands to themselves. You know who you are.
BEACHFRONT BEAUTY, UNSPOILED ENVIRONS
A still largely rural region where tobacco once reigned supreme, Southern Maryland should find its way onto any outdoors lover’s bucket list. Miles of creeks, rivers and
Chesapeake Bay waterfront mean there’s no shortage of places to put in and paddle out; acres of pristine parkland mean landlubbers can take in the scenery without getting their feet wet.
Of course, it’d be a shame to go to Southern Maryland and not at least dip your toes in the water. Landmark locales like Chesapeake Beach and North Beach are as much fun today as when they hosted droves of 19th-century city dwellers eager for salt air, while the waves around Calvert Cliffs State Park hark back to guests from even further back.
“You can find lots of fossils and [prehistoric] shark teeth on the beach” at Calvert Cliffs, says Joyce Baki. “Visit after a storm, when wonderful treasures are pushed up from the bottom of the bay.” But wear comfy shoes: Reaching the surf requires an almost two-mile walk through the woods. It’s a stunning trek, though. Naturally.
Magnificent lighthouses – such as Piney Point, Drum Point, Point Lookout and Point No Point – illuminate the region’s shores and have a way of making even landlocked visitors feel nautically nostalgic. There’s just something about those towering beacons, isn’t there?
CULTURE AND CUISINE
If your idea of a perfect escape involves less R.E.I. and more T.L.C., Southern 
Maryland has you covered. Spend a night or two with your sweetie in Solomons Island’s gracious Blue Heron Inn, Brictoria Cottage in Charlotte Hall, or another luxe B&B – or book a stay at the fabulous Cove Point Lighthouse keeper’s quarters in Lusby – and cuddle your cares away. But grab a little culture before lights-out. Take in a live production!
“We’ve been around for over 65 years,” says Keith Linville, public affairs chair for the Port Tobacco Players. “We produce six main-stage shows a season: comedies, dramas and musicals.” The Charles County theater group may be small, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in ambition. To wit: Upcoming offerings include both “Much Ado about Nothing” and “Spamalot.” Not exactly rookie material.
The Newtowne Players in Lexington Park is another terrific option for theatergoers and wannabe thespians seeking an Albee or Mamet fix, while countless venues large and small host musicians and other performers.
Alas, playbills aren’t edible, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for dinner. Not far, though. The region boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to good eats, from fresh-from-the-bay seafood at Captain Billy’s Crab House in Newburg, to more elegant comestibles at places like Café des Artistes in Leonardtown and the brand-new Elements Eatery & Mixology, St. Mary’s County’s latest buzz-worthy bistro.
“We buy local whenever we can,” says Rob Plant, chef/owner of Elements. “The region is really embracing the idea of knowing where their food is coming from.” In addition, he says, locals and visitors are concerned about the environmental impact food and farms are having on the Chesapeake Bay.
“Southern Maryland has so much to offer,” says Plant. “Everything from agritourism, fishing, riverfront concerts and wineries to breweries, markets and museums. And now it has farm-to-table cooking.”
Is that why Southern Maryland should be next on your getaway list – the great food? Or is it the bucolic, untouched landscape? The omnipresent footprints of history? The lighthouses and luxurious accommodations?
Yes.*
SPOTLIGHT ON SLACK WINERY
To find the perfect pour for your next party, don’t think Sonoma. Think Slack. This award-winning winery in Ridge is one of many such outstanding operations in Southern Maryland, which itself is becoming a go-to spot for East Coast oenophiles.
Visit Slack’s Jubilee Farm vineyard, which was first planted in 2002, for a true grapes-to-grappa experience; pull up a stool and start sipping at its Woodlawn Farm tasting room; or make a weekend of it by booking a cottage at Woodlawn.
Slack’s Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, or Barbera will inspire you to begin plotting your return. 16040 Woodlawn Lane, 301-872-5175. slackwine.com
