St. Michaels
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St. Michaels

St. Michaels

Preserved Chesapeake harbour town with crab boats, colonial streets, and a major maritime museum.

St. Michaels is a small, well-preserved harbour town on Maryland's Eastern Shore, sitting between the Miles River and Broad Creek on the Chesapeake Bay. It dates from the colonial era and still has the feel of a working waterfront town, with crabbers and oystermen going out in the morning and tourists filling the restaurants by evening.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, spread across 18 acres on the harbour, is the main attraction — a collection of historic boats, a working boatyard, and exhibits on the bay's ecology and waterman culture. The St. Michaels Historic District is a pleasant walk: handsome colonial, Federal, and Victorian houses line the streets, including the Cannonball House, a landmark from the War of 1812. Shops run to antiques, art galleries, and specialty food stores.

The seafood, fresh from the bay, is the main reason to eat here — crab cakes, oysters, and rockfish are the staples. The Crab Claw Restaurant right on the harbour is the most famous spot, though lines in summer can be long. St. Michaels is about 75 miles from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, making it a popular weekend escape. Nearby Tilghman Island and Oxford are worth a half-day side trip.

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Day Trips

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is scattered with interesting small towns and natural areas within easy reach of St. Michaels. Tilghman Island, about 12 miles south via Route 33, is a working fishing community where skipjacks — the last commercial sailing fleet in the US — still go out in season.

Oxford, accessible by a short ferry ride across the Tred Avon River from Bellevue (about 8 miles south), is another beautifully preserved colonial town with waterfront restaurants and the oldest free-running ferry in the US, operating since 1683.

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Eating Out

Seafood dominates in St. Michaels — this is Maryland's Eastern Shore, and the crabs, oysters, and rockfish come in fresh from the bay. The Crab Claw is the famous name, but the town has a range of options from casual waterfront spots to more upscale dining. Most visitors come specifically to eat crab.

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Getting There

St. Michaels is about 75 miles from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and there is no direct public transport. A car is essentially required. From Baltimore, take US-50 east across the Bay Bridge and follow Route 33 west onto the peninsula.

The nearest airport is BWI (Baltimore/Washington International), about 90 miles away. Annapolis is the closest city, about 45 miles away.

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Things to Do

St. Michaels rewards a full day or a weekend. The Maritime Museum alone can fill a morning, the historic district a leisurely afternoon. The water is central to everything: sailing, kayaking, crabbing excursions, and boat tours operate from the harbour. The town gets crowded in summer — coming on a weekday or in the shoulder season makes for a more relaxed visit.

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When to Go

Late spring and early autumn are the best times to visit St. Michaels. May and September offer warm weather, good crabbing, and far fewer crowds than the summer peak. Summer (June–August) is busy, particularly on weekends, with traffic on Route 33 and waits at most restaurants.

The Chesapeake Bay crab season runs from April through November, with the best crabs in late summer and early autumn when the water is warmest. Oyster season starts in September and runs through spring — the R-months rule applies, and the winter oysters are excellent.