The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum occupies 18 waterfront acres on Navy Point in St. Michaels and is one of the finest maritime museums on the US East Coast. The collection includes more than 100 historic Bay watercraft — skipjacks, log canoes, buy boats, and work skiffs — and a working boatyard where craftsmen build and restore traditional wooden boats using period techniques.
The exhibits cover the full ecology and history of the Chesapeake Bay: the watermen who oystered and crabbed it, the ecology of blue crabs and rockfish, the role of the Bay in the Civil War, and the evolution of its distinctive boat designs. The grounds are pleasant to wander even if you skip the museum buildings: the views across the Miles River are excellent, and the restored 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse is a highlight.
Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is charged; the waterfront area can be accessed separately on foot.