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St. Michaels is a great place to anchor for an expansive (or just expensive) dinner, or to spend a romantic weekend at an inn amid antique sideboards, silver tea service or uniformed porters. But you don't have to get pricey lodgings to have a good time at St. Michaels, with its quaint shops, cafes and B&Bs; You should expect it to take a little longer, however, to find a parking space than in other Eastern Shore villages.
Spread across a series of coves on the Miles River, St. Michaels began as an important port in the early 1700s. By the mid-1900s it had dwindled to a waterman's hamlet and a hunt-country hub, and in the past 30 years or so it has become a realtor's paradise. But its waterfront remains its heart and soul.
For an exceptional window on the rise and fall of the Maryland waterman's culture, don't miss the exhibits and open-air wonders of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (410/745-2916; open daily). The museum offers many programs to get participants into the bay, literally and otherwise, including classes in sailing, ecology and decoy-making, crabbing trips and ship-fixing demonstrations.
A small but impressive fleet of historic watercraft is moored at its wharf, with a restored 19th-century "screwpile" lighthouse one of the last "cottage" lighthouses in the world as its centerpiece.
While you're down on the water, you can rent a boat at Town Dock Marina (410/745-2400), which also rents bicycles by the hour ($4) or day ($16). April through October, you can take a narrated, 60-minute cruise on the Miles River at Patriot Cruises (410/745-3100), right next to the museum's wharf.
Travel TipsGETTING THERE: St. Michaels is not quite two hours from the Beltway. At Exit 7, take U.S. 50 east across the Bay Bridge. Before Easton, turn right on Route 322 and right again on Route 33 east. In about 15 minutes it becomes Talbot St., St. Michaels' main drag.
WHERE TO STAY: St. Michaels has an array of lodgings, from the Best Western Motor Inn (800/528-1234; doubles $102) to the pricey Inn at Perry Cabin (800/722-2949; doubles $295 to $695, including breakfast and afternoon tea); the inn has an indoor pool, croquet, boating, bicycling and access to nearby golf and tennis. In between are: Barrett's Bed & Breakfast (410/745-3322; doubles $160-$260, including full breakfast), with nine rooms in the heart of town, five with queen beds and double Jacuzzis in front of a fireplace; Harbourtown Golf Resort (800/446-9066; doubles $155-$175, suites $250); and Dr. Dodson House (410/745-3691, doubles $130-$140, including full breakfast), two rooms with private baths in a restored former tavern. Five miles west of town is the hidden-away Wades Point Inn (410/745-2500; doubles $95-$230), a former manor house on a 120-acre riverfront farm.
WHERE TO EAT: Next door to the maritime museum, the Crab Claw (410/745-2900), overlooking the harbor, is a good seafood place that's had the same owners for about 35 years. Town Dock Restaurant (410/745-5577) is another casual and often crowded place with a seafood bent and a pleasant harborside deck. Among the best New American restaurants on the Eastern Shore, 208 Talbot (410/745-3838) offers innovative entrees for $19 to $26. Just across Talbot Street, you might try Poppi's (410/745-3158) for breakfast or a burger, and you'll definitely want to stop there for hand-dipped ice cream. For a midday break or a midnight snack, the central Carpenter St. Saloon (410/745-5111) is often the most happening spot in town.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 410/822-4606 for the Talbot County Office of Tourism, or look up the Web site at www.talbotchamber.org.
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