Solomons Maryland is a major boating center located at the mouth of the Patuxent River, in southern Calvert County, Maryland. Solomons offers several full service marinas, shops, restaurants, museums, and a boardwalk overlooking the Patuxent. The Calvert Marine Museum features exhibits designed to interpret the estuarine biology of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. The museum includes a discovery room with a "please touch" policy for children. A favorite attraction at the museum is a pair of river otters named Bubble and Squeak who live in a 9,000 gallon tank. The Drum Point lighthouse, a screwpile light moved to this location, is also part of the museum's collection. |
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If you would like to get out on the water, board the Wm. B. Tennison for a leisurely one hour cruise around Solomons harbor and the Patuxent River. The Wm. B. Tennison, constructed in 1899, is the oldest Coast Guard licensed passenger carrying vessel on the Chesapeake Bay. The Tennison is a "bugeye" constructed from nine logs. Originally powered by sail, she was converted to power around 1907 and became an oyster buyboat, purchasing oysters from work boats. You will sail the Solomons inner harbor, see Solomons Island and the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, cruise past the U.S. Naval Recreation Center at Point Patience and pass under the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge. Cruises depart from the Calvert Marine Museum dock. All cruises are weather permitting. Space available on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum capacity is 47. Cruises every Wednesday through Sunday (May - October) at 2:00 p.m. plus, weekend cruises July - August at 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.. Adult fare is $6.00, Children 5 - 12 years $3.00, children under 5 accompanied by a paying adult ride free. Charter cruises are also available for group sightseeing, school field trips, and private affairs. To learn about the area's seafood industry, visit the Joseph C. Lore & Sons Oyster House. Inside this restored 1934 seafood packing house, you can learn about the boom and decline of the region's commercial seafood industries and see the tools and gear used by local watermen to harvest fish, soft shell clams, eels, crabs, and oysters. The Annmarie Garden on St. John is a public sculpture garden being developed along the St. Johns Creek which allows the visitor to experience museum-quality outdoor artwork in combination with the unique, tranquil setting of a natural garden. The garden sponsors Artsfest in September, Garden in Lights during the holiday season, and Gardenfest in April. On the tip of Solomons Island, the University of Maryland operates the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Visitors Center. The center is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 to 4:00 and gives visitors an opportunity to learn more about the ecology and natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Finally, if you're feeling adventuresome, discover some primeval shark's teeth at the nearby Calvert Cliffs. The Cliffs can be access through Calvert Cliffs State Park and Flag Pond Nature Park. Return to the Solomons Island, Maryland guide.... |
