Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Beautiful museum and campus of buildings make up the museum property. We did the patriot boat tour and museum combo. The boat tour is listed as a 70 min narrated historical tour, but it’s more commentary than history. It was a great time and the different buildings at the museum cater to all ages. There is not much to do in St Michael’s other than eat, shopping and boating, so happy we went.

We had a tour of the CBMM. All of the staff were accommodating, well knowledgeable of their surrounding area and its history. They're volunteers who made all of my passengers feel welcome.

I absolutely love the Maritime Museum on a visit to St. Michaels. Great staff, great price, wonderful views of the bay. So much history for all the family to enjoy!

I really enjoyed this museum and its emphasis on local maritime heritage - crabbing, oyster catching and boat building. I spent a couple of hours wandering around the various buildings and learned a lot.

The newly renovated entrance is beautiful! We haven’t been in probably a decade, but it’s very well done and there is lots to see. Kids had a great time. Views are stunning.

We didn't know what to expect with this museum, but were really impressed by it! It is very well worth the visit, and there's more than enough to see in the 2 days the admission fee covers. At the beginning, someone went over the map with us, and explained some about the buildings. That was really helpful. It's not just a museum, but an entire complex of various buildings that are really each museums. I couldn't possibly do it justice by describing it- if you are considering going, you definitely should! I really enjoyed seeing the variety of boats, and the building that was built all around an oyster boat was probably my favorite. You could walk through it, hearing about it with the narration, and seeing all the different parts. There were fun facts about oysters all around, as well as a complete history of the oyster business in the area, canning, and even oyster wars! The lighthouse was pretty interesting, and showed all of the keeper's quarters set up, as well as some information about the various keepers, and a big map of all the area lighthouses. There was a whole building that showed about the blue crab, and the crab picking industry. There was a building that had lots of history and information about people enjoying the water in various ways over the years. As you walk around, the view of the harbor and the water is beautiful as well. The museum store is beautifully arranged, and contains a great variety of souvenirs and items having to do with the water.

My sister & I celebrated our b Day's &took a day cruise from Annapolis to St.Michael's!

Outstanding campus with awesome facilities exhibits and all of the buildings are outstanding. It’s really an amazing place.

A sign of a good museum is taking niche material and making it accessible and inspiring to the masses. Spread inside 12 buildings along the water, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum does just that. Park in the spacious lot and enter the new main building. Admission varies based on your age, military status, and whether or not you want to add on the Patriot Cruise 70-minute ride. Spread throughout different buildings, some historic, you'll see 90 different boats and learn about the history of using the bay for recreation and business. The history starts with the lands' Indigenous people and goes to modern time. Highlights include learning about the different ways to fish for oysters and climbing a historic lighthouse with an amazing view of the bay. Don't miss out on the gift shop, which includes local products, books, toys, and more.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) is a fantastic visit when on the Eastern Shore. It consists of several buildings, each dedicated to different aspects of shore life, including a lighthouse. You walk outside along the Miles River to the different exhibits. We spent hours here and didn't get to every building, so plan more time than you think. There is so much information and it's a great way to learn about the Eastern Shore. The lighthouse, which has incredible views, and the building that contains the oyster boat were the highlights, but everything is great. Staff is friendly and the gift shop is nice. We also added on afternoon river cruise, which was lovely. This is one of my favorite museums. You absolutely cannot skip the CBMM when visiting the Eastern Shore.

Made reservation on our way in and viola! Great service, dock master helped us dock. Very good.

This was a great museum to learn so much about the local history. It is really well done and spread out across a nice piece of property and lots to see. The exhibits are well done and offer a true background of individuals from the area. We enjoy learning history and seeing the way things were accomplished.

Came here for a wedding over the summer and it was an awesome venue. The cocktail reception and ceremony happened inside the main boathouse of the Maritime Museum exhibit area with the dinner afterward outside overlooking the bay. This venue used to be a crab/lobster processing facility. There's a ton of historical information on the walls along with some of the old fishing display. This venue is entirely over the water and as you step out onto the surround dock, you can look across the bay and watch the sunset. Attached to this venue is another restaurant with a rooftop patio area, but this was closed during the event. If you live in the area or are just visiting for the weekend it's definitely worth a visit.

My kids (8 and 10) and I had the best time here! Beautiful campus with lots to see. Plenty of opportunities for kids to be active and hands on. We also did the river cruise and throughly enjoyed it. We spent 5 hours there and were never bored. Highly recommend. We had a blast and learned a lot.

This place is an absolute Gem. We have visited many maritime Museums from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, etc. I can honestly say this is one of the most well thought out and informative we have ever seen. The displays are top notch in the presentation and the preservation of all the articles on display. The boats are beautiful to look at and the Lighthouse is like a crowning Jewel. This place should absolutely be on your lists of places to visit. (Helpful hint; have lunch at the adjacent restaurant "The Crab Claw")

Excellent museum and worthwhile visit. Some of it is indoors and some outdoors with a lighthouse included in which you can go short steps up to the top. Many boats on display along with firearms used for hunting, ducks, info on crabs, and more related to water.

I arrived 30 minutes before the museum closed, $16 admission, I decided to pass. Instead decided to check out the museum gift shop. I enjoyed the gift shop and all the neat wares. Highly recommend the gift shop.

Fantastic sprawling museum turning over every page of the modern Eastern Shore world and the people who lived there tucked away in the small town of St. Michaels, this is well worth spending an afternoon to enjoy. There's a modern facility reviewing the development of the Eastern Shore from backwoods rural labor to resort and boating territory, the lighthouse to explore showing the harsh isolating life of those who worked it, older individual buildings covering model ship building, the wildlife hunting culture, shipbuilding, the rise and fall of the crab industry and local labor- you will leave with a definite understanding of where you are in time and place. Easy walk from town, plenty of parking. Not really for kids unless you are there for a specific event. And they are still building up!

It really lives up to the name more than I expected. This museum is on the waterfront and comprises a mix of exhibitions that really do seem to capture the maritime history of the entire bay. Admittedly, I write out of sentimentality. I discovered that they are building a new Maryland Dove (previously a landmark on my daily walks), the re-created sailing vessel that sits at St. Mary's City. I asked what happened to the old one, and got a story about how it looked nice but was not constructed by traditional methods and was not approved for passengers (I always wondered why). On top of that, a documentary on the ship was available for playing in one of the buildings, as well as a 3D camera view from its mast that you could scroll around by hand. Anyway, you can see the new ship being built, but that's hardly the only thing on offer. One of those quaint wooden lighthouses was open for viewing, and several independent exhibit halls covered topics ranging from oyster harvesting to recreational canoeing. There was beautiful photography, and interesting history, including a house owned by Frederick Douglass's family. Smith Island, the War of 1812, and one of those famous pictures of an island house sinking into the bay. It's all really thought provoking. And while you walk around between these buildings, you're getting a nice view out on to the water. There are a lot of tight lines to walk in terms of discussing history and environmental issues without dumbing them down or creating Manichean narratives, and I thought the museum did a pretty good job of that. You get a sense of the environmental destruction the bay has suffered over the years, but the museum is hardly anti-waterman, and it even makes the case that some harvesting is sustainable. I was a bit disappointed that no boat rides seemed to be happening when I visited (not sure if it's COVID or the seasons, but normally there are some boat tours), but making allowances for that, I could a couple of very filling hours for my modest admission fee. The gift shop was respectable as well, and I bought something (not that common of an occurrence for me). Parking is free and plentiful, and it's easy to walk around the town and find something to eat from here. By comparison, I'm struck with my experiences in the Charleston area, which has heavily invested in environmental and historical tourism, and Maryland's Eastern Shore, which is largely a set of gentrified McMansions that tourists bypass on their way to the beach. I probably drove or was driven dozens of times by this area without ever getting out of the car before I started exploring it during the pandemic because it was good for social distancing. For us DC area folks, the Eastern Shore is not on our radar; there's a class of people that own boats, and then there's the rest of us. But I visit this museum and the area and wonder what the best way is for all of us to enjoy the fantastic natural resources we have here.

I love a local museum that teaches you about the area. This is An excellent local history museum with a great history of the Chesapeake Bay.

Bottom Line: A great museum situated on 18 acres telling the story about life on the Chesapeake Bay and the unique history and culture of the region. One of the things I have missed most during COVID is museums. So many remain closed but the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is open with modifications. Some modifications include directional arrows, hand sanitizer throughout and the replacement of touch sensors with motion sensors. With there being a lot of outdoor space on the 18 acre campus CBMM is a natural choice for satisfying my museum craving during a pandemic. There is a lot to admire about this museum but for succintness, here is my top ten favorite things about it in no particular order: 1. The massive collection of nostalgic oyster cans. 2. The crab picking machine. I laugh every time I look at that contraption. 3. The beautiful views of the Miles River. 4. The Museum Store (gift shop). It's large with lots of goodies. 5. The lovely Freedom figurehead and her oh so 2020 cloth face covering/mask. 6. Trying out oyster tongs at Waterman's Wharf. So tricky! 7. Touring the Hooper Straight screwpile lighthouse. 8. The At Play on the Bay exhibit hall. So many fun exhibits in there! 9. The opportunity to learn about historic boats and ships of the Bay. 10. That the building where you buy tickets is an old pilot house.

Honestly, we didn't make it into the museum. My Aunt got terribly overheated during our walk to the museum and I tried to get an Uber back to our car so I could get her some AC there were no Uber drivers available so I flagged down a golf cart. I honestly can't thank Mike from the grounds crew enough for responding so quickly. He drove us back to our car and refused to accept any payment. Any museum with employees like Mike must be amazing. Thank you for your help Mike ! You're awesome!!

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is as good as museums get, especially if you love the Bay, history, boats, and other nautical notions. I came here a week or so ago on my way back to Baltimore. I hate the Bay Bridge so I drive north up to Delaware and then to 95-- St. Michael's is a great place to stop along the way. This beautiful and rural part of Maryland is endless farms and the charming town of St. Michael's. I didn't linger in town but there seems to be a lively tourist trade here full of cute shops and restaurants. As I drove home I saw a store called the Preppy Redneck, maybe that says it all. At the museum entrance, admission is $15. While this may seem like a lot I have to say that this museum is well worth the price. Not only was I pleasantly greeted by the clerk, but I was also welcomed by a docent with a map who gave me the low down on where to find things. I really liked this. I was primarily here to see an exhibition of objects that people found on the beach in the region. It was small but mighty, I thought. The best part, for me, was two printer's type boxes full of glass, marbles, doll parts, china pieces, and clay pipes, all allegedly pulled from the Chesapeake. I loved the artful arrangement of objects and was thrilled to see such cool finds. Outside, at a pavilion I watched a few young men building a boat. I saw an old, barn building full of old, small boats. I climbed up an amazing old lighthouse and found a piece of a mystery shipwreck. What an amazing place! I exited through the gift shop-- didn't find anything I had to have. I actually might want to come back here, I didn't have time to see everything. This is highly recommended for families and kids, there are lots of educational signs talking about the importance of the Chesapeake Bay and what makes it unique in the world. Thanks, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, for a lovely couple of hours.

Lots to see and learn about during the museum visit. There's definitely something for everyone! It was interesting to watch the ship builders and see the inside of the lighthouse. We especially enjoyed raking for oysters and pulling the traps up. Lots of fun!

A must see while in St. Michaels or in the Eastern Shore area. Truly gives a definition and understanding if the Eastern Shore life and how the early settlers of the seafood industry began. Great spectrum of educational exhibits for the entire family.

What a gem. Come for the history but really enjoy the amazing view from the lighthouse.

Kids had a blast exploring. We loved all the hands on exhibits. Really pretty area - lots of information. Some of the signs need to be replaced due to sun damage.

I had no idea this place even existed until I randomly searched the area on Yelp to see what was around. This place is huge and takes hours to see it all so you can pick and choose your highlights if you don't want to go overboard and spend all day here. My highlights were the boat building shop where you see a boat coming together and can talk to a carpenter, the lighthouse, the boat/cannery exhibit, and the dock where you can use the crab traps, eel traps, etc. They even have free water cooler water in the gift shop and you can park here and easily walk into town without moving your car. If you're in the area this place is a must see.

Great time at the Museum. Lots of interesting exhibits, historical stories, photos and artifacts. Shipbuilders were working as we toured the area. The lighthouse was unique and gave you insight into the experience of living in the lighthouse. Particularly enjoyed reading the biographies under each of the light keepers' photos. Leave yourself time to visit all the buildings.

The worker Chelsea was the one who did all this. The other workers were fine. I think this is not a good place to go for a field trip and it's mud everywhere its wild snakes and they force you to hold animals when you don't want to, bad customer service & The Lady was rude and she aggressively put a dirty oyster in my hand, when I said I didn't want to touch it she said she didn't care and she put it in my hand. And then when my teacher said that I didn't have to touch it then the lady said yes she does & The people here are doing way too much like they knew they didn't respect all of us and if they're not gonna respect us and let us not and then if we don't wanna hold it, we don't have to hold it so I mean it's not fair that we are. They're making us do something that we don't want to do some of us you uncomfortable about doing it and some of us just have a texture anxiety problem that's not fair they should never do that and they should have made us try to hold it because it's not fair for us to have the hold the I mean stuff that we don't want to hold and whatever else so I mean like it's gonna be a real problem if like whatever you

Great little museum, that's part outdoors and indoor exhibits. It was a great place to take pictures. When we went the weather wasn't too hot outside and was very enjoyable for the kids to run around and have fun. At the end, we went into the museum store, where the kids got some toys and I picked up a magnet for my collection.

Is place was absolutely outstanding If you need A-day trip or a get away or just wanna have some fun and learn about history try Saint Michaels Maryland

A beautiful spot that is preserving the history of Maryland's Eastern Shore. A great day-trip location that features a little something for everyone.

Awesome place to go for a weekend day trip that is for sure! I love this place - you can bring your own lunch or snacks in and eat along the more than 18 waterfront acres in this adorable historic town! Strapped for time? Check out the highlights tour - it is only 90 minutes long and literally shows you everything you need to know about crabbing/oystering/fishing along the Chesapeake - history and hands on experiences are included. Do NOT miss the "Waterman's Wharf" where you can literally pull up an eel pot, catch some blue crabs (with your hands, be careful!) and tong for oyesters - way too much fun!!! And another interactive component can be found in the building "Oystering on the Chesapeake" where you can find out exactly who is the culprit in the murder of the oysters...spoiler alert - (anyone who drove to St. Michael's is guilty!) Another great thing to note is that when you check in using Yelp - you get $3 off your admission - can you say score???

A great idea to come visit when it is warm. Because it is mostly outdoor, you are victim to the weather. Lots of nice artifacts about oyster fishing, boat racing, and boat making.

Fun time spent learning about the area's history. Enjoyed 45 minutes aboard the Winnie Estelle and a tour of the local waters.

I was visiting the area and saw this on a tourism website. We spent about 2 hours here looking at the exhibits which were fairly interesting. This would be a fun place for kids. They DO NOT have a snack bar but they do have a soda vending machine. There is a crab house next to it, but if you have small kids, bringing a picnic lunch would probably be better. The light house was cool and the staff was friendly. I would recommend this museum and return.

Great place to walk around and brush up on some eastern shore history! The buildings and docks are very well kept. Very reasonably priced for entrance fee. Can't wait to come back!

My uncle lives in the area and is a museum member, so we had a chance to stop in the last time we visited - what a great museum! Lots of very informative exhibits covering the history of the area and its ties to the bay. The lighthouse was the top attraction for me and there are plenty of signs with interesting facts about the area. It's not a gigantic museum, and the exhibits are somewhat independent of one another, so it's a good place to take kids in the event you need to bail on a visit. Also - avoid the restaurant right at the museum - it's a tourist trap, nothing more. Go to one of the many other seafood places within walking distance for a much better meal!

One of the best museums I've been to, and the kids agreed! It has exhibits on all aspects of maritime life around the Chesapeake Bay, from oysters to crabbing to lighthouse life to all kinds of boating and sailing history. I could probably spend a full week there poring through every last thing. Even dashing after kids, I got to see plenty and the twins were pretty much ready to set up shop as lighthouse keepers and never leave.

This place is a hidden gem. I'm surprised I've never heard of this place before. We had a great time at the museum. It's pretty cool and also educational at the same time. I definitely would recommend. I really enjoyed the Lighthouse. That was one of my favorites. We did the boat ride. They also had a heated boat ride. Or Air conditioned depending on the weather. They also sell adult beverages on the same cruise. For about $25.00 l think. Not a bad price l may be off a little but I think that's what she said. Oh and the indoor cruise goes for 90 minutes. We arrived right after they left. We were on a tight schedule so we opted for the outdoor boat. They had outdoor seating available and the view was great. It was pretty windy out though. Nevertheless it was a great tour. This particular boat board every hour. Oh make sure you check in with yelp to save you $5.00 per person on the admission fee for the museum. :) The drive is about an hour away from the Severn /Hanover, md area but you could make a day of it because there was a St. Michael's Winery near by to do a wine tasting. We didn't get a chance to do that but we said on our next trip that would be on the agenda. :)

This place is huge -- they say it covers 18 acres and has 10 buildings. We speculated that some of those acres may actually be in the water, but even so, it's big. I allotted a half-day for us to enjoy the many exhibits here, but it really didn't take us that long to cover it. It was reaaaaaaallllly hot, and the walk in between buildings was enough to get me sunburned, but most of the buildings were blessed with air conditioning. Truly blessed. There's a lot of information to be found here. The history of the bay, oystering, hunting, the development of the bay from a fishing center to a recreational area (I liked the older recreational boats in here). There is a large warehouse with lots of old bay boats once used for fishing and oystering. Truth be told, though, we were left a little uninspired. In part that's because some of the cool stuff wasn't described very well. For instance, in the Steamship building, there is a giant steam engine. Where is it from? When was it in operation? How did it work? I can't tell you, because none of that information was provided. The building was mostly fancy boat signage, and a display of a rather eclectic collection of stuff that had been donated to the museum. The other part of our disappointment was that none of the demonstrations were manned when we were there. There is a boat-building workshop that looked really interesting, and could have been really cool if someone had actually been in there working. There was a demonstration shack out on the pier where you could learn how to shuck oysters, try your hand at crabbing, etc., but there was no-one there. We bought tickets for a forty-five minute tour on the "Mister Jim", which was built to look like an old working boat. But Mr. Jim wasn't feeling well, and in fact didn't leave the dock all day. Maybe we caught the museum on a bad day? (The Saturday before the fourth of July? When would a good day be?) At any rate, if you'd like to come out to St. Michael's to see this museum, you probably won't need more than a few hours here. Or, you might get lucky and find the interactive exhibits more.... active.

One caveat...I was with 2 teen boys (who are more or less non-plussed about everything) and a hubby with a short attention span. It's nice that the museum is mix of the indoor and outdoor. Also great that you can return the next day for free. I think younger kids would enjoy this more and would be especially captivated by the boats, machines and outdoor exhibits.

Stopped by with my wife and there was a boating exhibition going on. We were appreciative for the free military tickets and enjoyed wandering around looking at everything.

YES! This is a fabulous museum for any age group, with plenty of hands-on activities to keep people interested and really enhance the learning. I hadn't been to this museum in years and years, and wow, it's changed. I could honestly go again and again. Each exhibit is carefully curated, with plenty of visuals to illustrate the rich history of the wonderful Chesapeake. I could have honestly spent an entire day there, as there are plenty of buildings with lots of interesting exhibits and things to see and do. Honestly, we had such a great time we're thinking of annual membership. They also have boats for sale, some of which are pretty neat!

Excellent and interesting museum! We had a great time going from building to building. The exhibits are well-presented and informative and I love that so many were interactive. My favorite was the lighthouse. I never would've guessed that there are actually three levels inside, all of which you can visit. Of course, there's a lovely view of the bay. There are picnic tables and benches under the lighthouse where you can rest in the shade or enjoy a bag lunch. Another cool thing was the artisans working on their crafts while chatting with visitors. On our visit there were net makers, decoy duck carvers, and a shipbuilder (female!). All were happily answering questions and were a nice change from the usual video accounts. Being from the DC area, I'm spoiled by the free Smithsonian museums so the $15 adult tickets seemed high. However, the ticket is good for two days which is great for anyone with little kids that may get tired and want to come back later. Discounts are offered for kids, seniors, students, and military. The entrance building has a cute little area where you can get complimentary coffee and bottled water. There's no snack bar but there is a cart where you can buy drinks and sno cones.

WOW!! A Great place to visit. Living History at it's finest! Great Historic Village representing the Ship Building, Hunting, and Fishing Industries. A real Boat Building experience. Summer Study Programs for Children, Apprenticeship Boat building opportunities, Historic Boat Tours! Decoys, Models, A Huge Collections of Shot Guns, Boats, and Fishing Lures. This is a Totally Rounded History Museum! PLAN ON SPENDING A DAY!! Remember, this is a NON PROFIT, All Proceeds go to the Bay Museum. Memberships are available, and encouraged to keep a part of Americana Alive!!!

My fiance and I had a lovely visit yesterday when we decided to go to St. Michael's for a day trip. We LOVE that they support military families by providing free admission. We loved watching the several boats being built, exploring "Thor," and poking around the exhibits. We even saw mention of our tiny town, Galesville! Beautiful location and great quality of exhibits. We will definitely be back!

Hey! I'm with the Sea Scouts sailing group ya'll recently were so great to host for a couple nights, and I just wanted to say how wonderful a time I had, thanks so much for everything, and I can't wait to again next cross paths! Thanks!

This large complex of outdoor and indoor exhibits is interesting for adults and kids alike. The interactive exhibits on crabbing and harvesting oysters kept my kids quite entertained! The lighthouse and boats immersed you in the real life of keepers and watermen of the Chesapeake Bay. I would recommend this museum to anyone visiting this area.

What a cool place, especially if you like to spend time watching the folks work on restorations of their old wooden sailing vessels. We were here yesterday watching as they pulled four logs (trees were ~150 to 200 years old) from the water - each weighing anywhere from 15 to 20,000 pounds. The logs were left in the water to keep from rotting or being eaten by bugs. Today they are continuing to strip bark, then square the logs. Some will be used for the decking and others for the 9 log hull of the Edna Lockwood, a "bugeye" built in 1889, used as an oyster dredge. Follow the restoration at http://www.ednalockwood.org

This is a really great museum. When we went, at first we thought it was going to be very cheesy and small. But it was quite the opposite. Everything there was great. Very informative. One of my favorite things was the interactive catch your own oysters. That was alot of fun! The light house was nice too. If your coming to St. Michaels, you have to go to this museum.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a charming attraction on the waterfront of the charming town of St. Michaels, MD. Like most of the eastern shore, it's real, down-to-earth, and gritty, so those of you who need to be guided and coddled, spare us all and go to DC. For those of you who are adventurous, self-sufficient, and looking for a place that both kids and adults can enjoy and explore, you have several acres of buildings and displays to see and enjoy - everything from restoration of historic boats, to a relocated vintage lighthouse, to tanks filled with crabs and other critters. If you want to learn about the history of watermen and maritime activity on the Chesapeake Bay, this is the place to do it. Special events such as boat shows, auctions, and other celebrations are especially fun and interesting. Lots of good restaurants and bars within walking distance when you're tired and need a break.

This is a great museum. At first we thought the $15 a pop admission was a little pricey, but you can easily spend the better part of the day going through all the exhibits and enjoying the view. The museum is dog friendly, which is pretty awesome. The pooch and our 1-year-old had a blast wandering around. There are multiple buildings to explore with different aspects of maritime and Chesapeake Bay history. If I was so busy chasing a toddler around, I could tell you more about the exhibits. But what I can tell you is it's a really great place for kids. Lots to see, do, and touch. Our favorite exhibits were the lighthouse, At Play on the Bay, the boat shed, and the Waterman's Wharf (where you can check if crab and eel pots or tong for oysters).

Interesting museum. Learned a lot about boats, sailing, the evolution of logs and so much more. Staff was very nice and pleasant.

We used the museum to host a corporate event. Liza, the event coordinator, was very helpful with connecting us with the caterers and other service providers, making sure the event was a success. Highly recommend this venue for events! The scenery can't be beat.

Came on a Sunday, still has open hours even in the winter. Great museum that covers all the aspects of Chesapeake Bay life. The museum is spread out over different buildings and there is more of a feeling of exploration as you move from building to building. Loved the lighthouse, duck decoy exhibit, and watching the boats leave the museum marina.