Assateague State Park

Maryland’s only ocean park is located on Assateague Island, a barrier island bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by Sinepuxent Bay. Two miles of ocean beaches offer swimming, beachcombing, sunbathing, surfing and fishing. The island’s bayside offers canoeing to secluded coves. The marsh areas have a variety of wildlife, including deer and feral horses. Assateague was selected by National Geographic Travel magazine in 1994 as one of the 10 best state parks in the United States.

(410) 641-2120

Crisfield

Crisfield, once called Annemessex and settled in 1663, is located on the Beautiful Chesapeake Bay off of Tangier Sound and near the mouth of the Little Annemessex River. It is known worldwide for its delicious seafood, including Blue Crabs, Oysters, and many varieties of fish. The Smith and Tangier Island ferries, along with hundreds of work boats, travel in and out of Crisfield harbor carrying passengers, oysters, crabs and other seafood. Tangier Sound, situated on one side of the peninsula on which Crisfield is located, offers one of the finest courses for sailing yachts and motor boats in the world.

(800) 782-3913

Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum

The Nassawango Iron Furnace in Snow Hill, Maryland produced pig iron between 1832 and 1850. Until better iron ore was found in the Great Lakes area and coke replaced charcoal as fuel, the furnace flourished and became a center of commerce for the area. The surrounding town of about 300 men, women and children was self-supporting and included a post office, church, boarding house and Company Store.

(410) 632-2032

J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum

The J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum is located on the waterfront at the Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD. The museum traces the history of the Lower Shore with exhibits on the beginnings of the Chesapeake Bay, the influence of Native Americans on the early colonists, seafood harvesting and processing, the history of the City of Crisfield and the evolution of that truly American art form, decoy carving and painting.

(410) 968-2501

Pocomoke Cypress Swamps

Pocomoke River State Park, with 14,753 wooded acres in the Southwestern section of Worcester County, is located between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City. The forest is famous for its stand of loblolly pine and for its cypress swamps which border the Pocomoke River, one of the northernmost stands of bald cypress in the United States. Pocomoke means black water, and there is good fishing in these waters. The river originates in the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware and flows southwesterly 45 miles to the Chesapeake Bay. The park’s combination of swamp and upland offers a great variety of plant and animal life, including white dogwood and pink laurel in the spring, river otters and bald eagles, and over 50 species of fish.

(410) 632-2566

Salisbury Zoo

One of the finest small zoos in the country, the Salisbury Zoological Park is committed to enhancing our quality of life by providing a friendly, relaxing environment where educational and recreational opportunities come together through participation and interaction. With its animals, staff, volunteers, and park-like setting, the zoo encourages an appreciation of wildlife and inspires conservation of our natural world. The zoo provides naturalistic enclosures for species native to North, Central and South America and is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

(410) 548-3188

Smith Island

Smith Island is Maryland’s only inhabited off-shore island in the Chesapeake Bay. The island is home to 350 men, women, and children who are descended from the original settlers who arrived in 1659. The original English and Welsh settlers inhabit the three villages of Smith Island, possibly Maryland’s most isolated and intact enclave of traditional culture. Families are said to be able to trace their genealogy back 12 generations. Islanders speak a distinctive dialect that they call a “backward language” - they employ certain turns of phrase that only an islander would understand correctly. The Smith Island Center includes a small museum with permanent exhibits related to the history of the Island, working on the water and the interaction of people and the Chesapeake Bay. The museum also explores the role of women in Island life, the distinctive speech patterns and means of communication which have developed on the Island, as well as special exhibits concerning Island life.

(410) 275-8819

For additional information on attractions in the Atlantic Ocean & Southern Eastern Shore Region,
please visit the following chambers of commerce and tourism bureaus:

Ocean City Chamber of Commerce
Somerset County
Wicomico County
Maryland State Chamber of Commerce