Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [110]
Recreation
Tour de Shore can arrange everything for a biking trip: waterfront lodging, repairs, road support, and of course, the bicycles. (114 Conner Street, 866-745-9011, www.biketds.com)
Captain Ed Farley of the skipjack H.M. Krentz takes sightseers out on trips when it’s not oyster season. He picks up passengers at the Crab Claw Restaurant at Navy Point, at 10:30 am April-October, but call him first for a reservation. The Krentz is one of the last skipjacks (oyster-harvesting vessels powered by sail) built, in 1955. See the Tilghman Island section (pages ##) for more on skipjacks. (tel. 410-745-6080, www.oystercatcher.com)
The Lucky Dog Catamaran Company will take you on a two-hour cruise aboard a 36-foot catamaran. (St. Michaels Marina, Mulberry Street, tel. 410-745-6203, www.luckydogcatamarancompany.com)
Patriot Cruises operates historic narrated cruises April-November out of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (tel. 410-745-3100, www.patriotcruises.com). Dockside Express gives historic and ghost tours by boat and foot (St. Michaels Harbor, tel. 888-31-CRUISE, www.docksidexpress.com), and Chesapeake Carriage Company offers tours of St. Michaels by horse-drawn carriage. (tel. 410-745-4011)
In the small community of Bozman, nine miles from St. Michaels, the Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary occupies a 950-acre peninsula with eight miles of shoreline and 10 miles of trails. Call for hours. (tel. 410-745-9283, www.pickeringcreek.org)
Dining
On the water: At St. Michaels Crab and Steak House, you can eat inside the 1830s rustic tavern, or out on the patio under an umbrella-shaded picnic table. The building, one of St. Michaels oldest, was originally an oyster-shucking shed. The menu says they’ll prepare almost anything you request, “even if it’s not on the menu.” There’s a raw bar, and if you order steamed crabs, they’ll cover the table with brown paper, bring big, wooden mallets, and give you instructions on opening them. (305 Mulberry Street, tel. 410-745-3737, www.stmichaelscrabhouse.com)
Nearby is the Town Dock Restaurant with its own outdoor seating and seafood, steak and vegetarian menu. Friday seafood buffet and Sunday brunch served. (125 Mulberry Street, tel. 800-884-0103, www.town-dock.com)
Crab Claw Restaurant serves Maryland blue crabs every which way with harbor views. (304 Mill Street at Navy Point, tel. 410-745-2900, www.thecrabclaw.com)
On the main drag: 208 Talbot (the name is the address) serves “innovative gourmet” dinners Wednesday-Sunday. (tel. 410-745-3838, www.208talbot.com)
Bistro St. Michaels strives to re-create a Parisian Bistro on the “left bank” of the Chesapeake. (403 S. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-9111)
Chesapeake Cove Restaurant serves up seafood, prime rib and baby back ribs. (204 S. Talbot, tel. 410-745-3300)
Madison’s West End serves American gourmet with a Caribbean twist, original artwork and live music. (106 N. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-0299)
Mezzalune Italian Ristorante is fine dining Italian-style. (205 N. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-2911, www.mezzaluna.org)
Tavern on Talbot (409 S. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-9343) and Poppi’s Restaurant are affordable, family places (207 N. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-3158).
Carpenter Street Saloon (113 S. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-5111) is actually two buildings, one a drinking establishment, the other a family restaurant; and Characters Café (200 S. Talbot Street, tel. 410-745-6206) is a bar whimsically decorated with murals of cartoon characters. It offers a full menu of seafood, sandwiches and baskets, and live entertainment Friday and Saturday nights.
See also the Harbour Inn in Lodging, below.
Lodging
There are more than two dozen inns and bed & breakfasts, from Victorian tearooms to grand waterfront hotels. Here’s just a sampling. For a full list, visit www.stmichaelsmd.org.
TIP: Most lodgings in the area offer substantial savings mid-week and off-season.
St. Michaels Harbour Inn & Marina is a waterfront