Tourist recommendations for the Baltimore/D.C. area

S

smithsc1

Member
We are planning a trip to Baltimore and D.C. to visit friends and to hit a few more of the attractions in D.C. We have the D.C. scene covered, I was wondering if there was a good place on the Chesepeake to visit, or maybe a shrine to sneak boxes in this area I could drag my wife to.

Thanks!

Scott in Leslie, MI
 
I think what you are looking for is in Havre De Grace

http://www.decoymuseum.com/

You could also go to Fort Mchenry in Baltimore if you are in to that kind of thing. If you are in to baseball Camden Yards is a nice ballpark. Baltimore itself is just kind of ok in my book. The Inner Harbor is ok but much the same type of thing you might see in other places. They have some old ships you can tour, and there is an aquarium also
, and there is a water taxi that will take you around Baltimore Harbor. I would highly recommend G&M Seafood, it is on Nursery Road off either I-695 or MD295, the absolute best crab cakes in the epicenter of crab cake eating. Prepare to wait a little bit, but it is definitely worth it.

Have a great trip!
 
If you get bored you can have your picture taken next to the Frank Zappa statute. It's identical to the one standing in Vilnius.
 
As mentioned, Havre De Grace, St. Michaels and Easton are nice. You might also hit downtown Annapolis and include a tour of the Navel Academy ... I found it quite interesting and my 11 year old son thought it was "very cool."

A little further down the road on the eastern shore is the Ward Museum in Salisbury, MD. You'll have a chance to see decoys and wildfowl art from the top names in carving, past and present. Then head over to the Ocean City area ...

A couple stops in the DC area I would definitely take in, if they aren't already on you list is, George Washington's Mt. Vernon and the new portion of the air and space museum at Dulles airport.

Headed the other direction, you could head down to the Charlottesville area and check out Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and then take in part of skyline drive.

Enjoy your trip
 
Old Town Alexandria is NDR but really nice. Some great history and restaurants, Mt. Vernon is just down the road and really cool if you are into history.

This place is my sister's father-in-law's favorite restaurant, the food and service is incredible;
https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en#
Taverna Cretekou 818 King Streethttps://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en# Alexandria, VA 22314https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en# (703) 548-8688https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en# tavernacretekou.com
 
Looks like all the big stuff has been covered. If you decide to do Havre de Grace, try to make an evening out of it. You can visit the decoy museum, walk the promenade around to the lighthouse, and have dinner on the water (both the Tidewater Inn and MacGregors are nice....and both have waterfront dining). All of it sits on the top of the bay, overlooking the Susquehanna Flats. There wont be much in the way of ducks (unless your coming in December), but the view is still nice!


I second the trips to St. Michael's Maritime Museum...lots of punt guns, dekes, and sneakboats. If you need to bribe the wife, there is excellent shopping, including lots of antique shops, in St. Mike's.

I won't start a brawl with Greg over the best crabcake (thats' a debate held regularly around here...and in Greg's defense, G&M is always on the short list), but if your looking for other suggestions, I have a crabcake recommendation for every town on the eastern end of the state! ;)

Hope you have a great visit...just bring your wallet, 'cause Governor Owe'Malley will be waiting for you!

Frank
 
Thanks a ton guys! This will be our third visit to the area. The first was to do the Capitol tourist scene (very fun). The last was to visit some freinds and carve pumpkins with their kids. This time I'm hoping to get to some of the historic hunting stuff I've read about. The crab cakes and lighthouse tour will be an ace up my sleeve for this trip (the better half loves light houses and zoos.) :)

Take care,
Scott
 
Give me a little more info on available time, preferred mode of transportation, season of the year, tolerance for crowds and interests......
 
Frank, you need to tell me a couple of your favorite crab cake joints. I only know what I know, as they say, and I am always looking to try something new.
 
Across the bridge from havre de grace, you will find the northeast decoy museum, a trove of stuff from the bygone days of fowling. Decoys, boats, equippage, and one BIG stuffed sturgeon.
 
Good call George...I can't believe I forgot about the Upper Bay Museum in Northeast. Buddy of mine from work hunts with Vernon Bryant (who has been instrumental in getting that place up and running again). Its a smaller museum, but they have some great boats, sink boxes, decoys, and tools...plus Northeast is just a nice little town for a quick visit. I've heard the Nauti Goose in Northeast is a great place to eat, although I haven't made it there yet myself.


Greg....best crabcake I've had recently was in an area called Middle River (just north of Baltimore) at a place called By the Docks (Eastern Boulevard). I sat down and asked, "How's the crabcake?"....knowing full well that every restaurant tells you they have the best ;). Turns out, they do! They's been voted Baltimore's Best for 3 years....and I had no idea. They also serve something called the Docks Club: 3-layer toast sandwich with lettuce and tomato on one layer, shrimp salad on the next, and a crabcake on the third...all for $13 bucks. I was a happy man.
 
Stumbled on the museum in North East years ago. Wasn't open when we got there, so we went and played tourist. Stopped in a antique shop and talked with a nice lady there and asked about the museum. She called someone and its was open for us.
It's a smaller museum with a ton of really neat stuff. Coming from a hunting and fishing area it was worth the trip. Very nice town and nice restaurants.
 
thanks Frank. I know middle river and will be in the area in a couple of weeks and will get over there.
 
Yeh! We are pulling out tomorrow headed east. On the agenda is: eating some blue crab with the assistance of a big mallet(sounds like a lot of fun), some time with friends, shopping at a beading store (for the Mrs.), and a trip to St. Michaels (for me.) Looking forward to a great trip, and thanks again for all the input guys!

Scott
 
Seems like visiting the Edgar Allen Poe grave and the Congressional Cemetary would be appropriate this time of year.
I'd really suggest visiting Arlington Cemetary if you can make the trip.
 
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