If you want to experience the Chesapeake Bay, but can head a bit south rather than east, southern MD has some fun options. Calvert Cliffs State park has nice beaches that you can walk along and collect sharks teeth and fossils. Solomon's Island has a fun maritime museum that includes a screwpile lighthouse on stilts in the water that you take a little skiff to. Historic St Mary's city is, like, low budget Williamsburg and also on a college campus, so you can go over to the student cafe and grab lunch. It's a pretty campus to walk around. I think there's an aviation museum at Patuxent River Naval Air station for kids that think that sort of thing is fun, but I'm not entirely sure.

Maybe you are the same poster whose kids hated Williamsburg? Did you go inside the waterfront museum or take a boat ride?

Anonymous wrote:Chesapeake Maritime Museum and quaint historic district in St. Michaels.
Car ferry to Oxford. There is a small sandy beach on the north end and a neighborhood river front park/playground in Oxford on the west side (across from the general store, which has ice cream treats.) All walking distance apart. They have a TINY museum as well. Also Schooner's Landing for lunch. Gorgeous dogwoods in spring around both those towns.
On the way - the Jetty at Kent Narrows is a fun place to stop for drinks and can be nice to sit outside for seafood and chicken fingers if it is warm out.

I love St. Michaels but just wanted to chime in and say that my kids were bored to death there. We went to a wedding in Easton a few years ago and decided to stay afterward and walk around St. Michaels and if it hadn't been for the ice cream, my kids would've been rioting. They were 6 and 4 at the time, just fyi.

My MIL liked Hemingways for lunch, she is kind of a martini drinking gal. She found it too loud and busy at Harris Crab House but I appreciated their kid's menu with free ice cream cups.
Mason's in Easton is a GREAT restaurant (try it for lunch.)

Just heard about the Exmore Diner on today's Splendid Table (radio show). Sounds like a kid friendly and tasty place to visit.
http://www.exmorediner.com/

http://origin-splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/120303/

Any DCUMers been there before? We are headed to the Eastern Shore for spring break, too and have been trying to gather travel info. Thanks for all of the other suggestions.

Chesapeake Maritime Museum and quaint historic district in St. Michaels.
Car ferry to Oxford. There is a small sandy beach on the north end and a neighborhood river front park/playground in Oxford on the west side (across from the general store, which has ice cream treats.) All walking distance apart. They have a TINY museum as well. Also Schooner's Landing for lunch. Gorgeous dogwoods in spring around both those towns.
On the way - the Jetty at Kent Narrows is a fun place to stop for drinks and can be nice to sit outside for seafood and chicken fingers if it is warm out.

the pirate cruise in annapolis is awesome especially for those ages.

Take the actual Naval Academy tour...cheap, very good, great history, plus you walk around, so it will be good for the kids. Good shops on the main drag.

Kids are 3 and 5.

How old are your kids? That will have a big impact on what you do. But here a few things to get you started in Annapolis

Visit the Naval Academy
Pirate Cruise http://www.chesapeakepirates.com/
Just walk, wander, or hop on a water taxi
Eat at Cantlers http://www.cantlers.com/

We're thinking of taking two nights to explore Annapolis and the Eastern Shore over spring break. Anybody have suggestions for good places to visit/things to do with kids?