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St. Mary’s County: Where the Potomac Meets the Chesapeake
Shaped by the Chesapeake Bay and its mighty tributaries, the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers, the St. Mary’s peninsula has fostered a traditional lifestyle anchored in the natural bounty of the Tidewater. Today, Maryland’s oldest county blends a vibrant economy — it’s the state’s fastest growing region in terms of technology-related jobs — with its rural past, giving the area a unique character as well as a high quality of life.
St. Mary’s County is a short drive south of Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, so it’s just right for a family daytrip or a weekend adventure. And because it’s located on the western shore of the Chesapeake, there’s no Bay Bridge hassle!
For 375 years, from the day when 140 hardy adventurers first stepped ashore, St. Mary's County has been welcoming travelers. You’ll discover sites brimming with colonial and maritime history starting with the St. Clement’s Island Museum and Historic St. Mary’s City. Together, they tell the tale of that first landing and Maryland’s first capital.
We seem to be a nation of lighthouse buffs and St. Mary’s boasts four. Among them is diminutive Piney Point Lighthouse, the oldest light on the Potomac. The adjacent museum holds wooden boats that once plied the waters of the Chesapeake. The newest lighthouse also belongs to St. Mary’s. The original Blackistone Lighthouse burned in the 1950s, but has just been lovingly reconstructed on St. Clement’s Island by the descendents of those who once kept watch there.
The county’s strategic Bay location has given it a rich military history stretching back to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. But it was the Civil War that left an indelible mark on this area. Point Lookout State Park has a poignant and little known history as a prison camp for Confederate soldiers.
Historic Leonardtown on Breton Bay boasts a new waterfront park and an old town square. The park has transient boat tie-ups and a kayak launch, and there are great places to eat and shop around the square and throughout town. Start at the in-town galleries then venture out along the “Barnwood to Beach Glass Trail” of artists’ studios and out-of-the way farms where you’ll meet friendly folks inspired by the history and landscapes that surround them.
This friendly little county also offers over 50 fabulous festivals each year, including summer music at the Potomac Jazz and Seafood Festival and the seven-week River Concert Series at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The fall is chocked full of fun too: Enjoy the Riverside Winefest, the Blessing of the Fleet, and of course, the Oyster Festival where the fastest oyster shuckers in the U.S. compete for the national title.
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