Best things to do in Havre de Grace

Concord Point Light is a lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland, overlooking the point where the Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, an area of increasing navigational traffic at the time it was constructed in 1827. It was built by John Donahoo who built many lighthouses in Maryland. It is the northernmost lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.
Concord Point Light is a 36ft tower that was built in 1827. It is the second oldest tower lighthouse still standing on the Chesapeake Bay. The lighthouse is constructed of Port Deposit granite. The walls are thick at the base and narrow to at the parapet. John Donahoo also built the keeper's house across the street.
The lantern was originally lit with 9 whale oil lamps with 16in tin reflectors. In 1854, a sixth-order Fresnel lens was installed. This was later upgraded to a fifth-order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse was automated in 1920.
Several members of the O'Neill family served as keepers at Concord Point from 1827 to the mid-1900s. There were other keepers not related to the O'Neills who served as well. The first O'Neill, John, defended the town of Havre de Grace by manning a cannon battery on Concord Point during the War of 1812. Local documents describe the lighthouse area as being "seriously blighted" by 1924, and apparently remained that way for many years. The lighthouse was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1975 and soon after that the lens was stolen. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Extensive restoration work began in 1979, the keeper's house has since been restored,and is open to the public as a museum. The lantern room of the tower now has a new Fifth-order Fresnel lens on loan from the coast guard that was installed in 1983. Concord Point Light is currently listed as a private aid to navigation.

Susquehanna State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located on the banks of the lower Susquehanna River north of the city of Havre de Grace, Maryland. The state park's main area is on the west bank of the river; the park also manages land on the river islands and east bank. The park offers fishing, boating, camping, and of trails for hiking and equestrian use. It is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The park's Rock Run Historical Area consists of the Rock Run Grist Mill, the 1804 Carter-Archer Mansion which was once the home of mill owner John Archer, remnants of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, and the restored Jersey Toll House where fees were collected for the historic Port Deposit Bridge. The privately run Steppingstone Museum, which preserves and demonstrates Harford County's rural arts and crafts of the 1880-1920 period, is located on the park grounds.
The park offers boating and fishing on the Susquehanna, two camper loops totaling 69 campsites, and a picnic area. The park's of trails are used for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Trails include the Susquehanna Ridge Trail, which offers views of the river valley, the Land of Promise, the Farm Road Trail, and three more named trails in addition to various marked spur trails. The Lower Susquehanna Greenways Trail, which is co-located with the Mason-Dixon Trail, starts at the park and runs north along the river to the Conowingo Dam.

The Plumpton Park Zoo is located in Rising Sun, Maryland, United States, along Maryland Route 273, which is part of the Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway. The Jeremiah Brown House and Mill Site, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is also on the site.

The zoo was started by Edward Plumstead in 1985 on his family estate, initially with deer and a few domestic animals. Now the zoo is home to over 180 exotic animals of 60 different species and a professionally trained staff of zookeepers and professionals. The zoo welcomes over 85,000 visitors a year.

Hollywood Casino Perryville, a Gaming & Leisure Inc. property, opened September 30, 2010 as Maryland’s first casino. Just off I-95 at Exit 93 in Perryville, Maryland near the Susquehanna River in Cecil County, Hollywood is just 30 minutes north of Baltimore and 30 minutes south of Wilmington. The casino features over 800 slot machines, 12 traditional table games and 8 poker tables, The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grill with Free Live Entertainment every weekend, Sunset Bar and parking for more than 1,600 vehicles.

Must be 21. Please play responsibly, for help visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-522-4700. http://www.pngaming.com/Community/Responsible%20Gaming

Ladew Topiary Gardens (22 acres (8.9 ha)) are nonprofit gardens with topiary located in Monkton, Maryland. The gardens were established in the 1930s by socialite and huntsman Harvey S. Ladew (1887–1976), who in 1929 had bought a 250-acre (100 ha) farm to build his estate. The house and gardens are open April through October, weekdays and weekends; an admission fee is charged.

The grounds contain 15 garden rooms, each devoted to a single color, plant or theme, arranged around two cross axes with vistas. The axes meet in an oval swimming pool. The garden is particularly noted for its topiary, which was strongly influenced by Ladew's extensive travel in England, where he frequently went fox hunting. Ladew designed topiaries depicting a fox hunt with horses, riders, dogs, and fox clearing a hedge, a Chinese junk with sails, swans, and a giraffe, among others. It was proclaimed an "exquisite garden estate" by The New York Times. The Garden Club of America has described it as "the most outstanding topiary garden in America." The grounds also contain a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) nature walk.

The house was built in stages, starting in the late 18th century, with a mid-19th century addition and other additions in the 20th century. The oval library is particularly noteworthy, and has been called "one of the 100 most beautiful rooms in America". Both the grounds and house, which contains a good collection of antique English furniture, opened to the public in 1971.

Elk Neck State Park is a public recreation area located between Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River near the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula in Cecil County, Maryland. The state park is home to the historic Turkey Point Light and offers land-based and water-based recreation. The park is located on MD 272, eight miles (13 km) south of the town of North East, and 13 miles (21 km) south of exit 100 on I-95. It is operated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S., and the largest dam in the state of Maryland.

The dam sits about 9.9 miles (16 km) from the river mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, 5 miles (8 km) south of the Pennsylvania border and 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Baltimore, on the border between Cecil and Harford counties.

The dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir, which today covers the original town of Conowingo. During dam construction, the town was moved to its present location about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of the dam's eastern end. The rising water also would have covered Conowingo Bridge, the original U.S. Route 1 crossing, so it was demolished in 1927. U.S. Route 1 now crosses over the top of the dam.

The Conowingo Reservoir, and the nearby Susquehanna State Park, provide many recreational opportunities.

The Ma and Pa Trail is a 6.25-mile (10.1 km) multi-purpose rail trail that follows the path of the old Ma and Pa Railroad through Harford County, Maryland. It contains three linked trails, one unconnected, with plans to bridge the gap in the middle, bringing the total length to 10 miles (16 km). Both links of the trail have a variety of trail surfaces (paved, larger gravel, finer gravel), have few steep hills or hazards, and contain overlooks and bridges when necessary.

The Bel Air Trail is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) trail that runs from Williams Street in downtown to the Equestrian Center on the other side of the bypass. It passes underneath of the Maryland Route 24 (MD 24) highway, the U.S. Route 1 (US 1) bypass, and crosses Tollgate Road, where it meets the Fallston Trail. Spurs off of it connect to the Harford Mall and Liriodendron mansion, and branches out to a dog park at the end. It serves as a shortcut across town, rather than walking along highways, and contains several bridges across branches of the creek while cutting through the forested Heavenly Waters Park. Bathrooms and parking are available at each end of the trail. Horses and dogs are permitted on the Bel Air link of the path.

The Fallston Link is a 2-mile (3.2 km) segment dedicated on June 7, 2008, that runs from the Equestrian Center to the Edgeley Grove Farm area of Fallston.
The Forest Hill Trail is a third, 1.75-mile (2.8 km) link of the trail running from the duckpond at Friends Park to Melrose Lane. A tunnel is located at MD 23, but passes over a development street on the north end. Bathrooms and parking are located at each end. Dogs are allowed on the Forest Hill link, but horses are not.

As of late 2020, final preparations for construction to link the two routes into one continuous trail is underway. At the time of the original constructions, a tunnel was built underneath of US 1 in preparation, but it is unconnected to any path system. Construction for an extension from Bel Air to the Edgeley Grove area in Fallston is planned, and a 4.1-mile (6.6 km) northern link at Dooley Road, near the state line in Cardiff is under study.

The Havre de Grace Maritime Museum is situated where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It tells the story of this region’s rich maritime heritage. Teeming with numerous species of flora and fauna and having highly navigable waters, this unique environmental setting has been the perfect backdrop for generations of inhabitants - from the earliest Native Americans over 10,000 years ago, to the first European colonists in the 1600s, to today’s thriving community of the 21st century.

Our mission is to collect, preserve, document and interpret the Upper Chesapeake Bay and Lower Susquehanna River Valley.

The Museum will be closed and scheduled events canceled for inclement weather (e.g. hurricanes and snow/ice storms). Please call ahead for a recorded voicemail.

Bulle Rock Golf Course is a golf course located in Havre de Grace, Maryland. It is named for "Bulle Rock", the first thoroughbred racehorse brought to America. Bulle Rock hosted the LPGA Championship, a women's major, from 2005 through 2009.
It was designed by noted course architect Pete Dye and opened in 1998. In 2002, Manekin, LLC, Clark Turner, and H&S Properties Development Corporation purchased the golf course and surrounding land and properties from original owner, Ed Abel. The golf course has consistently won awards and hosted the LPGA Championship five times.