Best things to do in Southern Maryland

Point Lookout State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve occupying Point Lookout, the southernmost tip of a peninsula formed by the confluence of Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River in St. Mary's County, Maryland. The state park preserves the site of an American Civil War prisoner of war camp and the Point Lookout Light, which was built in 1830. It is the southernmost spot on Maryland's western shore, the coastal region on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay. The park is currently closed for renovations.

Calvert Cliffs State Park is a public recreation area in Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland, that protects a portion of cliffs that extend for 24 miles along the eastern flank of the Calvert Peninsula on the west side of Chesapeake Bay from Chesapeake Beach southward to Drum Point. The state park is known for the abundance of mainly Middle Miocene sub-epoch fossils that can be found on the shoreline.

The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum (PRNAM) is a member-supported, privately-funded museum preserving the history and heritage of Naval Aviation and associated technology.

Our mission is to “Preserve, Educate, Inspire” by presenting the continuing story of Naval Aviation with a focus on Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (RDT&E) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Our Vision is to be a highly valued community resource providing both educational and tourism benefits to the Southern Maryland area for generations.

Located just outside Gate 1 of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the PRNAM is operated by the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association, Inc., a 501(C)3 non-profit charitable organization. First opened in 1978, the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum now spans three buildings and also includes a Flight Line consisting of one-of-a-kind aircraft and aircraft configurations unique to the Naval Test Center.

In the Exhibition Building, you can touch 20-million year old fossils taken from Calvert Cliffs; discover the ever changing world of the Chesapeake Bay; and learn how humans shaped and changed this region over time, working its waters for survival and profit. Visit the Drum Point and Cove Point Lighthouses; see our outstanding small boat collection, take a ride on the Wm. B. Tennison, a log-built bugeye, and experience the Lore Oyster House, a restored oyster processing plant. Touch a horseshoe crab or Diamond Back Terrapin, see skates, rays, and small sharks cavort, and watch otters, Bubbles and Squeak, at play. Stroll the marsh walk and spy water snakes, great blue heron, osprey, and hermit crabs in their natural environment.

We are a community museum, established in 1970 by local residents determined to preserve the maritime heritage of Solomons Island. We are an educational museum, offering everything from the pre-school programs to Elderhostel. We are a research museum, renowned for documented discoveries in Miocene paleontology, and publications on local history based on original research. We are a relevant museum, staying in the forefront of environmental issues and offering a forum for public discourse on controversial topics. We are a partnering museum, actively pursuing opportunities such as the 1812 Grand Tactical that allows us to support and celebrate other institutions.

Visit the Museum Store for jewelry, books, home decor, toys and all kinds of unique gifts for people of all ages!

During harvest of 2007, the decision was made to turn this 291 acre private farm owned by Mike Scarborough into a commercial winery.

Since then, Running Hare Vineyard has produced numerous award-winning wines, including three international gold medals.

Running Hare Vineyard continues to make major changes to the landscape of the vineyard. There is a covered tasting pavilion located outside in the vineyard where guests can enjoy wine tastings. In addition to wine tastings, there is their sister company Calvert Brewing Company where guests can also enjoy craft beer in the beer garden.

The vineyard is also an amazing venue to host a wedding or special event!

In 2010, a Tuscan - styled events villa was built overlooking the entire vineyard. This building is available for rent year round to host your wedding or special occasion!

Flag Ponds Nature Park is a nature preserve located in Lusby, Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland. It is operated by the Calvert County Department of Natural Resources. The park includes nature trails and a beach for swimmers. Fossil shark's teeth eroded from the Calvert Cliffs formation may be collected on the beach. The area included in the park was once a center for pound net fishing from the early 1900s through 1955. One fishing shanty remained until October 2012 when it burned down. It has since been rebuilt.

The fully restored keeper's dupex offers two queen beds, two twin beds, and a sleeper sofa for a total of eight guests per side. The site can be rented for three, four, or seven day periods and visitors can choose to rent one side of the duplex, or open up the privacy doors dividing the two living areas and use all six bedrooms.

All bed linens, towels, dishes, pots and pans, and utensils are included in the rental, as well as the modern conveniences of cable TV, Wi-Fi, central heat and air, a screened porch, and flat screen televisions in each bedroom and living room. These modern day conveniences combine with teh home's original cast iron radiators, hard pine floors, and eyebrow windows to create a one-of-a-kind vacation experience in this historic home.

The private, gated, four-acre site make it feel like you are a million miles from civilization, but it's just a 10-minute drive to Solomons Island - a small sailing and fishing town which offers restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. Baltimore and Washington, DC ae approximately 90 minutes away from Cove Point, making a day trip to either city an easy addition to your vacation.