Dorchester County: Cambridge
Drive time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Stay here
Cambridge House Bed & Breakfast. Innkeepers Jim and Marianne Benson will give you the warmest of welcomes. Their six-guestroom, 1847 sea captain’s manor is within easy walking distance of downtown Cambridge. 112 High St., (410) 221-7700, cambridgehousebandb.com.
Eat here
High Spot Gastropub. Start with the deviled eggs, chorizo and chilies, and finish with the stout devil’s food cake. The shepherd’s pie—made with filet mignon and seafood—is treated with kid gloves. 305 High St., (410) 228-7420.
Bistro Poplar. The French cuisine is so special that many of the Eastern Shore chefs choose to come here when they dine out. 535 Poplar St., (410) 228-4884, bistropoplar.com.
To-do list
University of Maryland Horn Point Lab’s Oyster Hatchery. For a hands-on ecological experience, kids 13-16 can be biologists for a day as they participate in research at one of the largest facilities of its kind on the East Coast. Register by June 1 for summer sessions. $40. (410) 221-8423, hpl.umces.edu/hatchery.
Choptank Riverboats. Play detective while you dine on an authentic reproduction of a turn-of-the-20th-century paddle-wheeler. $60. Suicide Bridge Restaurant, 6304 Suicide Bridge Road, Hurlock; (410) 943-4689, suicide-bridge-restaurant.com.
For thrifty types
Richardson Maritime Museum & Boatworks. More than 50 Chesapeake wooden boat models represent historic and working vessels from the late-18th-20th centuries. $3 donation. 401 High St., Cambridge; (410) 221-1871, richardsonmuseum.org.
Ruark Boatworks. Observe and even participate in the actual restoration of local wooden boats. Maryland Avenue and Hayward Street, Cambridge, (410) 221-8844.
Danny Doughty Gallery. Visit one of the town’s most unusual and talented artists. Doughty creates folk-art designs, which he sells in the form of paintings, sculptures and furniture. 437 Race St., Cambridge; (443) 515-0121, dannydoughty.com.
Country Store Gallery. Owner Kevin Davidson collects all kinds of Eastern Shore memorabilia, but he’s best known for his vintage-looking, hand-painted wall-décor signs. 412 Race St., Cambridge; (443) 521-8171, backfinantiques.com.
La Grange Plantation. Take a guided tour of the 1760s Meredith House, which displays period artifacts and exhibits. Then visit the outbuildings, museum, heritage center and herb garden on your own. $5. 1003 Greenway Drive, Cambridge; (410) 228-7953, dorchesterhistory.org.
Click here to read about Talbot County.
Click here to return to Maryland Travel.
