St. Michaels

St. Michaels is in Maryland, a state in the United States of America. St. Michaels is a collage of churches, manicured colonial, federal and Victorian homes, historic heritage, diverse artistic talents, and pleasant Southern culture. It is also the proud cradle and repository of the Chesapeake's maritime history.

It's a town in constant contrast, from horse-and-buggy, steamboats, watermen's deadrises, century-old log canoes and ancient buggies to ATM's, the Internet, luxury Town Cars and fancy cabin cruisers.

It's a shopping mecca with a wide array of fashionable clothing, antique and artisan shops aimed at ardent collectors. It's a galaxy of specialty food shops (including candy and ice cream) and superb nationally-renowned restaurants destined to delight even the most demanding gourmet. Of course, succulent Chesapeake seafood, fresh from the harbors, is the regional specialty.

Understand
St. Michaels is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and is a historic waterfront town that has kept its small town character with lots of charm and Chesapeake Bay romanticism. It is a popular B&B spot or many come by boat for the good seafood and slow relaxed beauty of the place.

St. Michaels is an area rich in history. In the dark morning hours of August 10, 1813, a number of British barges had planned an attack on the town and a fort on the harbor side. The residents of tiny St. Michaels, forewarned, hoisted lanterns to the masts of ships and in the tops of the trees, tricking the British by causing the cannons to overshoot the town. This first "blackout" was effective and only one house was struck. Now known as "The Cannonball House" a cannon ball penetrated the roof and rolled down the staircase as Mrs. Merchant carried her infant daughter downstairs. The house still exists as a private residence.

St. Michaels derived its name from the Episcopal Parish established there in 1677. The church attracted settlers who engaged in tobacco growing and ship building.

In 1805, an area was set aside for a public market known as "St. Mary's Square". Here stands a bell cast in 1841 which rang at 7AM, noon, and 5PM to measure the workday for the ship's carpenters in the nearby harbor and the remains of a cannon used in the defense of the town during the War of 1812.

Movies
Moviegoers may recognize the look of St. Michaels, for the two blockbusters filmed here: The Wedding Crashers (2004) and Clara's Heart (1988).

By car
US-50 is the main route to St. Michaels, which lies about 30 miles south of the Bay Bridge. Heading south from the bridge, take a right on MD-322, then another right on MD-33/St. Michaels Rd. From D.C., the ride is about two hours; from Annapolis, one hour; from Baltimore, one and a half hours.

By boat
St. Michael's Marina +1-800-678-8980, offers dockage by reservation.

Get around
Because St. Michaels is so small, it is very easy to navigate by foot. There is even a 1.3-mile-long paved trail for walking and biking if you prefer to see a little bit of nature.

Do
Concerts in the Park run throughout the summer, Thursday nights.