Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
4.6
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Established in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all. Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. Serving more than 75,000 guests each year, CBMM’s 18-acre campus includes a floating fleet of historic boats, 12 exhibition buildings, and changing special exhibitions, all set in a park-like waterfront setting along the beautiful Miles River and St. Michaels’ harbor.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.6
1,069 reviews
Excellent
770
Very good
231
Average
60
Poor
6
Terrible
2
Vienya
Washington DC, DC77 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
I absolutely love this museum! From the entrance it looks like a sleepy nondescript place but don’t let that fool you, for wonderful and educational exhibits await! Unlike most museums which have artifacts displayed in a building, this is an interactive ‘live’ museum. We got to see an actual shipyard with builders working on their craft, as well as boatyards with various vessels, all by the water. The lady who greeted us was lovely and gave a great overview of the different museum buildings.
The 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse was a highlight; I’ve been wanting to visit a screwpile lighthouse since seeing a PBS documentary on the lighthouses of the Chesapeake. They are hexagonal in shape and different from the round lighthouses I’ve seen in New England. It was so cool to see an actual screw that was used at the bottom of one of the seven pilings (legs) that were screwed into the soft Chesapeake Bay bottom. I also loved the boatyard with the machinery for picking and canning crab meat—I bought a photography book on the Chesapeake Bay and it was a delight seeing the real equipment in person!
My favourite was the photography exhibition featuring the works of David Harp. What stunning photos! My boyfriend, whose family has lived on the Eastern Shore for centuries, loved reminiscing about his childhood through the photos and I enjoyed listening to the stories of him crabbing and oystering with his dad.
The views of the water are very pretty and there is a relaxing boardwalk. We returned to catch the sunset—the sun sets on the opposite side but it was still a lovely view watching the fading light reflected on the the Miles River. Overall, St Michaels is a quaint and charming town and we loved our visit. Highly recommend!
The 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse was a highlight; I’ve been wanting to visit a screwpile lighthouse since seeing a PBS documentary on the lighthouses of the Chesapeake. They are hexagonal in shape and different from the round lighthouses I’ve seen in New England. It was so cool to see an actual screw that was used at the bottom of one of the seven pilings (legs) that were screwed into the soft Chesapeake Bay bottom. I also loved the boatyard with the machinery for picking and canning crab meat—I bought a photography book on the Chesapeake Bay and it was a delight seeing the real equipment in person!
My favourite was the photography exhibition featuring the works of David Harp. What stunning photos! My boyfriend, whose family has lived on the Eastern Shore for centuries, loved reminiscing about his childhood through the photos and I enjoyed listening to the stories of him crabbing and oystering with his dad.
The views of the water are very pretty and there is a relaxing boardwalk. We returned to catch the sunset—the sun sets on the opposite side but it was still a lovely view watching the fading light reflected on the the Miles River. Overall, St Michaels is a quaint and charming town and we loved our visit. Highly recommend!
Written March 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
guidebooktraveler
charlotte857 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
Spent 4 hours at the museum including the 45 min $10/pp boat ride. Excellent museum for kids and adults. Can see shipbuilding, go inside a tugboat, go up in a very unique lighthouse and enjoy scenic views, check out old crab-picking equipment and oyster boats. Loved reading about all the Lighthouse keepers! There is even more to see! Use the oyster rake to see what you can pull up! Buildings are spread out, can be hot, they sell Bottled water for $1. We got lucky enough to see at least 7 pods of dolphins in the harbor on the boat ride right by the boat. Artists painting from the museum buildings was fun to see. Great museum to tell you about the area.
Written July 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles S
Northamptonshire, UK1,041 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
My wife and I enjoyed visiting the 18 acre interactive museum following our Patriot cruise. The museum was founded in 1965 and offers visitors to see a collection of artifacts, exhibitions and vessels. The rare screw-pile hexagonal lighthouse is one of the exhibits, originally located in Hooper Strait in Dorchester County at the entrance to Tangier Sound. There is much to see and do, so at least a couple of hours are required to enjoy a good overview.
Written September 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CJ A
New Castle, DE79 contributions
Jun 2022
Make sure to call ahead and make sure the exhibits are open. We were there Friday and there was going to be a wedding. Almost everything had a sign saying that the exhibit was closed because of an event. No wedding was in progress when we were there. Everything was set up for one, but it seemed to us that we could have easily seen everything before it was apparently set to start since nothing was going on. When we actually left we did see some guests starting to arrive when we were in the parking lot. So we paid $26 just to be able to go up in the Lighthouse and see one museum. Had we known, we would've scheduled a different day - so be sure to call before going.
Written June 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tariksalama
Richmond, VA19 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Great up to date museum with lots of interactive exhibits, both indoor and outdoor displays as well as land based and marine items to view. It required a good amount of walking but was all very well marked with lots of information. Lots to see and lots to do! Would definitely recommend this museum on a rainy day as it is also close to downtown and various dining options.
Written May 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ramerog5051
Millsboro, DE210 contributions
Feb 2020
It's a big place with lots to see. I would allow a minimum of 90 minutes, but you could easily spend several hours there. I especially liked seeing how the shipwrights were constructing a boat using traditional woods and methods. We were there on a nice day in February, so we enjoyed a discounted price and not too many people to contend with. I understand that it can be quite crowded during the summer. Interesting place!
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arubaphil
Kinnelon, NJ699 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
While in St. Michaels, my wife and I visited the Maritime Museum. The museum is located on 18 acres of modern buildings, ship building barns, a lighthouse, bell tower, marina and other exhibits. You learn about the history of the Chesapeake, Native Americans, watch ships being built and repaired, yacht and boat racing, oyster and crab fishing, the lighthouse keeper's lives and so much more. It's a great visit for all.
Written August 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian A
Whiteford, MD55 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St Michaels Maryland is NOT TO BE MISSED when visiting Maryland. The museum has preserved the history of Chesapeake Bay through its people, industry, culture and lore. We visited 18 acres of exhibits in 10 buildings and enjoyed the interpretations from wonderful volunteers who helped us really relate to the Bay. Our grandson particularly enjoyed looking at all the boats and watching shipwrights preserve these wonderful relics of the past. Thankfully our admission gave us two days to explore because one day isn't enough! The lighthouse was a family favorite.
Written November 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bluebnt
Harrisburg, PA306 contributions
Apr 2022
When I planned to visit the museum, I was expecting simply a building, however this is so much more than that. Spread out is a variety of exhibits including building a boat, an old lighthouse, vintage boats as well as a more typical museum. There was lots to see and do. We were two adults, but the children we saw were having a great time with the different exhibits.
Written April 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Douglas K
Goochland, VA66 contributions
Sep 2021
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a wonderful combination of inside and outside experiences. There is so much to see and your ticket allows for you to return the next day. The Museum has something for everyone. There are many vessels to view in the water, opportunities to climb inside some boats on shore, and excellently curated exhibits indoors. We were particularly impressed by the "At Play on the Bay" building and the craftsmen work being done on "Maryland Dove." Children will love it and those of us who are children at heart will enjoy some nostalgia from our own childhood.
Written October 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you walk a couple blocks from the museum, you’ll run into the Main Street in St Michaels. Pretty easy to find. Lots of shops and great restaurants. Some are seasonal, however, and therefore not open in the winter.
Written October 8, 2020
The Town of St. Michaels and CBMM are very pet friendly. Leashed dogs are welcome on CBMM’s campus, but are not permitted during special events and festivals, with the exception of certified service dogs. Nor are they permitted inside any exhibition buildings, or on museum vessels. Clean up bags and water are available.
Written June 6, 2019
Thank you for reaching out to us on TripAdvisor. General Museum admission is good for two days and is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors (62+) and students with ID, and $6 for children 6-17. Museum members and children under six get in free, as do active military all year long.
Active-duty military personnel's immediate families also receive free general admission from Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 through Labor Day, September 7, 2015, as part of the Blue Star Museums 2015 program.
Festival admission varies. See our events tab on our website for more information.
Written April 16, 2015
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