Visit the Chesapeake Bay via any one of its 130 gateways and trails in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC.
Gateways include parks, wildlife refuges, maritime museums, historic sites and water trails. For example:
The museum is located on the shores of Back Creek and boasts unequaled views of Annapolis Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay. Take a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, an icon of the Bay.
Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine
Fort McHenry successfully defended Baltimore from the British during the War of 1812 and is the birthplace of the United States National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key.
Launched in 1854, the USS Constellation is the last all-sail ship built by the U.S. Navy. Discover life on board this Civil War-era vessel through demonstrations and activities.
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Encompassing more than 27,000 acres on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway. Huge flocks of ducks, geese and swans migrate through the refuge in November and December. Blackwater is home to the largest nesting population of American bald eagles on the East Coast.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
The Museum’s nine exhibit buildings sit on eighteen waterfront acres offering vistas of the beautiful Miles River. Encounter Chesapeake Bay history first-hand through the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, a working boatyard, traditional craftsmen and original exhibits.
Historic St. Mary's City is the site of Maryland's first capital and the fourth permanent settlement in British North America.
At Great Falls the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. The Patowmack Canal offers a glimpse into the early history of this country.
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington was born on his father's Pope Creek tobacco farm Feb. 22, 1732. See costumed interpreters recreate the sights, sounds and smells of 18th-century plantation life.
Stratford Hall is the birthplace of Robert E. Lee and boyhood home of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, the only brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. The Plantation encompasses 1900 acres of farmlands and forests on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River.
Yorktown Visitor Center & Battlefield
Yorktown Battlefield is site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. On May 13, 1607, one hundred four Englishmen arrived in three small ships and moored them to the trees on this island. The following day the English came ashore--never to leave.
On April 26, 1607, English settlers landed here and established the first elective government in English America before pushing up the James River to establish Jamestown. The park offers a chance to explore a unique habitat featuring lagoons, large cypress trees and rare plants.
Authorized almost a hundred years ago as a multiple use park, Anacostia Park serves as a playground while protecting the natural scenery and water quality of the Anacostia River.