Southern MD Makes it Big

With an illustrated article in the Huffington Post: Top 16 Things to Do In Unsung Waterfront Southern Maryland. My daily beat.

1. Be an archeologist for the day at Jefferson Patterson Park in Calvert County.  Being an archaeologist is a lot like being a day laborer with an especially anal particular boss. I prefer to pay other people to dig for me. Besides, I worked at Jeff Pat more years than I can remember. and I'd rather walk there than dig.

2. Hunt for ancient sharks teeth at Flag Ponds Nature Park or the Calvert Cliffs State Park. There are better places, but I won't share them with you.

3. Watch a Sea Ray hatch from its pod at the incredibly fun Calvert Marine Museum. The rays that live around here have live babies so they're just importing skate eggs from the coast. I prefer the otters, and the outboard motor exhibition.

4. Discover hidden art in trees and trunks at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Solomons. Their Christmas exhibit is nice.

5. Take a yoga class then enjoy a glass of award-winning wine at Perigeaux Vineyards and Winery in Calvert County. But bear in mind, nobody in Southern Maryland makes very good wine, so sneak in a bottle of a good cheap California vintage. Nice scenery though.

6. If still available, try the limited edition Hubble Pace Telescope 25th Anniversary Belgian Triple -- commissioned by NASA's mega space telescope -- at Scorpion Brewing.  On the other hand, they are learning to make good beer here.

7. Try out a new brew on "Small Batch Sunday" at Mully's Brewery. Like I said above.

8. Steer your boat or car to the Back Creek Inn, Solomons. There are lots of bed and breakfast place in Solomons. I wonder if HuffPo is getting a kickback. When we came to Slower MD back in 1985 we camped at Matoaka Cottages until we got our first house.

9. Pull crab traps and tong for oysters with a real "Waterman." Sorry, this is way too much like real work for me. I did this on and off for years in the name of science. Crabs pinch, oysters cut, and bait stinks.

10. Historic Saint Mary's City should be a pilgrimage site for every Catholic American. It's a always kind of fun to try to get the girls playing the era to break character. It's a good place to visit.

12. Sip "jammy" Bordeaux blend Black Drum Red and other succulent wines in the adorable "Wine Tasting Cottage" at Slack Winery. See above under wine. Why would you name a wine after a wormy fish?

11. Rent a kayak with Patuxent Adventure Center (PAC Adventures). Southern MD is full of good places to kayak. But mind the weather in summer; storms can come up quickly.

13. Have dinner at Café des Artistes in Leonardtown. Tried it once, it was good but a long drive from here.

14. Eat upscale pub food and drink a homemade beer at one of two Ruddy Duck Restaurants.  Live entertainment too. It's much better now that they have better sound insulation and acoustics.

15. Sample one of the most unique and eclectic collections of rare sodas at the very nondescript St. Inigoes General Store. I hadn't heard of this, but it sounds amusing.

16. Check in to the 28-room Island Inn and Suites, and you'll be forced to answer one question: "do want sunrise or sunset views?" The best sunrises and sunsets come off of boats.

All in all, not bad advice, albeit a little heavy on the wine. I would have included a fishing trip with a light tackle guy like Walleye Pete or Mike Starrett, or another more conventional charter like Bunkies, but I understand that's too much of a blood sport for the pansies at HuffPo.