Chesapeake Trips and Tips
Looking for a fun way to explore the Chesapeake Bay region? Interested in visiting a historic community or a nature preserve or just paddling down a river near your home? Chesapeake Trips and Tips is a weekly email highlighting interesting, unusual and off the beaten path ways to discover authentic Chesapeake places. You can sign up in the box at right.
Can’t wait to get the email? Here are a few ideas for June 2010 – with a more complete month-by-month listing also available.
Chesapeake Trips and Tips – Highlighting Interesting Events Across the Bay - June 2010
June 5-6
8th Annual Youth Fishing Derby at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. For youths 15 and under, there will be prizes, educational programs, photos, and lots of fun. Derby begins at 9:00 am at the Hog Range Pond on the Refuge. June 5th from 9 am to 1 pm. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Cambridge, MD. Call (410) 228-2677 for more information. Free.
Git along little dogies! Toddler terrapins have been tagged and prepped for their release from the Annapolis Maritime Museum back into the Chesapeake Bay. The baby terps are part of the Terrapin Institute’s Head-Start program and have spent the first year of their lives eating and growing—they’re up to 5 times bigger than their contemporaries in the wild who hibernated all winter. Come learn more about terrapin habits and habitats, and sign up to become a terrapin sanctuary. Kids will get into the action with terrapin craft activities and can take home a Turtlehead plant. Adults can sample wine from the terrapin-friendly Maryland-based Terrapin Station Winery and take home an eco-friendly box or two. Festivities on Saturday also will include the annual Wade-In into Back Creek to check on water clarity. June 5th from 10 am to 12 pm. Annapolis Maritime Museum. Annapolis, MD. Call (410) 295-0104 for more information. Free.
Visit Chippokes Plantation State Park for a weekend of summer fun. Activities include a tractor pull, classic vehicles, saw-mill demonstrations, a petting zoo, an art show and games for the children. See remote-controlled model airplane shows on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. There will be live music all weekend. June 5 and 6th from 10 am to 8 pm. Chippokes Plantation State Park. Surry, Virginia. Call (757) 294-3439 for more information. Admission fee $5, free for children 12 and under.
Learn how to paddle forward, backwards, and turn around safely in a canoe with an American Canoe Association instructor at Virginia’s Belle Isle State Park. Canoe, life jackets, and paddles provided. Children should be at least 10 years old and accompanied by an adult. Space is limited so registration is suggested. Meet at the campstore for equipment. Saturday June 5th from 2 pm to 4 pm. Belle Isle State Park. Lancaster, VA. Call 804-462-0162 for details. $5 per person, $3 per car parking fee.
June 12 and 13
Take a birding tour at Ferry Farm with Paul Nasca, a George Washington Foundation staff archaeologist and president of the Fredericksburg Birding Club. The tour will begin from the Ferry Farm Visitor Center parking lot at 8:00 a.m. and will last about 2 ½ hours. Wear good hiking boots and don’t forget your binoculars, water, sunscreen, and bug spray. Saturday June 12th at 8 am. George Washington’s Ferry Farm. Fredericksburg, VA. Tour not appropriate for children under 12. Call 540-373-3381 for details. $5 cash or check only.
Bring your own paddle craft to Parkers Creek Watershed Nature Preserve in Southern Maryland for a seven mile paddle to Flag Ponds Nature Park. This is a moderately strenuous paddle for those of you with some experience. Registration is suggested. A tee shirt, lunch, and a shuttle back to the put-in are provided. Saturday June 12th from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm. Parkers Creek Watershed Nature Preserve. Prince Frederick, MD. Call 410-535-5327 to reserve your spot. $35 per person
St. Clement’s Island is the site of Maryland’s first colonial landing in 1634. On Heritage Day, take a free boat ride aboard a wooden oyster buy boat, play heritage games, listen to music, talk to colonial re-enactors and learn about the area’s American Indian cultures. The Blackistone Lighthouse replica will be open and available for tours. Saturday June 12th from 10am to 2:30pm. St. Clement’s Island and Potomac River Museum. Colton’s Point, MD. Call 301-769-2222 for details. Free.
Park Service Historian Greg Mertz will lead this engaging canoe trip through the history of the Civil War on the Rappahannock River. As you paddle down the river, you will stop at several sites to learn about significant Civil War events. Register early and bring your lunch. This canoe trip is not appropriate for children under 8. Saturday June 12th from 9 am to 4 pm. Fredericksburg, VA. Call 540-373-3448 for details. $35/person, $75/family of four.
Huntley Meadows Park lies in a wet lowland that was carved out by an ancient meander of the Potomac River. The resulting freshwater wetland is one of the rarest habitats in the Washington D.C. area. Take a plant ecology hike through this unique environment during the peak bloom of buttonbush, swamp rose, and lizard’s tail. Search for birds and mammals that use these plants for food, shelter, and nesting. June 12, 9am – 11am. Huntley Meadows Park. Alexandria, VA. Call 703-768-2525 for more information. $6/person
July 19 and 20
Art in the Nature Park
Watercolor artist and instructor Kathleen Noffsinger will teach a 1-day plein air painting workshop at Holly Point Nature Park and Deltaville Maritime Museum. Bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy the Park. Artists will work on landscape and seascape drawings and/or paintings from scenes in the park’s gardens, boat sheds, piers and waterfront. This workshop is for all skill levels and participants may work in any drawing or painting medium. Saturday June 19th from 9:45 am to 3 pm. Holly Point Nature Park. Deltaville, VA. Call 804-776-7191 to register and receive supply list. Cost for the workshop is $50
Departing and returning from the Schooner Sultana’s home port of historic Chestertown, this two-hour public sail is a great way to see the Chester River onboard a traditional schooner. Passengers are encouraged to help raise the sails, steer using Sultana’s seven-foot long tiller, and explore the authentically reproduced crew’s quarters below-decks. Saturday June 19th, departures at 11 am and at 2 pm. Advance reservations recommended. Chestertown, MD. Call 410-778-5954 for details. Adults $30 / $15 under 12. Sorry, no children under 5.
Treat dad and granddad to a memorable Father’s Day weekend on the picturesque grounds of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. They’ll not only enjoy the largest antique boat show and festivities along the Mid-Atlantic coast but the children will delight in exciting kid’s activities. This show of restored and well-preserved classics is displayed both in the water and on land. The Festival features maritime artists, craftsmen and vendors, and a “Field of Dreams” with classic used boats, motors, and nautical flea market. This event is hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society International in cooperation with CBMM. June 18th from 11:00 to 5:00, June 19th from 10:00 to 5:00 and June 20th from 10:00 to 2:00. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. St. Michaels, MD. Call 410-745-2916 for details.
Enjoy the Rappahannock River Water Trail! Come learn river safety and then put it into practice while we tube down a section of the Rappahannock River. Plan on getting wet and wear shoes that will stay on your feet (no flip-flops). Minimum age is 8 years. Pre-registration required. Saturday June 19th from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Call 540-373-3448 for details. $15 per person or $45 for a family of four.
June 26 and 27
Sotterley Plantation is proud to partner with The Boeing Company to offer this important all day, free to the public event, as part of the 2010 Speaker Series: FREE at Last! ~ Black History Celebration! This celebration features character presentations, tours of an original 1830’s Slave Cabin, hands-on learning, children’s activities, and the soulful praising performances by the St. Peter Claver Choir at 11 a.m. and the Southern Maryland Gospel Choir at 2:00 p.m. Sotterley Plantation Education Director Carolyn Hoey will give Slave Cabin Tours featuring slave inventories, new findings from the 2009 restoration project of this important structure, and a hands-on exhibit of day to day tools and household items used by the slaves. Saturday June 26th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Sotterley Plantation. Hollywood, MD. Call 301-373-2280 for details. Free.
Paddle with the American Chestnut Land Trust and Parker’s Creek Watershed Preserve. Depart from Warrior’s Rest and enjoy a scenic tour of Parkers Creek. Reservations are required. Canoe trips are physically strenuous, requiring paddling for three hours (frequently against wind and tides), and may require participants to help carry a canoe for up to one-quarter mile over sand to access the creek. Saturday June 26th from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Parker’s Creek Watershed Preserve. Prince Frederick, MD. Call 410-414-3400 for details. $10 per person.
This canoe trip will explore the Susquehanna River near Halifax, Pennsylvania. You’ll canoe to an island in the moonlight, build a fire and roast marshmallows for s’mores. This trip is for people who have some canoe experience. Bring a flashlight and an extra layer of clothing. A limited number of canoes, paddles and life jackets will be available for use by participants. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Friday June 25th from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Wildwood Park. Harrisburg, PA. Call (717) 221-0292 for details. $25 per person includes canoes, paddles, life jackets, shuttle service, safety boaters, and snack. There will be a fee of $20 per person for those using their own canoe and $10 for a third person in a canoe.
