Historic St. Mary’s City and other sights in Southern Maryland
Throwback to a young Stu and Kat, 2009
Historic St. Mary’s City will always have a special
place in my heart- I have so many memories there. It was my first job as a teenager; I learned all about cooking over fires, growing and preserving my own food; and Stuart and I got married in the reconstructed state house in 2009. It’s an absolutely wonderful place to visit and explore! And it’s kind of the best kept secret of Maryland. I would even say Southern Maryland as a whole is the best kept secret of Maryland!
Whether you’re a history buff or not, you’ll love Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC). Since we weren’t able to go on an actual hike for #optoutside for Black Friday (which was my original plan), we decided to go to HMCS’s Hearth and Home event, which is their special event right before they close for the winter season. We happened to have perfect weather (even though it was overcast) and had an amazing time. We visit at least a couple times every year, so we didn’t necessarily hit up all the buildings and locations, we just visited a few places where the most “Hearth and Homey stuff” was happening.
A couple things to know before you go:
- There are no restaurants at HSMC. As a matter of fact, St. Mary’s City isn’t a city at all. People who are unfamiliar with the area often times think there will be an actual city- there isn’t (the only things around are some private homes, farms, and St. Mary’s College). So eat before you go or pack a lunch. There are picnic tables everywhere and the scenery right there on the St. Mary’s River makes picnicking beautiful.
- There will be a fair amount of walking. If you’ve ever been to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, it’s similar to
Woodland Indian Hamlet, Historic St. Mary’s City
that in that it’s an “open air living history museum,” but the two museums are quite different. St. Mary’s City was more of a central hub for surrounding plantations back in the 17th and 18th centuries. Everything is fairly spread out and “rural” in appearance. But the paths are all nicely paved and they make efforts to make everything as accessible as possible.
- Dogs are allowed on leash, but they are not allowed inside the buildings or at the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation, because of the livestock.
- HSMC is closed for the Winter, so make sure you check their website before you visit if it’s toward the end of Autumn or beginning of Spring.
Start your tour at the Visitor’s Center, which is a large blue barn. Get your tickets, wander around the small museum area to get an idea of the history, and watch the welcome video, which will give you an idea of what you’ll see. 100 points to anyone who can find me in the video!!!
From the Visitor’s Center, you can walk up to see the Woodland Indian Hamlet, which is a cluster of huts and other buildings that gives a glimpse of how the native Yaocomaco people lived and worked at the time. You will also learn how the Yaocomaco helped the settlers survive their first few years in Mary’s Land. Here Tristan and Rowan learned what Yaocomaco boys their age would have done, played a game for target practice, and got to see all sorts of cool animal hides hanging up inside the longhouses.
View of the Chapel, Historic St. Mary’s City
You can also visit the reconstructed brick chapel, the Mackall Barn (oldest wooden barn still standing in Maryland) and see the other homes and outbuildings that were around at the time (which are skeletal structures that have not been fully excavated or reconstructed).
Costumed Interpreters (or actors) at Town Center, Historic St. Mary’s City
Playing in one of the skeletal structures, Historic St. Mary’s City
The Town Center is the next area you’ll come across, which has a few reconstructed buildings including a printing press, Smith’s Ordinary (a 17th century equivalent of an inn and restaurant), and Cordea’s Hope- a type of supply shop at a time and place where there were no stores. At Smith’s Ordinary we played all sorts of outdoor games- which had us all running around having a great time. The boys also got to see some costumed girls preparing a stew.
Following the path north, you’ll come across Van Sweringen’s Inn and the Maryland Dove- a reconstructed ship that made the voyage from England to Mary’s Land in the 1600s. The Dove is a great experience, you can go on the ship and explore all the areas on board. We didn’t visit The Dove this trip, but the boys always have a great time exploring the ship- their favorite part is the sailor’s living quarters- which seem more suited to fit a couple of little boys instead of grown men.
You’ll also find Farthing’s Ordinary- which is the museum’s gift shop where you can find souvenirs and other items for sale as well as bottled water and other snacks. And next to Farthing’s Ordinary is the reconstructed brick State House (where Stu and I were married).
You’ll likely want to walk back to the Visitor’s Center and drive your car down to the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation, which is based on an actual plantation and family who were not far from this location. The Plantation is one of the coolest parts of the museum, so don’t pass it by (this was where I worked). There are real gardens, tobacco fields, livestock, barns, a small house that would have been leased out, as well as the main plantation home. The Plantation is a great place to learn about the 17th century home, chores for boys and girls of all ages, and check out some really cool cows, pigs, and chickens. There are also some wide open spaces for running and exploring mother nature.
If you really take your time exploring every part of Historic St. Mary’s City, it could take you about 3 to 4 hours to see it all. But if you’re short on time, you can certainly take it all in with an hour and a half long visit (although I would not recommend that, you should take your time).
Since you’ve taken the time to travel all the way down to St. Mary’s County- here are some more places you must see to get the full Southern Maryland experience:
- St. Clements Island and Museum, which has occasional boat rides out to the island.
- Point Lookout State Park, which has a lighthouse you typically cannot enter, but playgrounds, small beach for swimming, and some hiking trails.
- Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, which has a small museum, lighthouse, and has lovely trails you can walk.
- St. Mary’s River State Park (Site 1 with St. Mary’s Lake), which has a beautiful 7.5 mile hiking or mountain biking trail around a small lake.
- Pax River Naval Air Museum– and for military folks, Patuxent River NAS offers tent sites as well as kayak rentals, fishing, beaches, playgrounds, and hiking trails.
- Calvert Marine Museum, which has a neat indoor museum on the history of Southern Maryland’s waterways, as well as the Drum Point Lighthouse which was moved from its original location and has guided tours inside it.
- Solomons Island, which has a small board walk, neat gift shops and galleries, boat rentals, and great seafood restaurants.
- And for any military folk- Visit the Solomons Island Navel Recreation Center (I guess the official name is Navy Gateway Solomons), which has tent and RV sites, cabin rentals, pool, beach with kayak rentals, mini-golf and all sorts of other activities.
There are so many great state parks in the St. Mary’s, Calvert, and St. Charles Counties, you’re sure to find great camping, hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities with a quick internet search.
