I am an avid Chesapeake Bay boater; we keep our boat in a marina in North East Maryland which is the upper part of the Bay. There are so many places that I could write about, but today, I will talk about our trip (actually, several trips) to Cambria Maryland . It is roughly 2 ½ hours to drive there by car, but it is a nice drive and if you can stay the night, I have just the place for you.


On a week’s vacation, we leisurely made our way down the bay on our boat, to a beautiful marina resort called the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina . Well, if this doesn’t just say it all! The resort has a full marina, which is why we went there in the first place. We keep going back because this place has it all and makes you feel like you are a million miles from home. It is located at 100 Heron Blvd. at Route 50, Cambridge , Maryland . It is on the eastern shore and right off the main part of the bay. In between laying in luxurious lounge chairs by the infinity pool (only one of several on the premises), we played volleyball, made our rounds on the waterslide, played miniature golf, walked on the beach, ate in two of their several restaurants, worked out in the fully outfitted fitness club, sat in the hot tub, all of this and we never left the property! If this place sounds like a little piece of paradise, it is. The fully equipped marina included fuel pumps, dock hands to help you tie up, shower rooms for boaters, a marina store/gift shop and amenities that I can’t even remember to mention. You can get a better idea of what this resort offers by going to their website at: http://chesapeakebay.hyatt.com



While visiting, we crabbed right off our docks, took our dinghy boats out on the river and cruised for hours. The water is so calm there and small boats do very well on the Choptank River . If you wanted to take your trailered boat along for the trip, you would find lots to do on water as well as all the things there are to do on land. By car or boat, you can visit Annapolis and tour the Naval Academy, a place worthy of writing about on its own, you can visit Oxford , and St. Michaels and rent bikes to tour the beautiful historic scenery.


Just a short drive up the road in a town called Hurlock, MD is a place called the Suicide Bridge Restaurant and the Choptank Riverboat Company. The legend of Suicide Bridge is an interesting tale and offers to the mystery and lure of the marina and restaurant. We decided to take a ride on the Dorothy Megan, one of two of the riverboats that the company operates. On our particular cruise we enjoyed one of their crab feasts. They cover the tables with paper, wooden hammers and load them up with as many of the famous Maryland Blue Crabs that we could eat! We enjoyed the scenery of the river banks with beautiful fields, wildlife and reeds. If you would like to see the riverboat schedule, you can visit their website at http://www.suicidebridge.com . The paddle boats are fully enclosed with heating and air conditioning and schedules run from April-December. They have mystery dinner cruises, offer private party cruises and you can even get married aboard one and finish it off with a reception right on board! Did I mention that we even had a strolling accordion player while we dined? What an experience!


So if you get the chance and are looking for something out of the norm, try out Cambria, Maryland , it is well worth the trip.

- Dena Fritz