The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is excited to share a summer of adventure and learning on its waterfront campus with the return of CBMM Summer Camp for children ages 4-15. 

Registration for these weeklong camps that highlight the wonders of the Bay through hands-on activities, creative projects, games, on-the-water experiences, and more summer fun, is set to open on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 9am, with a two-week sign-up period exclusively for CBMM members. Open registration will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 17, and continue until camps are filled.

In 2026, CBMM will offer eight weeks of camps, beginning June 22, with a variety of offerings and themes to fit the interests and needs of our community. These camps include Sea Squirts (ages 4-6), Terrapins (grades 1-3), Summer Workshop (grades 4-6 & 6-9), and Museum Masters (grades 4-6).

Camp registration is opening about a month earlier than last year to allow the camp experience to be gifted for the holidays. Capacity is limited, so early sign-up is encouraged. Learn more about all the fun ahead and get registration details at cbmm.org/SummerCamps.

The full-day camps cost $390 per week, while the half-day Sea Squirts camp cost is $175 per week. (Note: There is special pricing for the week of Fourth of July at $316 and $140, respectively, because there is no camp on July 3.) CBMM members enjoy a 15% discount on tuition. Scholarships are available for campers with financial need.

New this year, CBMM will offer a limited-capacity aftercare program, allowing the camp day for full-day campers to be extended until 5pm with supervised care. This add-on option is $45 per week, with a 15% discount for CBMM members.

To become a CBMM member and access early registration as well as the tuition discount, visit cbmm.org/membership or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or [email protected]. 

This year, camper registration will be handled through CBMM’s ACME Ticketing registration platform, just like most of its other programming. When sign-ups begin, registration links for each camp will appear on the CBMM Summer Camp webpage. After submitting payment, there will be instructions for completing the registration process in the Campwise platform.

CBMM summer campers spend a week immersed in the Bay’s people, animals, traditions, and environment through age-appropriate lesson plans in a small-group setting. The programs are designed to blend fun and learning while taking full advantage of CBMM’s 18-acre campus along the Miles River to create a memorable camp experience. 

Open to children 4-6 years old, the Sea Squirts camp will be offered on a weekly schedule throughout the summer from 9am-noon Monday-Friday, while the full-day Terrapins camp, for children entering grades 1-3, runs from 9am-4pm.

Both camps will follow a different theme weekly, including Bay Scientists (June 22-26), Red, White, & Bay (June 29-July 2), Feathers, Fins, and Furs (July 6-10), Adventure on the Bay (July 13-17), History Hunters (July 20-24), Watershed Wonders (July 27-31), Inspiration Chesapeake (Aug. 3-7), and Chesapeake Critters (Aug. 10-14).

Geared toward older campers, the Summer Workshops offer an expansion of CBMM’s Rising Tide after-school program by mixing traditional camp fun and workshop-based projects. 

Running Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm, this program will be offered for campers in grades 4-6 all eight weeks, and grades 6-9 during the weeks of June 22, July 13, and Aug. 3. Don’t miss cardboard boat building during the week of July 13 and the Inspiration Chesapeake art camp running the week of Aug. 3.

The Museum Masters camp offers a behind-the-scenes pass to CBMM to learn all that goes into a museum and its exhibitions. Offered the week of July 20 for grades 4-6, this camp presents a unique opportunity to explore CBMM’s collection and help create a special group exhibit.

Contact [email protected] with further questions about this year’s CBMM Summer Camp offerings or to get registration support.

The culinary team from The Oaks Waterfront Hotel, led by Chef Dave Donohue, took top honors at the Oyster Stew Competition as part of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s annual OysterFest last Saturday.

During CBMM’s celebration of the Bay’s favorite bivalve, nearly 400 guests sampled five stew entries from local chefs and cast their ballots in a blind poll. The Oaks’ entry was the champion with Stew D to the delight of Donohue, who won the coveted title at OysterFest for the first time after several runner-up finishes including last year.

Donohue shared that his stew recipe is incorporated into the oyster pot pie at the resort’s restaurant, The Oak Room. The contest gives him a chance to turn up the flavors with more oysters, bacon, and sherry, aiming to impress the judges who are just sampling a few bites.

“The oyster stew contest is something all the local chefs look forward to!” Donohue said. “It’s always fun tasting everybody else’s soup and seeing old friends, but ultimately, it’s a chance to give back to the community and help support the many great works of CBMM. Oh, and the bragging rights are nice, too!”

Chesapeake Chef Service and Chef Kurt Peter landed second place with Stew A, while Theo’s Steaks, Sides & Spirits, led by Jason Huls-Miller, took bronze with Stew B. Gourmet by the Bay at the Village Shoppe (Stew C) and T at the General Store (Stew E) were also part of the fun.

CBMM was thrilled to welcome nearly 4,000 guests for OysterFest for a day of delicious food and drinks, oyster-themed festivities, and family fun. Head to flickr.com/cbmmphotos to see a selection of photos from the fall-favorite festival courtesy of volunteer photographer George Sass.

Up next, CBMM hosts the Holiday Edition of the Eastern Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10am-4pm., before closing out festival season with its Winter on the Chesapeake celebration on Saturday, Dec. 13, in conjunction with Christmas in St. Michaels. Learn more and buy tickets at cbmm.org/Festivals.

CBMM will host its annual Charity Boat Auction on Saturday, Aug. 30, inviting guests to its waterfront campus to bid on donated vessels of all shapes and sizes in support of its mission.

Dozens of boats and watercraft, ranging in size and performance, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. There will be reserves on several top-quality vessels, while the rest will be offered with no minimum.

The doors open at 8am, providing an opportunity to browse the inventory before the auction begins at 11am. For the official rules, auction details, absentee bidding protocols, and inventory updates, visit cbmm.org/CharityBoatAuction.

All registration for in-person bidding is handled on the day of the event. Registered bidders pay a $5 paddle fee. CBMM members receive free admission into the Charity Boat Auction. Non-members pay $5 until 11am and then general admission rates apply.

A Labor Day weekend staple for more than two decades, the Charity Boat Auction is the flagship event of CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation Program, which accepts and sells gently used boats year-round. Every sale directly supports CBMM’s mission to explore and preserve the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and make this resource available to all.

Many of the auction vessels are already listed online at cbmm.org/BDP. This year’s featured vessels include a 2005 Sea Ray Sundancer 300, a 1961 O’Neil Jones wood charter boat named Ruth D, a 1994 Silverton 310 Express, an antique fantail launch built in Delaware in 1900, and a like-new 2023 Compac Legacy 16, plus many more power and sailing vessels and paddlecraft.

Beginning at 8:30am, guests can also shop a flea market-style tag sale that features a variety of used boating gear. Adding to the festive scene, there will be a local food truck on hand and coffee and beer available for purchase.

Prospective buyers have several different ways to check out the inventory, starting with a preview exclusively for CBMM members on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5–7pm. To get your Member Night invitation and become a part of the Chesapeake story, visit cbmm.org/memberships or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or [email protected].

The auction boats will be listed online and available for public view at CBMM on Friday, Aug. 29, from 10am–6pm. Regular admission rates will apply until 3pm that day, and gates will open for free from 3–6pm.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited during CBMM festivals and special events, including the Charity Boat Auction.

If you have additional questions about the auction or available inventory, please contact CBMM’s Charity Boat Donation team at [email protected].

Watermen’s Appreciation Day is back at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on Sunday, Aug. 10 from 10am-4pm, inviting guests to experience the unique culture and community of the Eastern Shore.

Held in partnership with the Talbot Watermen Association (TWA) since 2010, this annual celebration honors the hardworking men and women who bring the Bay’s bounty to our tables. The festivities include a must-see workboat docking competition, live music, a locally harvested crab feast, with plenty of additional options to eat and drink, plus more fun for the whole family.

Tickets are on sale now at cbmm.org/WatermensDay, with discounted pricing for CBMM members.

“Watermen’s Appreciation Day is always special for us because it’s a chance for us to share what we do and why we do it with the community,” TWA President Jeff Harrison said. “We’ve had so much fun and made so many memories through the years, and we look forward to making this year’s event the best one yet.”

The high-energy watermen’s rodeo embodies the spirit of the festival.

Beginning at noon, this is a chance to join the crowd along CBMM’s Miles River waterfront to cheer on the “Chesapeake Cowboys,” who showcase their skill and precision while maneuvering their deadrise workboats into an assigned slip in a thrilling, timed competition. Guests are invited to grab a bleacher seat next to the iconic Hooper Strait Lighthouse or watch a livestream from the air-conditioned comfort of the Van Lennep Auditorium.

Starting at 11am, steamed crabs will be available at a cost of $40 per dozen, plus an ear of corn, served hot and fresh by local watermen. The TWA will also have hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and more available for purchase, and several local food trucks will be on hand selling a variety of Eastern Shore delicacies.

A variety of delicious drinks will be available, too. There will be beer trucks on campus serving domestic brews and local craft favorites, and the Cocktails by the Bay beverage cart will be offering a menu of refreshing crushes.

Eastern Shore legends Bird Dog and the Road Kings will provide the soundtrack for the crab picking from the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand. There will also be local arts and crafts vendors spread across campus and a silent auction in the Small Boat Shed in support of the TWA.

Children can get a taste of what it’s like to work the water with a variety of activities throughout the day, including a junior watermen crab race, baiting contest, jigger throw, and more. Plus, there will be even more family fun with inflatables set up on Fogg’s Landing sponsored by Signature Lawn & Landscape and the Phillips Wharf Fishmobile traveling aquarium on site.

In addition to these festivities, guests are encouraged to explore all the exhibitions and historic structures across CBMM’s 18-acre campus, including Waterman’s Wharf highlighting the life and work of a Chesapeake waterman and a working Shipyard dedicated to the preservation, construction, and care of traditional Chesapeake vessels.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the door. Admission is set at $22 for adults, $19 for seniors (65+) and students (17+), $10 for active and retired military members, and $9 for children ages 6 to 17, with all children 5-and-younger admitted free.

CBMM members receive discounted pricing for Watermen’s Appreciation Day and other annual festivals throughout the year. Adult member tickets are $10, and all children of members (17-and-younger) receive free admission. To support CBMM’s mission as a member and discover all the terrific benefits of membership, visit cbmm.org/memberships or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or [email protected].

All licensed watermen and their immediate families receive free admission to the festival by showing an active license at the door.

All food and beverages are an additional charge for all guests.]

During the festival, additional free event parking will be available at St. Michaels Middle/High School, with a complimentary shuttle service to and from CBMM running both days.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs must be kept at home during CBMM festivals, including Watermen’s Appreciation Day. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is also prohibited. Spectator boats wishing to view the boat docking competition from the water must remain outside the buoyed channel.

Learn more about CBMM’s full slate of upcoming events, including Bluegrass on the Bay coming on Saturday, July 26, at cbmm.org/Festivals.