This Small Town in Maryland Is the Perfect Late Fall Getaway—and It’s Less Than 2 Hours From Washington, D.C.

Maryland’s Japanese Shore, situated an hour east of Washington, D.C., is thought for its charming waterfront cities, seafood eating places, and various wildlife. Whereas St. Michaels and Easton could also be extra well-known names within the space, there’s one other vacation spot price a go to only a brief drive away: Cambridge, a historic port metropolis on the Choptank River.

Based within the late 1600s, Cambridge has a vibrant downtown eating scene, epic outside pursuits, and a T+L reader favourite resort. It is also the positioning of Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, a serious cease on the Atlantic Flyway as birds migrate south. Each November, greater than 35,000 geese and 15,000 geese might be noticed right here. Blackwater’s 30,000 acres are house to greater than 250 chook species, together with one of many largest bald eagle populations on this planet. Guests can discover Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge by bike, kayak, or on foot, and study its storied historical past and most well-known resident, Harriet Tubman, who was born and raised on a close-by farm.

Though Cambridge has a inhabitants of roughly 13,000, it’s situated in one of the crucial rural counties within the state, a indisputable fact that lifelong resident and naturalist Matt Meredith says contributes to its authenticity.  “The tradition of the Japanese Shore is unbroken right here, from the agriculture to the working watermen to the preserved historic websites,” he tells Journey + Leisure. Meredith’s household has owned land right here because the 1600s, and he calls a go to to Blackwater, with its marshes, forests, and ample wildlife, “an opportunity to see the panorama of the Japanese Shore in full impact.”

Learn on to find why Cambridge is the proper coastal fall escape.

Greatest Accommodations & Resorts

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina

This 400-key waterfront resort is a T+L reader favourite in 2025 amongst mid-Atlantic properties. With an 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa, indoor and outside swimming pools, and a marina for on-site boating and fishing, it’s a family-friendly spot the place you possibly can reap the benefits of Cambridge’s outside adventures.

Cambridge Home Mattress & Breakfast

This 1847 sea captain’s mansion is situated within the coronary heart of downtown historic Cambridge, ideally suited for strolling to space eating places, pubs, and artwork galleries. With six rooms, expansive porches, and a full breakfast included, it makes for a comfy keep after exploring the close by points of interest.

Greatest Issues to Do

Go to Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge.

Referred to as the “Everglades of the North,” Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge is house to the most important breeding inhabitants of bald eagles on the East Coast (north of Florida). The refuge has a number of miles of mountain climbing and biking paths and 17 miles of paddling trails by its tidal wetlands. Head to the customer middle and look at a rotating show of displays, see an actual bald eagle’s nest, and see reside footage of nesting bald eagles. Whereas the customer middle is closed on Mondays and federal holidays, the outside public areas are open three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months.

Study extra about Harriet Tubman’s legacy.

Cambridge is close to the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, and her legacy lives on on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. The customer middle right here acts as a gateway to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, a 125-mile driving loop that follows historic websites alongside the Underground Railroad. A number of miles from Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, the 1830s-era Bucktown Basic Retailer is the positioning the place Tubman suffered the fateful head damage that led to her imaginative and prescient of making the Underground Railroad.

E book an journey with Blackwater Adventures.

With two places in Cambridge—one inside the perimeters of Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge and one other contained in the Hyatt Regency property—Blackwater Adventures has guided group and personal fishing, birding, and kayaking expeditions in Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge. The clothes shop additionally provides bike leases for path exploration, in addition to small boat, private watercraft, and kayak leases.

Comply with the Chesapeake Nation Mural Path.

The Chesapeake Mural Path is a sequence of hand-painted murals all through the area celebrating the tradition and historical past of the Chesapeake Bay. Greater than 20 murals—together with the award-winning “Take My Hand” work of Harriet Tubman, painted by muralist and Cambridge space resident Michael Rosato—depict Native American life, watermen tradition, and African American historical past.

Dive into native maritime historical past.

Cambridge has a wealthy maritime historical past courting to the 1600s. The Richardson Maritime Museum is devoted to preserving native maritime historical past, together with picket boat constructing strategies. There’s no higher strategy to expertise the Japanese Shore’s boating tradition firsthand than by crusing on the 45-foot-long skipjack Nathan, an genuine picket skipjack accessible for public sails or personal charters on the Choptank River.

Greatest Eating places

Black Water Bakery

Begin your morning on the family-owned Black Water Bakery, which serves mouthwatering baked items and a full menu of breakfast and lunch entrees. The menu is heavy on native favorites just like the savory crab dip, Previous Bay-rimmed bloody marys, and crab-stuffed omelets. Be sure you save room for a cup of Chesapeake Espresso Roasters espresso and a slice of coconut cake.

RAR Brewing

With 4 distinctive consuming and eating spots in a single downtown location, RAR Brewing is a neighborhood favourite with one thing for everybody. At Chessie Burger, dig into family-friendly dishes like wings, chili canines, and crabcake sandwiches. The maritime-themed Dive Membership serves tropical cocktails and regionally sourced dishes like snakehead tacos and blue cat po’boy sandwiches, whereas the Taproom is the place to benefit from the rotating lineup of IPAs and lagers brewed in-house.

Classic 414

This women-owned restaurant and specialty meals retailer is the proper spot to buy the makings for a picnic or a bottle of wine from an in depth assortment. A small seating space and bar serve a seasonal menu of small plates, soups, flatbreads, and thoughtfully curated cheese boards.

Blue Wreck

Blue Wreck is the spot for stylish entrees and craft cocktails. A speakeasy-style bar and restaurant, it has loads of native crab and seafood dishes, plus an in depth checklist of greater than 150 craft cocktails.

Greatest Instances to Go to

For bird-watchers and foliage seekers, fall is the perfect time to expertise the various wildlife and coastal websites of Cambridge. Summer season can also be the proper time for fishing and boating, from crusing the Choptank River to paddling the salt marshes of Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge. In Might, the longest-running powerboat race in America, the Cambridge Basic, takes middle stage, whereas September brings 1000’s of rivals out for Ironman Maryland, one of many solely Ironman competitions held on the East Coast.

Get There

Cambridge is situated on Maryland’s Japanese Shore, lower than a two-hour drive from Washington, D.C. The closest airport is Salisbury Regional Airport (SBY), though many select to fly into Baltimore/Washington Worldwide Airport (BWI) and make the drive throughout the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, passing by Annapolis, St. Michaels, and Easton.

Get Round

Downtown Cambridge is definitely navigated on foot, however you’ll desire a automotive to discover Blackwater Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, situated a couple of miles from city. A automotive can also be the best strategy to expertise the Underground Railroad Scenic Byway and close by waterfront cities like Easton and St. Michaels. Cambridge is simply an hour’s drive from the seashores of Ocean Metropolis, Maryland, and Assateague Island.