Out the back door
The dock and the Little Blackwater
Flat, quiet tidal water right off the lawn. Three kayaks, paddles and life jackets are kept under the trees. The river is calmest at sunrise, when the herons are working the shallows.
Dorchester County, Maryland
Inside the refuge,
five minutes from town
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge begins at our property line — and downtown Cambridge, one of the best small food towns on the Shore, is a five-minute drive the other way.
Where you are
The refuge on one side, Cambridge on the other
Blackwater Bend sits inside Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which covers about 30,000 acres of tidal wetland, open water and loblolly pine and holds the largest breeding population of bald eagles on the East Coast north of Florida. The entrance to the Wildlife Drive is five minutes from the house.
Five minutes in the other direction is Cambridge, a working waterfront town on the Choptank with a good restaurant scene and a brewery in a converted fire station. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park is also five minutes away.
There is more than enough here for a week, and plenty of guests never leave the property at all.
Cambridge is still a working waterfront town.
On the property
Before you drive anywhere.
Out the back door
The pool and the lawn
The in-ground pool runs three to eight feet deep and is open from Memorial Day through October, with lounge seating and an outdoor table for ten around it. Past the pool are five acres of open lawn for yard games, children and dogs.
Out the back door
Six bikes and the farm roads
Six bikes are available to guests. The roads out here are flat and carry very little traffic, which makes for easy riding. Take the farm loop before breakfast or ride the whole way into Cambridge.
Outdoors
The refuge starts at our property line.
You're in it · Wildlife Drive 5 minutes
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
You are already inside it. The refuge begins at our property line and covers about 30,000 acres of tidal wetland, open water and loblolly pine, with one of the densest bald eagle populations on the East Coast. The Wildlife Drive entrance is five minutes away.
5 minutes
The Wildlife Drive
A four-mile paved loop through the refuge with pull-offs along the way. Eagles, herons, egrets and sika deer are common, and the first and last ninety minutes of daylight are the best times to go. Bring binoculars.
40 minutes
Hoopers Island
A narrow road running south into the Chesapeake past working crab houses, with open water on both sides. It is about forty minutes each way and best in the late afternoon.
15–25 minutes
Paddling beyond our stretch
Past our own stretch of water, the Transquaking and Chicamacomico open into miles of narrow, protected tidal creeks. Check the tide before you launch, as the creeks run very differently at high and low water.
Eat & drink
All of it five minutes away.
5 minutes
Night Kitchen Coffee Roasters
Night Kitchen roasts on Poplar Street, a few blocks off the Cambridge waterfront, and the coffee waiting in the kitchen at Blackwater Bend is theirs. Stop in for a pour-over and a pastry and take a bag home with you.
Visit site
Poplar Street, Cambridge, MD
5 minutes
RAR Brewing
Cambridge's brewery, in a converted fire station on Poplar Street. Rotating tap list, a full food menu, and a taproom with plenty of room to sit.
Visit site
504 Poplar St, Cambridge, MD
5 minutes
The Cambridge waterfront
Long Wharf sits where the Choptank opens up, with the lighthouse at the end of the pier and several good kitchens within a few blocks. Crab cakes are the local benchmark and opinions on them run strong.
History & culture
Dorchester County holds an important story.
5 minutes
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Tubman was born and enslaved in this county, and the waterways she moved through are the same ones outside your window. The visitor center is free and very well done. Allow about two hours.
5 minutes
Downtown Cambridge
Race Street and the blocks around it hold most of the town: murals, the clock tower, independent shops, and a steady calendar of street festivals, live music and second-Saturday events.
5 minutes
Richardson Maritime Museum
A small museum covering Chesapeake boatbuilding, skipjacks and the working history of the Bay, in a town that still does the work.
5 minutes
Sailwinds Park & the kite festival
Open green space on the Choptank, home to the spring kite festival and a run of events through the warmer months. An easy place to let children run for an hour.
Provisions
Stock the kitchen on the way in.
5 minutes
Groceries on the way in
Full-size supermarkets sit on Route 50 at the edge of town, the last easy stop before the turn toward the farm. Shop on the way in and you will not need to drive back out.
5–20 minutes
Buy crabs and rockfish local
Steamed crabs by the dozen and whatever came in that morning are easy to find here. Bring them back and eat at the outdoor table with a mallet and a roll of paper towels.
5 minutes
Cambridge Farmers Market
Produce, baked goods and local makers set up in the middle of downtown through the growing season. A good reason to be in town on a Saturday morning.
More to read
Longer guides in the journal
Seasonal lists, paddling routes and the places we send our own guests.
Read the journal