Discover Talbot: History, Art and Water

Talbot is shaped by historic waterfront sites, working harbors and many miles of picturesque shoreline. Independently owned shops, galleries and restaurants give the region its own character. Several distinct perspectives can guide your trip planning: history, art, landscape and activities on the water.

Water and landscapes in different forms

The Oxford–Bellevue Ferry has carried travelers across the Tred Avon River continuously since 1683. The crossing is a practical part of trip planning; if you would like to take the ferry, check the schedule in advance.

The Pickering Creek Audubon Center is a working 450-acre farm on tidal Pickering Creek in Talbot County. The property includes old-growth hardwood forest, freshwater and brackish marshes, meadows, tidal and inland wetlands, and farmland. It also has more than a mile of shoreline along a tidal waterway. Forest, several types of wetlands and agricultural land are therefore found together on one property.

Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe offers a different landscape emphasis: it covers more than 107 acres on a ridge overlooking a broad bend in Tuckahoe Creek. Compared with the Pickering Creek property, the focus here is on the ridge and river bend, while the Audubon Center is described in terms of several named habitats. This gives you a choice of different landscape themes.

Museums, history and remembrance

The Oxford Historic District is historically significant for its connection to the development of Maryland’s Eastern Shore region. The museums also offer different focuses: the Oxford Museum devotes its exhibits to the people of Oxford, their way of life and their contributions to the United States since the 17th century. The St. Michaels Museum’s exhibits cover local business, transportation, crafts, and the history of St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred region. Together, they offer a long view of local history and a broad thematic perspective on everyday life and regional history.

The Water’s Edge Museum’s collection documents the everyday lives of People of Color in Maryland in the early 20th century through paintings, lithographs, drawings, literature and music. In Easton, the Hill tour takes you through one of the country’s oldest formerly free African American communities. The museum collection and tour offer different ways to explore history: one through several art forms, the other through a historic community.

The Academy Art Museum offers hands-on classes and workshops in painting, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, photography and writing. Offerings vary. If you would like to include a specific class in your trip plans, check the current program.

Bike tours and trips on the water

From Easton, visitors can use Talbot County’s quiet back roads for bike tours and take trips to nearby Oxford, St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. This identifies both the type of roads suited to a bike tour and possible destinations.

The rivers and creeks around Easton offer Chesapeake Bay charter trips, sightseeing cruises, and bareboat or captained charters on motorboats and sailboats. Providers and schedules vary, so check the details of a specific trip before making firm plans.

A culinary perspective on St. Michaels

St. Michaels is associated with freshly caught fish, as well as crabs and oysters from the Chesapeake Bay. This adds a culinary perspective to the historical, cultural and landscape themes for your trip planning.

Explore more destinations: St. Michaels, Tilghman Island, Easton, Frederick, Caroline County, Calvert County, Wicomico, Worcester.

For the broader travel overview: Maryland.