9 Lighthouses in Maryland That You Shouldn't Miss

Climb the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac, see historic boats and maritime history in the museum, learn about the U1105 Historic Shipwreck Dive Preserve, stroll the beach, paddle about in your kayak & enjoy 6 acres of park, pier & more.

Note: Full access to the lighthouse is limited due to COVID-19. Please visit welcome.cbmm.org for details. Ascend the steps of the Hooper Strait Lighthouse and travel back in time to learn how 19th century lighthouse keepers tended their station in the middle of the Bay. Through this hands-on exhibit, visitors can climb the sea hatch, tend the huge lens, or stand watch on the lookout for ships or fog, experiencing firsthand the solitary, often heroic lives of Hooper Strait lighthouse keepers. The 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, now standing on Navy Point, was originally built in 1879 to light the way for boats passing through the shallow, dangerous shoals of Hooper Strait, a thoroughfare for boats bound from the Chesapeake Bay across Tangier Sound to Deal Island or places along the Nanticoke and Wicomico Rivers. As a “screwpile” lighthouse, it is built on special iron pilings which were tipped with a screw that could be turned into the muddy bottom for a depth of 10 feet or more.

In the Exhibition Building, you can touch 20-million year old fossils taken from Calvert Cliffs; discover the ever changing world of the Chesapeake Bay; and learn how humans shaped and changed this region over time, working its waters for survival and profit. Visit the Drum Point and Cove Point Lighthouses; see our outstanding small boat collection, take a ride on the Wm. B. Tennison, a log-built bugeye, and experience the Lore Oyster House, a restored oyster processing plant. Touch a horseshoe crab or Diamond Back Terrapin, see skates, rays, and small sharks cavort, and watch otters, Bubbles and Squeak, at play. Stroll the marsh walk and spy water snakes, great blue heron, osprey, and hermit crabs in their natural environment. We are a community museum, established in 1970 by local residents determined to preserve the maritime heritage of Solomons Island. We are an educational museum, offering everything from the pre-school programs to Elderhostel. We are a research museum, renowned for documented discoveries in Miocene paleontology, and publications on local history based on original research. We are a relevant museum, staying in the forefront of environmental issues and offering a forum for public discourse on controversial topics. We are a partnering museum, actively pursuing opportunities such as the 1812 Grand Tactical that allows us to support and celebrate other institutions. Visit the Museum Store for jewelry, books, home decor, toys and all kinds of unique gifts for people of all ages!

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse is the last surviving screwpile lighthouse in it's original location and still being used as a navigational beacon on the Chesapeake Bay. Built in 1875, it is a National Historic Landmark. It is owned by the City of Annapolis and managed by the United States Lighthouse Society. Public tours are provided on most Saturdays during the season (June until October). The 30 minute boat ride takes guests to the lighthouse where trained docents explain the history and significance of the lighthouse. The lighthouse has undergone a complete restoration over the past 15 years and is truly a very special place to visit.