ESCAPE KEYS

Edgewater, Md.

GETTING THERE: The houseboats at Fisherman's Dock are on Cadle Creek in Edgewater, Md., 30 miles or so from Washington. From the Beltway, take Highway 50 east. At Exit 16, go south on Route 424 to Davidsonville. Take a left on Route 214 and go about seven miles into Edgewater. Make a right on Carrs Wharf Road. Fisherman's Dock is at the end of a long driveway at 1057 Carrs Wharf Rd.

STAYING THERE: Fisherman's Dock (888-426-3625, http://www.fishermans-dock.com/ ) has two houseboats to rent, with another planned for the fall. Rates range from $89 to $165 per night. The houseboats -- which are stationary -- include sheets, towels, cooking utensils, corkscrews, just about everything you need. We stayed in the Dove, not because we liked its lines better than those of the Ark. Which we did. Or because its setting was more bucolic than the Ark's. Which it is. We stayed in the Dove because that's where we were told to stay. Someone else had already rented the Ark.

WHERE TO EAT: For breakfast or lunch, try Sue's Deli (619 Mayo Rd., Edgewater, 410-798-6300). Steak and eggs sets you back $5.75. A shrimp salad sub is $7.99. For lunch, you can also try the sandwiches at the low-key Sam's Market (949 Mayo Rd., 410-798-8001), or the high-key Yellowfin Steak and Fish House (2840 Solomons Island Rd., 410-573-1333). The blackened tuna sandwich is $12. Crab salad: $18.

No doubt about it, for dinner you should stop by the Old Stein Inn (1143 Central Ave., 410-798-6807). It advertises itself as "the best of the wurst." The beef tenderloin, at $22, is very good. So is the crab soup, $7 for a cup. Lots of beer and wine choices. Tell Lee we said "hallo."

WHAT TO DO: Stop by Historic London Town & Gardens (839 Londontown Rd., 410-222-1919, http://www.historiclondontown.org/ ), a rediscovered Colonial-era town north of the houseboats. Or visit the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center , (647 Contees Wharf Rd., Edgewater, 443-482-2200, http://www.serc.si.edu/ ), a 2,800-acre preserve where you can walk along trails through woods and marsh. The Reed Education Center is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except on major holidays. If you want a crab net, try the Peninsula Farms produce and bait shop (826 Mayo Rd., 410-798-5767). If you want to simply fish, take a cane pole with you.

INFO: Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau , 888-302-2852, http://www.visit-annapolis.org/ .