Solomons Island
A Day by the Water Has A Relaxing Ripple Effect
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Of all the suggestions Bobby Swann has for visitors of his Chesapeake Bay community, none is more important than this: "Stop, sit down and just look at the water."
And really, there isn't much choice once you've reached Solomons Island, this narrow, mile-long town flanked by the lulling Patuxent River on one side and the sailboat-speckled Chesapeake on the other.
"Boats, boats, everywhere," Swann notes during a tour of Solomons, where he has lived for the past 10 years. (The former Maryland comptroller has resided in Calvert County -- pronounced "CALL-vert" if you ask him -- all his life.)
Just 55 miles south of the Capital Beltway, Solomons smacks of a beachy way of life: outdoor dining, seashell trinkets, one big boardwalk and a guy with a guitar doing Jimmy Buffett covers.
"I think there's a pretty broad spectrum of things that will interest people," Swann says, "whatever age you are."
Including, of course, those sparkling swaths of rippled water.
10 a.m. Breakfast at the Frying Pan ( 9825 H.G. Truman Rd., Lusby; 410-326-1125). On your drive down Route 4, hop off in Lusby for a bite at this local favorite. "I would call it a comfort-food-type place," Swann says. Read: Try the pancakes.
11 a.m. Calvert Marine Museum ( 1400 Solomons Island Rd.; 410-326-2042; $7, $6 seniors, $2 ages 5-12). "I don't see how you can come to Solomons without going to the Calvert Marine Museum," Swann says of this attraction, which is, in many ways, the heart of the community. Check out the live stingrays and otters. Then tour Drum Point Lighthouse and take a peek at the Manitou, President John F. Kennedy's yacht, which was built here.
1 p.m. Lunch and a stroll on the boardwalk. First, stop at the CD Cafe ( 14350 Solomons Island Rd.; 410-326-3877) for quick meal. (Swann is partial to the crab cakes, unsurprisingly.) Browse the shops of the island. Then hit Kim's Key Lime Pie and Coffee ( 14618 Solomons Island Rd. S.; 410-326-8469) for a slice -- or a whole pie for later. Finally, work your way to the Chesapeake Biological Lab Visitor Center ( 1 Williams St.; 410-326-7443) to check out some of the Bay research being done by University of Maryland students and faculty.
3 p.m. Mai tai time. One of Solomon's most famous establishments is the Tiki Bar ( 81 Charles St.; 410-326-4075), which attracts more than 10,000 people for its opening every April. The popcorn is salty, the drinks are stiff -- and you know where this song is going.
4:15 p.m. Annmarie Garden ( 13480 Dowell Rd.; 410-326-4640). On your way out of town, hit this enchanted forest of modern sculpture and art -- much of it on loan from the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. The 30-acre park includes a paved path to lead you through the conjoined beauty of nature and art.
