MARYLAND
SAVE THE DATE
OCEAN CITY
RESTAURANT WEEK
MAY 6–20
Anytime is a great time to be on the shore but how
much better without the crowds? Why not take a few
days and visit Ocean City? Walk the boardwalk by day,
then every night visit a different restaurant, one of 25
or so offering special menus at a range of good prices.
Go for lunch, too. Seafood? You’ll find plenty of it, fresh
from Chesapeake Bay. Or if steak and burgers are your
thing, you’ll be pleasantly delighted. (Catch a free movie
on the beach after dinner starting June 25 and every
Monday and Friday night afterward through Aug. 10;
ococean.com).
410-289-6733; oceancityrestaurantweek.com
COLUMBIA
WINE IN THE WOODS
May 19–20
Talk about celebrating the rites of spring. Try wines from
30 or so Maryland wineries while you stroll in the beautiful surroundings of Symphony Woods, a 36-acre oasis
of greenery. Hungry? Some 30 food stands can satisfy
just about any craving. Then hit the crafts booths (more
than 50) and listen to blues, jazz, reggae, zydeco, classic
rock, funk and Motown to name a few, all day long on two
stages. Bring a picnic blanket, cooler and low chairs to
set up in the grass.
410-313-4700; wineinthewoods.com
Spring in
Maryland
Get out and enjoy maryland
Maryland explodes with beauty in May and June, the time to get outdoors
and explore from the Atlantic beaches in the east to the mountains in the
west. Activities and events bloom like the blanket of black-eyed susans
draped over the winning horse at Maryland’s proudest day at the races,
the Preakness (May 19 in Baltimore; preakness.com). The Delmarva
Chicken Festival, this year in Salisbury, offers a taste of Maryland’s
Eastern Shore poultry industry (June 15–16; dpichicken.org) and the
Summertime Blues Festival takes you up north
to Havre de Grace for blues on the shore
of the Susquehanna River (June 23;
steppingstonemuseum.org).
ANNAPOLIS
ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL
June 9–10
It’s a juried fine art show, but the festival goes far
beyond that to include wine tastings, food and performances in a city that is increasingly becoming known for
its arts. The festival, now in its third year, is also steps
from historic downtown, the old seaport with more 18th-
century buildings than any city in the nation. If you can’t
make it to the festival, visit another time and take in the
historic walking tours of Annapolis, given daily all summer from three locations.
800-569-9622; annapolistours.com.
410-263-4012; annapolisartsandcraftsfestival.com
Top: The Chesapeake
Shakespeare Company’s
production of Romeo and
Juliet. Left: get your brood
to the Delmarva Chicken
festival.
ELLICOTT CITY
ROMEO & JULIET
June 7-29
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, widely
acclaimed in the region and beyond, is in its 11th season
and will present the tragic love story in a truly unique
setting, among the restored ruins of the Patapsco Female
Institute Historic Park. The park’s 12 acres are the site of a
former finishing school for girls established in 1837. Buildings, in various states of ruin but structurally stabilized,
were built in the Greek-revival style and provide a perfect
backdrop for Shakespeare, especially in their partial
decay. Bring a blanket and picnic basket. Later in the
summer, the company will present Jane Austen’s Pride
and Prejudice.
410-313-8661; chesapeakeshakespeare.com
