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Wicomico County: Chesapeake Pleasure
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By Wicomico County CVB
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Maryland.com
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At the heart of the Eastern Shore lies Wicomico County, home to historic towns and picturesque fishing villages where Chesapeake traditions were born. Feast on fresh oysters, steamed crabs and other gourmet delights. Bargain for antiques or photograph the blue heron in an unspoiled refuge. Escape to a quiet beach or experience the nightlife and sophistication of an ocean resort. Share our folklore with residents who cling to old-fashioned notions of courtesy and friendliness. Capture the romance of the Bay on a graceful skipjack, North America's only fleet of commercial sailboats.
Whatever your pleasure, it's all here in Chesapeake Country. Best of all, the diverse attractions of the region are an easy day's trip away from our central location. Salisbury, Wicomico's county seat and the Eastern Shore's major city, is a flourishing business and cultural center. Our hotels and motels offer fine cosmopolitan accommodations and staff dedicated to seeing that you're right at home. Group rates, package plans, interpreters, and guide service are all available.
Less than 2½ hours away from Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Wicomico County is ideal spot for a brief interlude or an extended vacation.
Water Resources
Public boat ramps are located throughout the county: Cedar Hill Park, Coulbourne Mill Park, Leonard's Mill, Mardela, Nanticoke Park, Riverside Drive, Sharptown, Tyaskin and Wetipquin. The Nanticoke & Cedar Hill harbors provide boaters with more than 200 boat slips.
 | | The harbor at Cedar Hill Park |
Eight waterfront parks - Adkins Mill, Cedar Hill, Cherry Beach, Cove Road, Leonard's Mill, Nanticoke, Tyaskin and Schumaker offer beach areas, picnic facilities, and play areas ideal for family outings.
Fishing and crabbing are available at Bivalve and Tyaskin wharves, Cedar Hill Park, Cove Road Recreation Area, Nanticoke Park, and Wetipquin Boat Ramp in the western part of the county. Mardela Boat Ramp and the Sharptown Recreation Area in the northern part of the county. Adkins Mill Pond at Powellville in the eastern part of the county. Leonard's Mill Park, North Lake Park, and Schumaker Park provide great fresh water fishing in the City of Salisbury.
Wicomico County is blessed with nature's bounty - from an abundance of seafood - Chesapeake bay crabs, oysters, clams, flounder, and trout - to the generous harvest of farmlands. Savor an incredible array of Eastern Shore delicacies at our gracious country inns and waterfront restaurants.
History comes alive!
Wicomico County has a rich history just waiting to be discovered. Stroll through Salisbury's historic Newtown area. Visit Pemberton Hall, located in Pemberton Historical Park in western Salisbury. Built in 1741, the home and plantation are restored and enhanced with vegetable and herb gardens, orchards, and working demonstrations of cooking, meat curing, woodworking, blacksmithing, and other areas of colonial life.
You can enjoy 4½ miles of trails in the park's 234 acres. The 6 loops cross wetlands, forests, and meadows offering magnificent riverfront vistas. A trail guide is available in the contact building adjacent to the parking lot. Other opportunities include environmental education, nature study, bird watching, historical interpretation, and the many special events held at Pemberton Historical Park.
The Wicomico Heritage Center, although not associated with Pemberton Hall, is also located in Pemberton Park, and has a fascinating array of historic items indigenous to Wicomico County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The center's exterior resembles an 18th century barn with beaded cedar siding. Tours of the hall and center are conducted Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Spend an afternoon with the animals!
Founded by the City of Salisbury, Maryland to further animal awareness, the Salisbury Zoo provides naturalistic habitats for almost 400 mammals, birds and reptiles native to North, Central and South America. The Zoo's major exhibits include Speckled Bears, Spider Monkeys, Jaguars, Bison, Bald Eagles and one of the nations finest waterfowl collections. The compact 12 acre Zoo is nestled on the banks of a branch of the Wicomico River. Shade trees, exotic plantings, and the wildlife offer a cool, peaceful setting for family outings. . . for an hour or an afternoon. Benches and restrooms are provides for your comfort, and picnic and playground facilities adjoin the Zoo in the City Park.
For those who like their wildlife tame, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art has the most comprehensive collection of wildlife carving in the world! The museum includes a video presentation to the art form of wildlife decoys, related exhibits, several gallerys showcasing decoy art, and a shop with original art, unique gifts, books, and carvings.
Bird watching is a popular activity at many of the Wicomico County parks. Over 200 species have been documented as both resident and migrating through Pemberton Historical Park. A guide to the birds on record is available in the contact building at Pemberton. Other parks in the county provide excellent birding opportunities. Hawks, ospreys, bald eagles, and a variety of wading birds stalk the shoreline at the parks near fishing wharfs. For the experienced birder, Winterplace Park, Cedar Hill Park, and Adkins Mill Park provide a diversity of wetlands and wooded trails for viewing interior species.
Bicycling opportunities abound!
From bayside to seaside, through forests and farmlands, down backroads and rivers, Maryland's southern Eastern Shore is a cyclist's dream. The sightseeing opportunities are endless - and wonderfully accessible. The gentle terrain (flat!), excellent roads with wide shoulders, and little or no traffic are ideal - taking you to the curious outposts of history and wilderness that make this peninsula so unique. There are rides to suit everyone, from 8 to 100 miles. Tour riders can choose fascinating town or country short hops and the hammers can go for the hard, fast, long ones. The less-traveled back roads and challenging forests and beach trails are great escapes for the more adventuresome.
Salisbury, your starting point, is the heart of it all. Within a 50-mile radius lie the famous Chesapeake harbor towns... one of America's most unusual scenic rivers... Assateague Island and 18th century mansions. Along the way, you'll discover friendly, quaint towns, each with its particular museums, landmarks, shopping and refreshment. In Salisbury itself, you'll enjoy the finest accommodations (including many national chains) and dining, as well as the city's own outstanding attractions.
Added fun for the whole family!
Visit Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, the state-of-the-art home of the Delmarva Shorebirds. The Shorebirds are a minor league class "A" team affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles, and a member of the South Atlantic League. With a seating capacity of 5,400, seventy one home games are scheduled between April and September. A playground and carousel offer plenty of "extras" for the kids. Free parking at all games, and food is available on each of the three levels. The stadium is also available for suitable public events.
 | | Wicomico Equestrian Center |
The Wicomico Equestrian Center, located on Route 50 just east of Salisbury, includes two grass rings, a sand ring, 32 horse stalls, exhibitor booths, electrical hook-ups, ample parking and trails for riding enthusuasts. The center hosts horse shows from early May until mid-September.
The Wicomico Youth and Civic Center is located in Salisbury, Maryland, serving 400,000 people within its primary market on the Eastern Shore. Just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, it's a short 125 to 150 mile drive from such major markets as Norfolk, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Yet, Salisbury is a completely separate and distinctly different market offering its own major networks and media--a perfect routing date along the Eastern Corridor that is close to so many major cities, yet comprises its own thriving market.
The possibilities are all here. Whether your tastes lean toward the active and sophisticated or the tranquil and relaxing, we can help deliver the holiday you're dreaming about. Discover Wicomico County . . . your key to Chesapeake pleasures.
(A similar version of this article was prepared by the Wicomico County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is reprinted here with permission.)
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