At Play on the Bay explores one of the most dramatic changes to the Chesapeake Bay’s history over the last century—from the waterway as primarily a place of work to a place where people come to play. Learn about the Bay’s unique recreational story through restored boats, photographs, video footage, and more than 400 historical artifacts.
Explore an early twentieth-century canoe campsite, a boathouse and 30-foot Owens cruiser, a 1950s tackle shop, and a yacht club lounge. The exhibit chronicles historical moments, from the early tourists who traveled to the region, to the role of organized sailboat racing and cruising in community development, to the mass production and marketing of motorboats, to the founding of African American resorts and the widening access to recreation.
CBMM’s two-story exhibition building, located on Navy Point’s waterfront, offers guests extensive views of the surrounding landscape, and a rooftop deck offering new perspectives of the Miles River, St. Michaels Harbor, and Fogg’s Cove.
