Unique Stays Around the Bay

Cove Point Light, Lusby, Md.

UNIQUe stays

[AROUND THE BAY]

From a historic Georgian-era farm to a tiny house made from a steamboat, here are seven sweet stays for a unique Baycation.

Take Black Walnut Point Drive all the way down to the end of Tilghman Island and you’ll come to a locked gate. Beyond that gate is one of the best secrets in the Bay: Black Walnut Point Inn. While the 56-acre sanctuary around it is owned by the State of Maryland and protected as the Naval Research Laboratory and Black Walnut Point Natural Resource Management Area, the tip of the island is reserved for the inn. The Choptank River flows to east and the Bay lies to the West, and while you can see land off in the distance—and the tilted Sharps Island Light three miles to the south—it’s too far away to matter. It feels like end of the earth, in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.

Lighthouses are beautiful from afar, but if you’ve ever been inside one, you know the interior is typically spartan, making a stay in one better in theory than in actuality. But a lighthouse keepers’ home—now that’s an entirely different story.

Cove Point Lighthouse has guarded the shoal off Lusby, Md. since 1828, making it Maryland’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse. The lighthouse is operated remotely by the Coast Guard (there’s no civilian access, except peeking through the door), but the four-acre site is managed by the Calvert Marine Museum. Every Wednesday and Sunday in season, the gate opens for tours. After the visitors leave, lucky guests can check in for a stay in the keeper’s house, a white clapboard beauty built in 1828.

The duplex-style house has been beautifully restored with modern furnishings and conveniences. Each side is a mirror of the other, with three bedrooms, two baths, a living room, full kitchen, and screened front porch. Rent one half and close the dividing wall to separate the living areas, or bring the gang and rent the entire house. In addition to the house and grounds, you also have access to Cove Point’s private beach. It’s too rough for swimming but great for sunning or combing for fossils and sharks’ teeth; we found two within 15 minutes, along with beach glass and some beautiful spiral shells.

Check-ins and check-outs are only allowed on Wednesdays and Sundays, meaning it’s a three-night stay minimum. But then you pretty much have the place to yourselves. The catch: It’s extremely popular, and already rented out for the rest of 2021. But it’s not too early to start planning for next year.

Nature Preserve

Black Walnut Point Inn, Tilghman Island, Md.

Calvertmarinemuseum.com. One side from $203/night (low season) or $265/night (summer), entire house from $370/night (low) or $610/night (summer), available via airbnb.

Proprietors Bob Zuber and Tracy Staples-Wilson have run the inn for 11 years, and make delightful hosts. The main house, with sections that date to 1840 and 1860, has three bedrooms, two screened porches, a shared living room for socializing, and a kitchen where the couple makes breakfast for their guests, included every morning from March through November. Better yet are the three park-model cabins, each identical with knotty pine walls, a cozy studio-style living room and kitchenette, a separate bedroom with a king bed, and a screened porch facing the water.

The grounds are lush with flower and vegetable gardens, fig trees, signature black walnut tree, and an eight-foot-deep swimming pool that becomes a focal point in the summer. Scattered around the point are benches and hammocks, positioned to take in the views—some east-facing for sunrise and others looking west for sunset. In the cabins, the beds all face east over the Choptank. I kept my curtains open so I could wake with the sunrise, get a glimpse of the early morning watermen doing their thing offshore, then roll over and go back to sleep—the perfect vacation indulgence.

Period Pilothouses

Cross Rip Campground, Deltaville, Va.

Idaydream of going back in time and experiencing the days when graceful steamships plied the Chesapeake. Most of these boats have been lost to time, but a tiny campground in Deltaville has turned two vintage wheelhouses into cabins perfect for a weekend of not-quite-roughing it.

California transplants Catherine Bellows and Rebecca Wondergem have owned Cross Rip, set on the easternmost tip of the Deltaville peninsula, since 2016. But it was the original owner, the late Anna “Scotty” Hoye, who founded Cross Rip in 1950 and made the steamboat cabins.

The Virginia Dare is built around the pilothouse of its namesake, which was operated by the Old Dominion Steamboat Line and the Old Bay Line in the early 20th century. The pilothouse has been turned into a bedroom with twin beds, accented by the original ship’s wheel, fuel lantern, compass box, and windows, positioned towards the water. The connecting wood-paneled living room has two more beds, a sofa, and shelves stacked with board games and vintage store finds. A galley kitchen and screened side porch round out your cozy stay.

Across the way at Nan’s Place, a red pilothouse juts out from a tidy gray cottage. Preserved from a menhaden fishing boat, the wheelhouse has a built-in daybed ideal for reading, attached to a studio with kitchenette, queen bed, and bathroom. The screened-in porch and wide wooden patio overlook a narrow cove and beach, and bonus: This one is dog friendly.

The campground has two other cabins and 46 tent-or-RV sites—many of them booked year after year by return guests who want to keep it a secret. After spending a lovely weekend there, I totally relate, so please don’t tell anyone else about it.

Dock of the Bay

Sagamore Pendry, Baltimore, Md.

Most port cities have hotels overlooking the water. But for a hotel literally on the water, head to Baltimore’s Sagamore Pendry, located on historic Recreation Pier in Fells Point.

The pier was built in 1914, and has had many purposes since, including as an immigrant processing station, an open-air recreation area for inner-city kids, and the fictional police HQ in Homicide: Life on the Streets. It sat empty for much of the 2000s, while multiple attempts to restore it fell apart due to the logistics and expense involved. Enter Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and his team, who invested some $60 million in renovations and brought in luxury hotelier Montage Hotels & Resorts to run it when it opened in 2017.

The 128-room hotel follows the footprint of the original pier, extending out into the harbor for epic views from all sides. Sitting on the balcony of my harbor-view room reminded me of being on a docked cruise ship, in a good way; I woke to the call of seabirds and watched tugs and workboats ply the harbor as I sipped my morning coffee. Interior design reflects Baltimore’s industrial heritage, with a slight Art Deco hint; think mahogany headboards, tufted leather sofas, and brass accents in the guestrooms, and in the striking main bar, exposed brick walls, iron beams, and a crows-nest upper gallery that hides a private dining room.

In warmer months, beeline to the end of the pier, where the infinity-edge pool overlooks the Domino Sugar factory. Rec Pier Chop House, run by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini, features dry-aged steaks and housemade pastas. (Don’t miss the standout linguine mezzanotte with squid-ink pasta and jumbo lump crab.) When you want to wander, Fells Point is at your feet, with shopping and restaurants along cobblestone streets, and a promenade that takes you to Canton Waterfront Park.

Ditchley Cider Works, Kilmarnock, Va.

Roots run deep in Virginia, and few places run deeper than Ditchley Farm. The rich acreage of the Northern Neck was home to Algonquian-speaking Native Americans for centuries before Chief Powhatan made the acquaintance of Captain John Smith at Jamestown in 1607. Colonel Richard Lee arrived in 1639 as secretary to the colonial governor, and soon after acquired acreage near Dividing Creek. The Georgian-style manor house built by his great-grandson dates to 1752. In 1929, philanthropists Alfred and Jessie Ball duPont purchased and expanded the property, adding a stately caretaker’s house. After them, it passed into the hands of duPont Foundation and then was left empty.

Enter Cathy Calhoun and Phil Grosklags, who purchased the 160-acre waterfront estate in 2014. Their years-long restoration has won awards for historic preservation, and today the farm is part of a conservation easement. The caretaker’s house has been turned into a cider house and tasting room, for boozy juice pressed from farm-grown apples. Across the lane, Belted Galloway cattle graze contentedly; elsewhere are hogs, ducks, and turkeys. A large lawn connects the two red-brick houses, creating an ideal space for events, be it cider tastings with food trucks and live music or estate buyouts for weddings and other celebrations.

Guests renting the Cider House get the run of the house, including the tasting room, kitchen, and four bedrooms. The more formal Manor House is usually rented as part of a buyout for weddings. Overnight stays include a true farm-to-table breakfast, and the use of kayaks and SUPs, ideal for exploring Dividing Creek from the farm’s private sandy beach. The couple is currently restoring a third house, located on the creek with a beautiful pier, which should be available by mid-August. You’re just three miles from Kilmarnock, which makes it a great base for exploring the Northern Neck.

Ditchleyciderworks.com. Cider House from $520/night via airbnb.

Modern Minimalism

Getaway, Stanardsville, Va.

Tiny houses are all the rage, as is getting off the grid. Getaway taps into both. Founder Jon Staff was a burned-out twenty-something living in a 26-foot Airstream when he had his big idea: Build collections of tiny cabins-on-wheels that encourage stressed-out urbanites to disconnect from work and connect with nature. The first outpost opened near Boston in 2016, followed by New York City, and now Getaway operates near 15 cities across the country.

The D.C. outpost, in Stanardsville, Va., has just 40 cabins on 80 acres of private land. A week before check-in, they’ll send you a reminder confirmation; then, day of, you’ll get a text with the name of your cabin and a key code for the door. Then just drive, park, let yourself in, and enjoy. Cabins range in size from 140 to 200 feet, but they have all you need: kitchenette with mini fridge and two-burner stove, a bathroom with shower, even A/C. The platform-style queen bed is placed next to a big picture window so you can enjoy your surroundings without moving, be it leafy foliage by day or starry skies at night. Outside are a picnic table, firepit with grilling gate, and two Adirondack chairs. My favorite elements are the ones that reinforce their message: a bookshelf with titles like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; a stocked campfire box with wood, for easy purchase; and the cell phone box, where you’re encouraged to stow your phone and just be where you are. (There’s a landline in each cabin in case of emergency.) Hiking trails abound nearby, Shenandoah National Park is just 10 miles away, and you’re in the heart of Virginia wine country.

In a nice touch, the company plants a tree for each Getaway booked, which has resulted in over 22,000 new trees. They also have a loyalty program, encouraging repeat visits by offering a free night for every 7 stays. I’m working on it.

Lockhouse Lodging

C&O Canal Quarters, Md. and Va.

The C&O Canal was in operation for more than 100 years, moving people and freight between Washington, D.C. and the coal country of Cumberland, Md. Lockkeepers, the unsung heroes of the era, lived alongside the canals, answering the call day and night to help barges navigate the lock system. In 1971, the entire 184-mile C&O Canal Towpath was designated a National Historic Park, making it a popular spot for biking and hiking. In a unique twist, seven of the original lockhouses have also been restored and are available for overnight stays, under the supervision of the C&O Trust.

Located at intervals from Mile Marker 5.4 to MM 108.7, the stone residences date to the early 19th century and come in varying degrees of comfort. Three of them have full electricity, plumbing, heat and A/C, while others are bare bones: just the structure and a few basic furnishings, but no electricity or running water. All houses come with an outdoor fire pit for cooking, and period-inspired décor and information that tell the story of different eras of the canal.

I stayed in Lockhouse 10, one of the cushy ones. It’s located near Cabin John, just off the Clara Barton Parkway, but it feels much more remote; you can’t hear any traffic (or get much cell service) in its spot along the towpath. Furnishings are simple, with steel-frame beds in the two bedrooms (one queen and three twins; bring your own linens), and wooden rockers and a dining table for four in the living room. Add in a full kitchen and extras like a clawfoot tub in the sole bathroom, two rocking chairs on the porch, and a picnic table by the fire pit, and it makes a perfect escape for history lovers who want to stroll the canal. The lockhouses sell out months in advance, but the experience is well worth the wait.

Canaltrust.org. Houses from $110 to $160/night, 3-night maximum stay per house.

Movie Star Yacht

Seafood, Kent Island, Md.

Here at Chesapeake Bay Magazine, we’re partial to boats, so any overnight involving one is going to be good to us. But this boat stay is designed for people who love movies—specifically, the Bill Murray classic Caddyshack. The 60-foot Striker was built in 1979, and its first outing was a cameo in the film. (You know the scene, where Rodney Dangerfield destroys Ted Knight’s sailboat, coining the phrase, “You scratched my anchor.”) Seafood was eventually sold and made its way to Maryland, where charter captain Rick Schott bought it in 2017. The owner of Chesapeake Bay Sport Fishing, Captain Rick runs fishing charters on his fleet of five boats, but this yacht stays tied to the end of a dock at Queen Anne Marina.

Like most things from the 1970s, the boat is dated, so if you’re thinking Kanye-style megayacht, think again. But the charm comes in its age. In the wood-paneled salon, you’ll find a cozy sofa and a TV, plus a retro Atari gaming set. With three staterooms (a master, a double, and two twins) and three bathrooms, it accommodates six people comfortably. The kitchenette has a small fridge and a microwave for heating up snacks, but there’s no actual cooking allowed; bring takeout with you or dine out at one of Kent Island’s many waterfront restaurants. Most people who book are big fans of the movie, says Schott, and he plays to the crowd with autographed photos of the film’s stars, a book of press clippings, and a Caddyshack DVD on hand.

I say skip the movie and head up top to the flybridge. The wrap-around sofa has ample seating, ideal for sipping cocktails and taking in the views of serene Prince Creek and Blue Heron Nature Preserve, a 300-acre protected area that’s home to namesake herons, eagles, and osprey. The boat may be old, but the twin Detroit Diesels work, so you can arrange for Schott to take her for a sunset spin for an additional fee.  Chesapeakebaysportfishing.com. Overnights available for $400/night via Airbnb.