Pride of Baltimore II to Visit Historic St. Mary’s City

Pride II will arrive in Historic St. Mary's City the afternoon of Friday, April 23, and will dock at the Maryland Dove dock. The public is invited to walk out to view Pride II Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Access to the dock and waterfront area is free for the weekend. This is also an opportunity for visitors to plan a full tour of Historic St. Mary's City. Due to COVID protocols deck tours will not be available, but there will be will be an educational shoreside display near the ship. The shoreside display and virtual programs were developed in partnership with the National Park Service, since Pride II is now the sailing ambassador for the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. Get more information and weekend scheduling.

This year, in lieu of its regular competition in Ocean City, The Ward Museum is modifying the event to include an entire weekend of exciting and educational activities. Enjoy world-class carvings in more than a dozen categories, 20+ demonstrations, lectures, studio tours, and an online auction filled with original artwork. Judging for the competition will be live-streamed on the Ward Museum’s Facebook page (@WardMuseum) All other videos will be shared on the Ward Museum’s Facebook and YouTube channels. In addition to what is listed below, there will be other exciting videos shared throughout the weekend! There is no charge for any of the virtual programming. April 23-25. Check out the exciting weekend programming.  

Though Brood X conjures up images of the eighth biblical plague or science-fiction-scale invasions, the University of Maryland Extension assures us we have nothing to lose sleep over. Read all about the life cycle of cicadas, when to expect their arrival, and whether we need to do anything to protect our plants and pets from damage. Interesting facts about the cicada emergence are available from the University of Maryland Extension and the Bay Journal. The Audubon Naturalist Society is also offering a webinar on April 22, presented by Dr. Mike Raupp, Professor Emeritus in Entomology at the University of Maryland, exploring the natural history, ecology, and behavior of the seven species of periodical cicadas indigenous to North America. Registration and more info about the webinar. 

It’s Chesapeake Week on Maryland Public Television and it’s bigger and better than ever! From April 18-24, MPT celebrates the nation’s largest estuary with a broad collection of programs and films guaranteed to inspire, entertain, and educate. New this year is Creatures of the Chesapeake showcasing aquatic animals most of us don’t normally get to see. Watch a seahorse stalk its prey, marvel at the elegance of the moon jellyfish, and listen to the distinctive foghorn sound of the oyster toadfish. And you won’t want to miss Power of the Paddle – one man’s grueling voyage across the length of the Chesapeake Bay on a stand-up paddleboard in an effort to raise money for oyster restoration. Chesapeake Week schedule, including previews of new programming and streaming of previously featured programming.

Speaking of night skies in the watershed, Pennsylvania has some beautiful clear skies, and two area astronomy groups are hosting an event in conjunction with the Zimmerman Center for Heritage in Wrightsville. At the Zimmerman Center, York Astronomical Society will be on hand with star maps to navigate the night sky. Over at Columbia Crossing, Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County will be set up in the park, talking about their telescopes and equipment they use. Younger family members can earn a patch and become a Junior Ranger Night Explorer at both sites, and scouts can earn a Night Explorer Patch or complete requirements for various badges. Free, but registration is required. May 7, 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. More information and registration.

Join birder Jim Wilson in the parking lot of Adkins Arboretum on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to track the springtime migration of birds! Please bring your own binoculars, wear a mask, and be sure to socially distance. Advance registration is required; walk is limited to 12 participants, but multiple dates are available. $5 per person. 8:00 am April 23, May 7, and May 14. Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD. More information and registration.

Join Eden Mill Nature Center after dark to search the woods for some of Maryland’s native wildlife! Learn about these incredible creatures as you call them and track them through the woods. This is an all outdoor program! $9 for nonmembers. Don’t delay, the first of three hikes has already sold out. May 7 and 8, 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm. More information and registration.

Though best known for being a critical spot during the War of 1812, this Chesapeake Bay watershed site is also home to a 350-acre lush marsh containing a variety of wetland grasses, marsh-loving shrubs, and flowers – like the unusual rattlesnake-master and the tickseed sunflower – as well as the marsh-loving mammal, the muskrat. Submit your answer. Note: Find Your Chesapeake watershed places can be found in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, New York, Washington DC, and Virginia.

Kudos to Lincoln B. for identifying last week’s quiz, described as “a peninsula with seven miles of shoreline in a major watershed river also bearing the same name of another smaller park that actually is an island” as Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, Virginia. Belle Isle is also an island in the James River in Richmond. Speaking of beautiful sunsets, Belle Isle State Park is known for its beautiful sunsets. Read all about Sunsets at Belle Isle State Park.

Photographer Michael Weiss has spent the past three decades capturing the beauty of nature on land and underwater. Whether you are in search of great photo ops or just appreciate the seemingly endless supply of beautiful scenery in the watershed, Michael suggests “there is also another world out there, one that is often overlooked.” It’s the world found between dusk and dawn. If you need inspiration to explore that world, you need look no further than Michael’s photo essay, Night Skies of the Chesapeake, featuring a sunrise in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Solomon’s Lump Light at sunset, a supermoon rising over Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, and more!

In Virginia State Parks you’ll find: 55+ miles of biking and mountain biking trails, 138 miles of hiking and biking trails, 256 miles of multi-use trails for bikers, hikers and horseback riders

Find suggestions for mountain biking trails, multi-use trails, and rails-to-trails biking. Get the scoop on electric bikes in Virginia State Parks. If you don’t have your own bike you can rent one at Kiptopeke, Claytor Lake, and Mason Neck State Parks. Everything you need to know about biking in Virginia state parks.

Head out on the water and learn firsthand the experiences of Captain John Smith's Voyage on NOAA's Chesapeake Bay interpretive Buoy System. CBIBS provides real time weather and environmental information, as well as a glimpse into living Chesapeake Bay History. You can also download the app for your Android or iPhone from the website. Note: some buoys may be offline with no data currently available.

Take a virtual tour of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail from your computer or mobile device! To help you plan your trip before you go, the Chesapeake Conservancy partnered with Terrain360 to bring you virtual tours of the trail’s great rivers. Sit back and virtually explore the Elk, James (sponsored by the James River Association), Nanticoke, Northeast, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, Sassafras, Susquehanna, and York rivers. Check out some of the Chesapeake’s special places like Werowocomoco, Fones Cliffs, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Mallows Bay. We hope to eventually bring you a virtual tour of the entire Chesapeake Trail! Explore the Chesapeake's great rivers on our website.

Help stop the spread of COVID-19 and follow all current directives from your governor and local health officials about wearing face masks and physical distancing.