Tag Archives: Things to Do In St. Mary’s County MD

Walking Trails Southern MD

Explore the Wild Side of Historic St. Mary’s City

on our Walking/Hiking Trails

 

 

Volksmarchers elected the trail at Historic St. Mary’s City one of their Top 10 Walks in the USA for 2010.

 

Trails-pond

 

There are over five miles of walking trails at Historic St. Mary’s City.  Approximately three miles of paved walkways take visitors between the HSMC Visitor Center, the museum’s living history exhibits, and through the campus of St. Mary’s College of Maryland to the St. John’s Site Museum. During normal hours of operation, tickets are required for visitors to the living history areas.

 

Trail-1

Hikers can travel a rustic 3.2 mile path through 700 acres of natural areas without tickets.  This trail travels through woods and fields at water’s edge along Milburn Creek and the St. Mary’s River.  This hike offers numerous opportunities to discover the native flora and fauna of the tidewater region.  To help you get the most out of your walk, pick up a brochure at the trail head that includes a map and information about area wildlife, natural features, history, and some of the people who once lived in the area.

 

Both trails begin at the HSMC Visitor Center, 18751 Hogaboom Lane, St. Mary’s City then head south, away from the exhibits.

 

The natural trails at HSMC are maintained by a dedicated crew of volunteers.

 

Spyglass view of the river

We are open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Dogs are allowed on leash.

 

Official Designations include: Southern Maryland Trails Site, Religious Freedom National Scenic By-way Site, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Site.

 

For more information about museum trails, exhibits, or volunteers, e-mail info@HSMCdigshistory.org or call 240-895-4990.

St Johns Site

St. John’s Site Museum

 


The St. John’s site is one of the most important historic sites in Maryland, if not the nation. The home that was built here in 1638 for Maryland’s first provincial secretary was one of the largest enclosed spaces in the colony. It was where colonial legislators met to hammer out policies supporting the Proprietor’s mandate to separate church and state–150 years before the U.S. Constitution guaranteed religious freedom. Of the English colonies, this was the place where a woman first asked for the right to vote and where the first individual of African descent participated in a general assembly.

 

The St. John’s Site Museum preserves the foundation of the home that stood here throughout the 17th-century. Original artwork illustrates the evolution of the house, the surrounding plantation, and Tidewater earthfast architecture. Some of the remarkable artifacts that have been found at the site are on display. Exhibits dramatize the events that shaped Maryland and the nation’s first freedoms and video installations introduce individuals and colonial lifeways.  Visitors can examine the contents of a trash pit and gain a unique perspective on life in another time. State-of-the-art exhibits guide guests towards understanding the ways scholars use archaeology, historical documents, and oral traditions to decipher the past.

 

Please visit Admission & Hours for times the exhibits are open. The Museum is located in the heart of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Parking is behind the St. Mary’s College admissions office, off College Drive.

 

DigDeeperDig deeper into St. John’s Site Museum.