Museums

St. Michaels is home to three fine museums.

CBMM_LighthouseWarmLightChesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

On the scenic St. Michaels harbor, on a piece of land called Navy Point, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum beckons you to learn about the culture, history, and science of the Bay as you stroll its grounds and exhibits. Interactive education programs and events allow visitors of all ages — sailors, families, schoolkids, and more — to experience life on the Chesapeake Bay.

  • See the view from atop the 1879 Hooper Straight screw-pile lighthouse
  • Climb aboard an indigenous sailing vessel
  • Try your hand at tonging for oysters and catching blue crabs
  • Watch a restoration in the working boat yard

Classic Motor Museum of St. Michaels

The Classic Motor Museum is a living museum so while some of our vehicles are old, they aren’t gathering dust. Our collection rotates regularly so there is always something new to see. Here you will find motoring classics of all kinds, from antique farm tractors to fine examples of the cars that have fueled American’s love affair with the automobile. Above all, we are dedicated to educating the next generation of technicians trained in the art of classic vehicle restoration and maintenance. Our members enjoy seminars, private events and tours, plus access to an extensive library of automotive repair manuals, magazines and catalogs.

We invite you to be a part of the unique experience that is the Classic Motor Museum of St. Michaels.


St Michaels Museum Teetotum photo at St Mary's Square shared by Mr Fones from St Michaels MuseumSt. Michaels Museum at St. Mary’s Square

St. Michaels Museum is located on historic St. Mary’s Square, the center piece of the 1778 town plan created by James Braddock. Three St. Michaels’ buildings have been preserved on the Museum’s campus – a commercial Teetotum, the Sewell House and the Chaney House built in 1851 by three African American brothers. The fascinating exhibits in these buildings inform visitors of how life in St. Michaels has changed over the centuries. The Museum also features two docent-led walking tours which are a highlight of any visit to St. Michaels:

  • Historic St. Michaels: People, Places, and Events – describing the town’s evolution from a shipbuilding center, the site of two significant battles during the War of 1812, and its transformation into a major seafood processing hub.
  • The St. Michaels of Frederick Douglass – relates the story of his eleven years on the Eastern Shore as an enslaved youth, the experiences from which become core pieces of the most powerful slave narrative in American history. The tour shows the places in St. Michaels featured prominently in Douglass’s autobiographies.

Link to St. Michaels tour: https://www.stmichaelsmuseum.org/tours/historic-st-michaels

Link to Douglass tour: https://www.stmichaelsmuseum.org/tours/frederick-douglass