Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway, Maryland

Come closer! Chesapeake Country is small town America at its best! Steeped in early colonial history, crossroad communities, rural farmland, wildlife refuges, and maritime recreation along the Chesapeake Bay, this Byway offers a diversity of nature, history, working landscapes, and scenic vistas. Nowhere along this Byway is the visitor far from the tributaries that feed the Chesapeake Bay, or the Bay itself.

Beginning in 1608, Captain John Smith began his voyage to explore and chart the Bay and its tributaries. This exploration resulted in Smith's famous 1612 map, which was deemed the first accurate depiction of the Chesapeake and served as the definitive map of the region for nearly a century. In 1631, William Claiborne established a trading post and commerce center on Kent Island, the first English settlement in Maryland, named after Claiborne's English homeland, the County of Kent. Lord Baltimore claimed ownership of Kent Island through a land grant resulting in a dispute that lasted until 1657 when Claiborne gave up claim to the Island. Many of the towns and attractions throughout the Byway hearken back to Colonial history. Come closer! This Byway is a treasure chest of finds for any history buff!