Overview
St. Mary's City is a former colonial town that was Maryland's first settlement and capital. It is now a large, state-run historic area, which includes a reconstruction of the original colonial settlement, and a living history area and museum complex. Half of the area is occupied by the campus of the public honors college, St. Mary's College of Maryland.
3 sights · 1 things to do · 2 places to eat · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about St. Mary's City
Historic St. Mary's City Museum
Attractions include full-scale recreations of a 17th century tobacco plantation, the "Dove" (a ship that accompanied Lord Baltimore on his Maryland Expedition), a recreated Yaocomaco village, and the reconstructed (and r…
St. Mary's College
Founded in 1840 as a female seminary, today a small but pleasantly scenic public liberal arts college of about 2000 students.
Trinity Episcopal Church
A beautiful old historic church. It was built in the 19th century with recycled bricks from the 17th century and underwent renovations in the 20th century.
River Concert Series
Chamber music, orchestra, and jazz concerts by the riverfront at St. Mary's College are a positively delightful way to spend a summer evening in Maryland.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Washington, D.C.)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SBY Salisbury Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport, Salisbury — 51 mi away. Directions
- DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington — 56 mi away (major hub). Directions
St. Mary's City is best visited by car, as it is far from major public transportation routes. From the D.C. Beltway/I-95, follow exits for MD-5 South, which you can follow all the way straight to St. Mary's City, just make sure to bear right at Harpers Corner.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Trinity Episcopal Church, Historic St. Mary's City Museum
- Lunch Brome Howard Inn
- Afternoon St. Mary's College, River Concert Series
- Dinner Quizno's
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Restaurants are few and far between here, and if you are not dining at the Brome Howard Inn, you might want to consider having your lunch/dinner in nearby California or Solomons.
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Despite the name, and the slogan: "Once the Metropolis of Maryland," St. Mary's City is less of a city than a collection of outdoor and indoor historical exhibits around the historic sites of this former pioneer town—plus a small public liberal arts college at St. Mary's College. The former institution, the Historic St. Mary's City Museum, is a satisfying historical destination that is kid-friendly as well, with interpretational exhibits with costumed staff. St. Mary's College is a nice visit as well for its pretty grounds and waterfront. Perhaps the biggest draw, however, even more than the historic museum, is the waterfront Brome Howard Inn just to the south—considered by Washingtonian Magazine to be one of the D.C. metro area's top 10 inns.
Founded in 1632, St. Mary's City is the fourth oldest permanent settlement in British North America and the first state capital of Maryland. It was also the first Catholic community in North America allowed to practice openly, a major milestone in the story of America's embrace of religious freedom. The original colonists came on to the mainland from St. Clement's Island and moved into dwellings in a Yaocomaco village before building there settlement here. St. Mary's City grew over the years and became home to the first public buildings of Maryland, serving the provincial capital of the Maryland colony until 1708, when it was moved to Annapolis. Nonetheless, the St. Mary's City center never really caught on, as the local population was dispersed among the surrounding tobacco plantations.
Get in
St. Mary's City is best visited by car, as it is far from major public transportation routes. From the D.C. Beltway/I-95, follow exits for MD-5 South, which you can follow all the way straight to St. Mary's City, just make sure to bear right at Harpers Corner.
Get around
You can easily walk St. Mary's City, but exploring the surrounding area in St. Mary's County will generally require a car. Alternatively, bring a bike and pedal your way around the historic town center and off into the surrounding countryside.
See
See Historic St. Mary's City Museum
Attractions include full-scale recreations of a 17th century tobacco plantation, the "Dove" (a ship that accompanied Lord Baltimore on his Maryland Expedition), a recreated Yaocomaco village, and the reconstructed (and restored) town center itself. Exhibits are staffed by "historical interpreters" in period costume.
Do
St. Mary's City, apart from the open-air museum, is a quiet place—if you're looking for an activity-filled weekend, you might want to look elsewhere. Bicyclists will find plenty to do, however, just pedalling around the county roads along the waterfront, and down to Point Lookout.
Events
You might want to check the Historic Museum's website for events, which range from special events for kids to archaeological digs to mock combat with the St. Maries City Militia.
Do River Concert Series
Chamber music, orchestra, and jazz concerts by the riverfront at St. Mary's College are a positively delightful way to spend a summer evening in Maryland.
Buy
Eat
Restaurants are few and far between here, and if you are not dining at the Brome Howard Inn, you might want to consider having your lunch/dinner in nearby California or Solomons.
- There's a pub on the college campus where you can buy simple fare like pizza, calzones, or nachos.
Drink
The Brome Howard Inn has a full bar, but aside from that, you'll have to drive elsewhere for a beer. Nearby Solomons is definitely your best bet. Local options include the local and college favorite The Green Door (18098 Point Lookout Rd) and St. James Pub (19343 Three Notch Road).
For your caffeine fix, there's a coffee shop (and convenience store) called "The Daily Grind" on the lower floor of the campus center of St. Mary's College.
Sleep
Go next
- Just south along MD-5 is Point Lookout State Park, which is the southern tip of Southern Maryland, at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. It's a worthwhile and quick excursion for the watery views, an old lighthouse, and the remains of some Civil War fortifications.
- Solomons Island is a small historic resort town, just across the Patuxent River on MD-4.
- Past Solomons along MD-4 is Calvert Cliffs State Park, which is a nice place for hiking, or beach-combing for shark teeth, in addition to admiring the cliffs themselves. A little further north from Calvert Cliffs is a nice sandy beach at Flag Ponds Nature Park.
Nearby
Lexington Park
City / town · 19 listings · 5 mi away
Solomons
City / town · 7 listings · 10 mi away
Point Lookout
City / town · 11 listings · 11 mi away
Leonardtown
City / town · 7 listings · 13 mi away
Hooper's Island
City / town · 5 listings · 14 mi away
Cobb Island
City / town · 6 listings · 23 mi away
Prince Frederick
City / town · 8 listings · 26 mi away
Smith Island
City / town · 4 listings · 27 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.