Prince Frederick is in the middle of Calvert County, which gives it the best access to anything in the area having to do with events, parks or things to do. One of those things to do is to explore the history in Maryland – and a lot of it is right in Calvert County and Southern Maryland.
Star-Spangled Banner Trail
https://www.nps.gov/stsp/index.htm
This is the early history of the United States when it was starting out, the Chesapeake Bay and the War of 1812. Our National Anthem was written here – and you can make the history come alive as you paddle, walk or pedal the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network. The Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons can show you a great deal of marine life. The Patuxent Water Trail Map goes from Solomons to Montgomery County and shows all the historic stops and recreational areas along the way. All of these are amazing and worth more than a day trip.
Captain John Smith Trail
https://home.nps.gov/cajo/index.htm
It only took John Smith and a small crew 2 years to map out the Chesapeake Bay – that is 3,000 miles of Bay and rivers and documented Native American communities! Smith left a map and his journals to document his journey of the 17th Century Chesapeake area. They are remarkably detailed records of what he saw. His maps were in use almost 100 years after he drafted them. There are activities to do that coincide with his journeys! Learn what it was like to be an explorer and try geocaching! You can also boat along his route or go along the Chesapeake and find your own adventure!
https://home.nps.gov/cajo/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm
The Oyster Trail
What would Southern Maryland be without oysters? At one time the southern part of Calvert and St Mary’s Counties were considered the Wild West because of all the shooting and bootlegging of oysters. Oysters are all over the Chesapeake and Patuxent plays an important part in the ecology because they are the water filters of the Bay – they clean the water.
Now responsible oyster farmers have a large community that breed, grow and harvest these bivalves for our enjoyment.
Barn Quilt Trail
http://www.calvertbarnquilttrail.org/
This is actually mixing two things together – a love of quilts and painting a replica of that quilt square on an old building, such as a barn, a farmhouse or a small business. The replica painted is not large, only 8×8 feet, mounted on a building for visitors to see. Now there are thousands all over the country with the Calvert County Trail being the first one in Southern Maryland (third in the state after Garrett and Carroll Counties.) The American Quilt Trail movement started in 2001, not that long ago, but it picked up pretty fast. At last count, there were over 13,000 all over the US.
History abounds
No matter your interest in history, whether it be the waterways, exploration of the native peoples, the start of the country or even our history through our crafting of quilts, there is a lot to be found all through the county. Much of it touches the area of Prince Frederick, but when it doesn’t, it is a hop, skip and a jump away.