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Calvert Marine Museum

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Calvert Marine Museum

Solomons

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14200 Solomons Island Road
Solomons, MD 20688
410-326-2042

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Science & Nature Museum
Special Collection

Calvert Marine Museum Description

This small, unassuming museum might not seem like a must-do after trips to the Baltimore Aquarium or Nauticus, but its exhibits and many interactive kiosks provide an unparalleled look at Chesapeake Bay history, culture, and underwater life. Learning here is hands-on, engaging, and fun, with a touch-tank, computerized simulations, kids' Discovery Room, and cleverly presented displays, plus a boat basin, marsh walk, woodcarving and model boat building shop, and two resident otters, Bubbles and Squeak, to marvel over outside.

Kid Tips

Toddlers & Pre-K: The Thursday morning Little Minnows program is designed for kids ages 3 to 5. For a $5 fee, children spend an hour learning about things like marine creatures, Bay plant and animal life, and patterns in nature (check the online calendar for topics and specific dates.

School-Age Kids: Offered one Saturday per month, the Young Salts program (for kids ages 4 to 6) invites kids to spend two hours learning about a topic (such as sharks, fossils, and lighthouses) through stories, crafts, and games.

Pre-Teens & Teens: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum through one of its overnight adventures. Limited to groups of 10 to 20, the evenings sell out far in advance. Summer camps are also available.

Planning Notes

Don't skip the Discovery Room. Kids of all ages should spend time in the Discovery Room to learn about the shark teeth and other Miocene fossils that can be found on the area's beaches. Identifying them is easy when you know what to look for; if you don't, they just look like rocks and shells.
Visit the Drum Point lighthouse. This fully restored hexagonal lighthouse used to guide vessels on the Chesapeake Bay, but now is open to museum visitors year-round. Museum docents are happy to share its history if you ask; kids will be amazed to learn that two separate families with five children each called it home while it was a working lighthouse.
Take a cruise. Get out on the water by cruising aboard the 1899 log-built Wm. B. Tennison (Adults: $7, kids 5-12: $4, kids younger than 5 free with paying adult). One-hour cruises are offered Wednesday through Sunday at 2 p.m. from May to October; during July and August, an additional cruise sets sail at 12:30 p.m.
First Fridays. Admission is free on the first Friday of each month between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.