The sun lingers in
the evening sky—glistening pink and gold on the glassy Chesapeake. A dragonfly
hovers near my outstretched bare feet—pink, too, from a day spent wandering this
Kent County shore (a small price to pay for a bounty of sea glass).
The fresh campfire crackles with excitement. Soon, its embers will sizzle with
patties and franks, but not just yet. I settle back into my camp chair and
raise my glass. Here’s to summer—when even the sun wants the day to last
forever.
Unwind
Whether glamping
with a million-dollar RV or getting back to basics with a tent, few past-times
are more naturally rewarding than a campout. This summer, escape the hustle and
bustle of the city and the mayhem of home and return to a place of simplicity
at Bayshore Campground, the only designated campground in Kent County.
Surrounded by farmland, this exclusive property
cozies up to the wide-open expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. “It’s like being in
the country while at the beach. You’ve got these cornstalks behind you, but
you’re looking at this water in front of you. It’s very unique,” says Meagan
Wicke co-owner of Bayshore Campground.
Meagan’s husband Fred grew up in Kent
County and for years hunted water fowl on the Bayshore property. In 2004, the
previous owners approached him with an offer to purchase the campground. Never
having camped a day in his life, he transitioned from operating a 750-acre
nursery farm, to running a one-of-a-kind campground.
Fred’s horticultural background
continues to flourish on his beautifully landscaped campground, and the Wickes,
who live on-site, continue to farm a majority of the property’s 60 acres. “The
campground really, truly is a way to connect back to nature. It’s like my kids
are growing up in the 70s. I’m ringing the dinner bell as they’re running
around. It’s almost like a step back in time, but without all the 70s hair and
bellbottoms,” admits Meagan.
You won’t find any 70s disco balls there
either. “We really pride ourselves at this campground for being a very
tranquil, quiet, peaceful, family environment,” says Meagan. Simplistic living
comes naturally in Kent County and at 10 p.m. on July fourth, “you can hear the
crickets and the bullfrogs more than you can hear people,” adds Meagan.
Earlier on Independence
Day, however, there’s
plenty of booming fun to be found. The festivities actually begin a few days
prior at the Rock Hall Beach Party, followed by Waterman’s Day—a lively celebration of the town’s connection to the
waters that surround it. Ensuing night skies alight with fireworks at various
locations, and celebrations culminate with Rock Hall’s annual Independence Day
Parade and a grand fireworks finale in Chestertown.
Later in the
summer, Rock Hall continues the revelry with its raucous Pirates
& Wenches Fantasy Weekend as buccaneering wannabes swarm the port for this multi-day
celebration of everything “yo-ho-ho.” Dress the part and practice your pirate
speak to look and sound like a real seadog, or embrace the landlubber in ye and
let the scallywags run away with the booty. Regardless of how much or how
little you participate, this event is worth venturing out for.
Plenty come to Kent County for the pirating; plenty more come for the crabbing.
According to Meagan, “We’re the crab
mecca. Stick a chicken neck in a pot, stick it out in the bay or the river,
then come back and check on it later.” If your crabbing skills fall short, buy a
bushel (in season) from Chester
River Seafood or Ford’s
Seafood, or maybe you’ll get really lucky and your campsite
neighbor will invite you to their crab boil.
Bayshore Campground’s on-site boat ramp gives boating campers easy access to the Chesapeake while the county’s
17 marinas offer plentiful services and some rentals. Unaccustomed to navigating the waters? Fishing
charters will take you
where the action is, and sailing
charters can show you the
ropes. From Rock Hall, Blue
Crab Chesapeake Charters and Shardana
Sailing both accommodate
up to six passengers on their 43-foot sloops. Tour the Chester River on the
historic schooner SULTANA or enjoy a sunset dinner cruise on the classic Chester
River Packet, both departing
from Chestertown.
Fortunately, with the money saved by
camping, charter tours and special dinners suddenly become affordable. As
Meagan puts it, “Campers have more ching to go out and spend money
elsewhere… parlaying it into a really nice meal or extra-curricular activities
around the destination.”
Eat
Get a taste for Rock Hall’s area eateries.
Enjoy fresh seafood at Waterman’s
Crab House, then browse their
gift shop and stroll the docks; on weekends, get your groove on as musicians
take the stage. Likewise, Harbor
Shack, a local waterfront
favorite, sets the tone on Saturdays with live music, great views of the bay
and an extensive menu to satisfy finicky foodies. Visit Dockside
Café Saturdays and
Sundays where they serve the freshest fare around—much of which is grown on the
premises. Meanwhile, The
Pearl on Main prepares
reasonably priced delectable dishes daily in their contemporary American bistro.
Finally, check out Rock Hall’s newest culinary contribution, The
Wheelhouse, where you’ll find
organic farm-to-table specials every day.
Sip award-winning wines in the
tasting room at Crow Vineyard & Winery near Betterton. Buy a bottle of vino and a cut of their
grass-fed Angus beef for your barbie
by the beach. Grab a bottle of small-batch brandy, rye, gin
or grappa from Bad
Alfred’s Distilling in
Chestertown to share with your Bayshore neighbor—the one
who invited you to their crab boil.
Explore
“All of my customers explore
the area. Even in a mobile home, they’ll rent a car. There’s no traffic here.
It’s very easy to get to everything,” says Meagan. Though, if you prefer to
peddle the country roads, Eastern Neck National
Wildlife Refuge is just three
miles south. Explore 2,285 acres of unspoiled wildlife habitat—home to more
than 250 bird species, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Watch swarms of
colorful butterflies fuel up in the gardens and witness fledgling ospreys and
bald eagles test their wings during summer months.
Yet, you don’t have to
leave Bayshore Campground
for these sights. “It’s not unusual to see a bald eagle fly over the
campground. Ospreys come back every year and build their nest at the end of my
driveway. We have this duck, Gloria, every year we watch her baby ducklings get
born,” says Meagan.
Wild animals aren’t
the only visitors reappearing at Bayshore. Fred and Meagan admit many campers are
sad to leave, so it’s rewarding to see the same campers return. Fred recalls
one couple, in particular: they came to enjoy the wife’s final summer—she had
recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Yet every season for the past
four years, they’ve returned—crediting her full remission, in part, to the
beautiful, low-stress sojourns they enjoy on the banks of the Chesapeake at Bayshore Campground.
Ready to unplug and
make the most of your summer? Plan an exclusive camping getaway to Bayshore Campground in Kent County. The warm, sunny days won’t last forever, but the
memories sure will.
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