Water-view, waterside and waterborne experiences are an integral part of a meetings agenda in Maryland’s Chesapeake region. Water laps the banks of the area’s myriad creeks, rivers and inlets at almost every turn. With apologies to Otis Redding and San Francisco, this is “sittin’ on the dock of the bay territory,” boasting North America’s largest estuary—the Chesapeake Bay.
Within the region, which lies between the bay and the Atlantic Ocean, are upscale resorts and inns, historic homes, dockside restaurants and hotel spaces, charter yachts, and powerboats.
In destinations such as Annapolis, Ocean City, Easton, St. Michaels, and Cambridge, groups often meld the water culture with the area’s three centuries of heritage.
Annapolis was named capital of the Maryland colony in 1694, and until the American Revolution broke out in 1776, it was a center of elegant 18th century social life. Estates are still part of the scene along the Severn River, and they make for impressive views from the water.
In the city’s historic district, colonial-era homes and other antique architecture radiates from the Maryland State Capitol and harbor, encouraging strolls past boutiques and restaurants that serve cuisine from around the globe.
Annapolis is often called “America’s Sailing Capital,” and that sport is popular for team-building adventures and recreation. A complete sailing theme might also include a tour of the U.S. Naval Academy’s National Historic Landmark campus.
But Annapolis is the gateway to much more. It connects to Maryland’s fabled Eastern Shore via Route 50 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, where visitors find more waterborne possibilities in destinations that are both luxurious and traditional.
Remember the waterside mansion in the movie Wedding Crashers? That was a palatial private home on the Eastern Shore near Easton. Attendees may sample the area’s elegance at St. Michael’s historic Inn at Perry Cabin, featuring a new spa.
More after-business spa, golf and marina activities await groups who book the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, where the ballroom’s prefunction area comes with water views.
Continue a while along Route 50 and you’ll end up in Ocean City on the Atlantic Ocean, offering hotels, resorts, a convention center, restaurants, and shopping, which can be combined with many water-themed activities.
Fishing charters are available for team building or pure pleasure in this “White Marlin Capital of the World,” where blue marlin, bluefish, tuna, and wahoo are also plentiful. Smaller boats put in on the bayside for flounder, trout and sea bass.
Eco-cruises on the inland bay offer glimpses of wildlife that live closer to land. And a tour of nearby Assateague Island National Seashore preserve provides visitors with views of wild horses that have inhabited the island for centuries. For the more daring members of the group, jet skiing, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, and parasailing high above the bay or ocean are also available.
