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Oxford
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Just west of US-50, or seven miles south of St Michaels via country lanes and a ferry, the leafy waterfront hamlet of
OXFORD
seems to have slumbered peacefully since colonial days. Along with Annapolis, this was one of the two ports of entry for all of colonial Maryland, a role remembered by the reconstructed one-room
Customs House
next to the ferry landing on the north side of town. After Independence, Oxford was all but forgotten; its full-time population is under a thousand and there's hardly any tourist trade. Wandering the quiet streets, however, or lolling on the lawns of the long riverfront promenade can be quite relaxing and enjoyable. A trip on the small
ferry
across the Tred Avon River, which made its maiden voyage in 1683 and has been in continuous service since 1836, makes for a nice excursion en route to or from St Michaels (every 20min; June-Aug Mon-Fri 7am-9pm, Sat & Sun 9am-9pm; Sept to mid-Dec & March-June Mon-Fri 7am-sunset, Sat & Sun 9am-sunset; $5.50 per car, $1.25 per passenger; tel 410/745-9023).
Schooner's Llanding
(tel 410/226-0160) is a friendly, inexpensive seafood
restaurant
with a large deck right on the main harbor, at the end of Tilghman Street; at the
Pier Street Marina & Restaurant
(tel 410/226-5411), further south, you can sample fresh crabs in a spectacular waterfront setting. The ancient
Robert Morris Inn
, on Morris Street at The Strand (tel 410/226-5111,
; $100-130), named for the Oxford man who personally financed the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serves James Michener's favorite crabcakes. In the larger but less interesting town of
EASTON
on US-50, the ancient
Bishop's House B&B
, 214 Goldsborough St (tel 410/820-7290 or 1-800/223-7290,
; $100-130), offers a comfortable alternative to the highway motels. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United States,
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