It’s Summer! Now Hit the Road

By Meg Walburn Viviano 

Memorial Day is behind us and it’s officially June. Now who’s ready for a change of scenery?  For the second year, we are going into summertime having spent a lot of time at home. Remote offices, hybrid school, Zoom events and streaming performances have kept us feeling pretty cooped up. 

Now that warm weather is pulling us outside, it’s an especially good time to get away from the same four walls and enjoy the outer corners of the Chesapeake region. For some people, that means road-tripping, and for more adventurous souls, camping. 

Why not combine both and travel in an RV? It’s comfortable, pet-friendly, and you have the luxury of your own bathroom. (I can’t be the only one who sees the no-bathroom aspect of camping as a deal-breaker.)  

During the early pandemic months, RVing had major advantages. It offered the ability to travel relatively safely, with members of your household and without exposure to many public spaces. As 2020 wore on, more stir-crazy people caught on, and now RVing—a travel mode that used to seem like it was mostly for retirees—is popular with families and even young people (think vintage Airstreams). 

In this issue of CBM Bay Weekly, we explore several RV/campground destinations, from glamping-style resorts to sites filled with water parks and kid-friendly amenities, appealing to the Disney World crowd. 

A few are conveniently close to the Maryland and Delaware beaches, leading me to realize that such resorts might be an exciting alternative to pricey beach house rentals. In Chincoteague, you can enjoy Atlantic beachfront and nature in one fell swoop. 

And while you’re on the lower Eastern Shore, pop into the Delmarva Discovery Museum to visit the amazing half-male, half-female Chesapeake Bay blue crab we tell you about in Bay Bulletin. Now that’s something fresh and new to see. 

But not all changes of scenery have to involve significant packing and drive time. In what was a momentous occasion for her, our own Moviegoer, Diana Beechener, returned to a movie theater in person for the first time since spring 2020. Catch her double review —one film seen in the theater and one streamed at home. 

Meanwhile, a Severna Park man has created a destination for boaters right off his private dock. You needn’t go further than the Severn River to find an educational oyster exhibit among the waterfront homes. The at-home oyster aquaculturist aims to catch families’ attention and spread his message about the importance of oyster restoration. 

Close to home, down the highway, or across the Bay Bridge, there are plenty of new ways to take in Chesapeake Country. Get out there!