Find Bay events and trip ideas in Chesapeake Trips and Tips
If you're looking for Chesapeake Bay-related day trips for you and your family, check out Chesapeake Trips and Tips, a new weekly e-mail from the Friends of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network with events taking place throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed during the upcoming weekend. This week's edition of Chesapeake Trips and Tips includes a festival in Baltimore, an Eastern Shore bull and oyster roast, and a reenactment of the 1774 Yorktown Tea Party.
And remember,you can always visit baygateways.net for ideas for day trips and weekend getaways around the Chesapeake Bay region. The Gateways Network includes 160 parks, museums, water trails, historic sites and other spots that show the local area's connection to the Chesapeake's culture, history and environment. So get out there and explore the Bay!
An afternoon at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
Alicia Pimental is with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay at the Chesapeake Bay Program communications office.
Yesterday I visited the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC), located in Grasonville on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It's an excellent spot for an afternoon walk, with trails that wind through salt marshes and loblolly pine stands. According to its website, CBEC has four miles of trails, two observation towers and two observation blinds, which are great to take photos from. There's also a one-mile water trail, with canoes and kayaks on-site available to rent (though it was a little too chilly to be out on the water yesterday!).
CBEC is also part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a network of over 150 sites in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and New York. Gateways include water trails, parks, wildlife preserves, museums and more. If you're looking for a way to experience the Chesapeake Bay or your local river, the Gateways Network has lots of spots to offer.
CBEC is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. It's about a 20-minute drive from the Bay Bridge and there's a $5 per person admission charge. I hope you're able to go check it out!
A boardwalk through the marsh leads to a small beach area, where terrapins nest and lay eggs each spring.
One of the observation blinds is located on a small pond and offers great photo opportunities.