Day Trip Itinerary
Seasonal - May through September

Surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, Dorchester County is a haven for sightseeing by land or sea. The abundance of open space makes our county home to some of the most majestic of birds, wintering Canada and Snow Geese, more than 20 species of duck, swan, osprey, the great blue heron and our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. Begin your day with a Sawyer Charters and Tours cruise from Hoopers Island.

Enjoy the serene countryside of rural Dorchester County with a ride through the marshlands and scenic back roads to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. There, guides tell you about one of the largest wintering grounds for waterfowl using the Atlantic flyway and of the many species including muskrats, the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel and the Bald Eagle that make their home here. Hooper Island, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay, is comprised of quaint fishing villages and seafood processing plants.

Tours hosted by Phillips Seafood, provides the group with first hand experience of the seafood industry's operations. Stop at Old Salty's, a restored schoolhouse for lunch and a view of the Bay. After lunch, stop by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at Horn Point for a tour of the aquaculture hatchery, the Environmental Education Center and the Chesapeake Observing System. The 850-acre campus is situated on the former estate of Senator Coleman duPont of Wilmington, Delaware.