St. Michael's: Trying to hard to be quaint

My husband and I have visited places around the globe, so we like to think we%26#39;re adept at quickly getting a good ';read'; on a place.

Our ';read'; on St. Michael%26#39;s, MD: Boring, borderline-kitschy, and not worth the 2 hour drive from Northern VA. Maybe a lunch stop on the way to someplace else…

There is literally one main thoroughfare lined with shops that sell kitschy crab-themed gifts and pottery, crystal ';fan pulls';, steel sculptures of dogs, cats and crabs, wine bottles that have been melted in a kiln (and supposedly make great gifts), cocktail napkins that seem to promote the glories of alcoholism (each napkin had some saying about how cool it is to get drunk), and over-priced jewelery.

There was the occasional interesting shop but, for the most part, none were worth lingering for more than 3-5 minutes.

For heat relief, we sought out fresh crabs and a bay breeze at the tourist-packed Crab Claw restaurant.

While not the friendliest guy, our waiter-dude was prompt and efficient. However, when our check didn%26#39;t arrive, my husband flagged down a passing waitress. Her terse reply: ';You%26#39;ll have to find your waiter.'; I’ve discovered that I’m not a crab-cracking kinda gal – crab meat is tasty, but opening up a crab and seeing it’s respiratory system and accompanying mustard like goo is not appetizing (in my opinion). I would not recommend this exercise for the faint of heart.

After lunch we wandered over to the Maritime Museum. With an admission price of $10, we didn’t feel it was worth it. I had read about the town’s history prior to our visit and I can’t imagine the museum would have shed much more light on it.

We almost considered actually staying overnight, and I%26#39;m happy that we didn%26#39;t. There is literally nothing interesting to see, do recommend about this place.

Unlike Annapolis, or even Leesburg, VA, it feels like a town with a fake-quaint facade. The older buildings are lovely but they are mostly shops called ';Frivolous Fibers';, ';3 Krazy Ladies'; and a ';Wish called Wanda';. It doesnt feel like a ';real'; place. Once you go one block in any direction of the main street, the forced quaintness and drops off and you%26#39;re left with what is probably a nice small town. Probably a good place to live but not worth much of a visit.

St. Michael's: Trying to hard to be quaint

Gosh, I think you%26#39;re right! But we go there every year and find it relaxing. I like many of the shops (too bad I can%26#39;t recall their names but one has wonderful bath products and the other is called Sign of the Whale--plus there are more that are nicer than in most eastern shore towns) and there are many good restaurants (Crab Claw isn%26#39;t one of them). Try the Inn at Perry Cabin%26#39;s, or the Bistro or 208 Talbot. I don%26#39;t think St. Michaels tries too hard at much--and that%26#39;s its appeal. It has two gourmet food shops that are delightful--the Village and Gourmet on the Bay. I hate museums but loved the Maritime. All museum fees seem high when we can go to the Smithsonian for free, so I agree that the admission is high. I think you have to have lower expectations OR go for a comparison/contrast to Oxford (it gives QUIET a new name) or Rock Hall (dowdy and dull). You did write an interesting post, so thanks!

St. Michael's: Trying to hard to be quaint

I simply cannot disagree with you more! We travel to St. Michael%26#39;s frequently, and enjoy the lovely, restored buildings, the shops - which are not run of the mill or cookie cutter tourist rip offs, but unique and individually owned stores, sure some sell the stuff that day trippers tend to look for, but most are wonderful. Some are certainly pricey, some are not, but no two are just alike. I come every year on the first weekend in December just to do my Christmas shopping.

The maritime museum is excellent and highly regarded throughout the world, what a pity that you thought $10.00 was to much to spend, I have taken my children and grandchildren several times over the past years and have enjoed each and every visit - and have learned something each time.

St. Michaels has excellent restaurants - the Crab Claw does not qualify as one of those, steamed Crabs, like the Crab Claw are really for tourists, for those of us who love crab cakes and forego the messy and frequently painful dismembering of crabs, we go to The Shore Restaurant, or Bistro St. Michaels. We always stay two nights, usually at The Old Brick Inn or The Inn at Perry Cabin.

It sounds to me as if you might just be a little hard to please. We too live in northern Virginia, and find little else that even comes close!

';After lunch we wandered over to the Maritime Museum. With an admission price of $10, we didn’t feel it was worth it. I had read about the town’s history prior to our visit and I can’t imagine the museum would have shed much more light on it.';

Let me see if I have this correct:

It doesn%26#39;t sound as if you went into the museum. Your decision that it was not worth the admission price was based on a preconceived notion, not actual experience.

Tripadvisor is a wonderful place to let others know what you enjoyed or disliked about destinations %26amp; attractions. We can only hope (and expect) that reviewers who take the time to tell us they did not feel an attraction was worth the admission price will have actually been there.

'; We almost considered actually staying overnight, and I%26#39;m happy that we didn%26#39;t. There is literally nothing interesting to see, do recommend about this place.';

I learned a long time ago to ';read between the lines'; when reading Tripadvisor reviews....this one is a ';textbook example.';

I think both St. Micheals and their Maritime Museum need some additional reviews, and hope readers do not pass them by based solely on this one review.

My wife, 1 year-old, and I were in St. Michaels for just a day (my second time) this past August. We%26#39;re from Washington State and all things being equal would love to live in a town like this. It seems to have a little of everything for tourists, fishing, shopping, history, and the ambience of it all is great. The museum actually has a lot to offer, - even demonstations of crabbing and oystering - but you have to be willing to walk around and explore a bit. Might not be a place to spend a whole week, but it%26#39;s hard to beat for 2-3 relaxing days

In reply to DCTamara:

My husband and I have travelled this continenent and still manage to possess an appreciation for small town charm. It can be found in St. Michael%26#39;s! One must wonder about your ';world travel';. Was it as cursory and dismissive as your visit to St. Mike%26#39;s? As most seasoned and successful travelers know, the sights most worth seeing are often a bit more trouble to find. Had you truly done your research, you would have learned of the historic preserved Free Mason building that now serves as a top notch coffee house at the Blue Crab. The Maritime Museum was an exciting adventure for adults and children alike. Again one must wonder how many opportunities this reviewer has missed by judging impulsively. St. Mike%26#39;s isn%26#39;t for everyone, but a more informed opinion would be taken more seriously in this forum. Please limited your scathing reviews to towns you really visited instead of drove through.

Former DC resident happily now ES resident

In reply to DCTamara:

My husband and I have travelled this continenent and still manage to possess an appreciation for small town charm. It can be found in St. Michael%26#39;s! One must wonder about your ';world travel';. Was it as cursory and dismissive as your visit to St. Mike%26#39;s? As most seasoned and successful travelers know, the sights most worth seeing are often a bit more trouble to find. Had you truly done your research, you would have learned of the historic preserved Free Mason building that now serves as a top notch coffee house at the Blue Crab. The Maritime Museum was an exciting adventure for adults and children alike. Again one must wonder how many opportunities this reviewer has missed by judging impulsively. St. Mike%26#39;s isn%26#39;t for everyone, but a more informed opinion would be taken more seriously in this forum. Please limited your scathing reviews to towns you really visited instead of drove through.

Former DC resident happily now ES resident

I agree with the other readers. St Michaels is a wonderful small town community with lots to do, or nothing to do, your choice.

Why in the world did you eat steamed whole crabs if seeing the insides make you ill? You had to know that there is something inside once you opened it up.

The Museum is a very educational and interesting experience, too bad you didn%26#39;t want to spend the $10.

Shopping is some of the best I%26#39;ve found. No big names, just locally owned interesting stores, all with their own flair. I actually was surprised at how few ';tourist, knick knack'; stores there were.

Did you go to Coco %26amp; Co, The Scented Garden, Silver Linings, Charisma, St. Michaels Candy Co? These are all wonderful stores.

But the best part about this town is if you want a nice romantic night away, you can%26#39;t find any place better.

DCTamara

Had you chosen to pay the mere $10 and go in you would have found many worthwhile displays in a clean well kept secure atmosphere . How do you think it is kept that way?

One of the nice things about reading former TA Posts is we can get an idea of our WORLD TRAVELER.........looking for moderately priced reastaurants wanting a bus instead of paying for a driver and of course IS STAYING WITH FRIENDS .

Tamara Please keep us posted..

5/23

I could not disagree with you more.

My wife and I have traveled all over the world too. St. Michael%26#39;s is

no jammed packed like Annapolis or the Jersey/Delaware shores.

Traffic down and back to St. Michael%26#39;s is virtually non-existent. It is a

real nice, safe laid back town. Nearby Oxford and Easton offer additional sightseeing, shopping and antiquing benefits.

I would agree the Crab Claw is usually packed but there are many other fine dining establishments you obviously missed.

We love St. Michael%26#39;s and usually visit at least once a year and will return again this year.

Give St. Michael%26#39;s a weekend overnight next time and you too will

see its true beauty!

Wow, I was look at post counts above and several travellers went to the trouble of making their first Trip Advisor posts on this thread to defend the honor of St Michael%26#39;s.

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