I took in the scenery as Matt returned me to the pier at Wylder
Hotel—a great egret perching in a leafless tree, a man kayaking
with his dog, a small fleet of fishing boats standing ready for
charter. I was looking forward to exploring the island.
Tilghman Island is only a 15-minute ride from St. Michaels,
but the feeling is decades away. Sandwiched between the
Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Choptank River to the east,
life on Tilghman Island is shaped by these waters. Originally
there was more farming on the island, but most in this small
community have made their livelihoods from the water.
Shipbuilding became an industry with log canoes and skipjacks
as a specialty. When steamboats came in the late 1800s, the
empty oyster shells discarded below a seafood packing house at
the end of a long wharf became an island big enough to support
four businesses, a grocery store, and a post office.
Today, the water is still a draw. The packing company has
been replaced by a new development’s yacht club and tourism
has become a mainstay. Fishing charters, fine dining, and
incredible views keep visitors coming back.
After my tour, I returned to Wylder, found a table on the deck,
and enjoyed a crab cake, salad, and an outstanding, home-made
peach cobbler made with local fruit. A rack of kayaks near the
shoreline begged me to work off the cobbler the next day.
In the morning, I made fast friends with another guest and
fellow kayaker Diane Nichols. Wylder General Manager Kristin
Seymour helped us with the kayaks, life jackets, and paddles
provided by the hotel. We paddled out and around the old
packing plant island, and on the way back in, headed deeper
into the north side of Dogwood Creek. Tied up along the
bulkhead was a trio of skipjacks, now the largest working fleet
of their kind. Diane had told me that she travels as much as
she can and rarely goes to the same place twice. “Tilghman,
though,” she said, “is one place that keeps me coming back.”
Before I left the hotel for the day, I couldn’t resist a swim in
Wylder’s outdoor, heated, salt-water pool. The water was
absolutely perfect, neither warm nor cool, and the fall sun was
warm enough that I was able to dry off on a poolside lounge
chair overlooking the creek.
Next, I headed to Phillips Wharf Environmental Center (PWEC)
on the north end of the island to meet Executive Director
Kelley Phillips Cox. In addition to running the center, Kelley
grows her own Fisherman’s Daughter brand of oysters. Kelley,
the daughter of a Tilghman Island waterman, has made
the center a place for demonstrating oyster farming and
environmental education.
Chesap
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akeBay
Harris Creek
Knapps
Narrows
0.5
Blackwalnut
Cove
Choptank River
Phillips Wharf
Environmental
Center
Characters
Bridge
Restaurant
Wylder Hotel
Tilghman
Watermen’s
Museum
BlackWalnutPointRoad
TilghmanIslRd Dogwood
Creek
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Tilghman Island, Maryland
ShoreRivers
shorerivers.org
Wylder Hotel
410-886-2121
21551 Chesapeake House Drive
wylderhoteltilghmanisland.com
Phillips Wharf Environmental Center
410-886-9200
6129 Tilghman Island Road
phillipswharf.org
Characters Bridge Restaurant
410-886-1060
6136 Tilghman Island Road
charactersbridgerestaurant.com
Tilghman Island Watermen’s Museum
410-886-2930
6031 Tilghman Island Road
tilghmanmuseum.org
Chesap
e akeBay
Harris Creek
Knapps
Narrows
0 0.5
Blackwalnut
Cove
Choptank River
MILES
Phillips Wharf
Environmental
Center
Characters
Bridge
Restaurant
Wylder Hotel
Tilghman
Watermen’s
Museum
BlackWalnutPointRoad
TilghmanIslRd Dogwood
Creek
