The Ultimate Guide to Crisfield, Maryland

We lived on our boat in Somer’s Cove Marina, next to downtown Crisfield, Maryland, throughout the Fall of 2021. We felt like locals as we lived and worked from our boat and explored Crisfield during our three-month stay. Crisfield has something that many towns in the United States lack, and that is a rich culture and long history. Read below as we share Crisfield’s top experiences, from the culture and history to our recommended restaurants and stays, when to visit, and experiences you shouldn’t miss!

Culture and History of Crisfield

Crisfield, Maryland, is the first large town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in a region known as Delmarva ( a combination of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia). Colloquially known as “The Gateway to the Chesapeake” and “The Crab Capital of the World,” Crisfield’s culture is tightly coupled to the Chesapeake Bay.

The local Watermen run the industry that supports Crisfield. These Watermen have fished the Chesapeake Bay for generations in their family businesses. You’ll see the Watermen leaving before dawn, baiting and catching crab, and returning after a long day of work to either sell their catches or create the region’s delicacy, Soft-Shelled Crab.

When you visit Crisfield, you’ll find an accent unique to this part of the United States. Many of the residents of Crisfield and neighboring Smith Island have an old English accent and speech patterns reminiscent of the original English settlers. Another interesting tidbit is that you’ll meet a lot of “Smiths.” I think we met four individuals named William Smith! All signs from their old heritage and earlier colonizers from England.

The people of Crisfield are kind and hardworking. The casual small-town feel makes it easy to understand the culture present here. Seeing this unique part of the United States and its subculture makes it a trip you won’t regret!

Best Restaurants in Crisfield

Crisfield, Maryland, is known for its seafood caught locally in Chesapeake Bay. Here is our list of the best restaurants in Crisfield!

The Crab Place

If you have only one meal in Crisfield, you should stop by The Crab Place. Their menu features all different types of crab, including Maryland Blue Crabs, crab cakes, Maryland crab meat, Chesapeake Bay oysters, and many other shellfish options. The Crab Place, along with the other options, serves seafood caught locally. If you are looking for crab (and let’s be honest, you don’t go to the crab place and not order crab), then you’ll want to go in the best season for Blue Crab. The season is from April to the end of November, but the crabs are bigger later, so plan your trip accordingly!

If you want to eat crab while enjoying the Chesapeake Bay, The Crab Place offers an all-you-can-eat Crab & Cruise onto the Bay. I’m not sure there is a better way to get the Crisfield, Eastern Shore experience!

The Crab Place is unique because it has a booming online business, so if you want to order fresh Maryland seafood from home, you can support a local Crisfield business!

Waters Edge Cafe

The Waters Edge Cafe was our most visited restaurant while we lived in Crisfield, Maryland. They are located right next to all the shops and town docks, have great prices, and offer a variety of food options, from diner classics to soft-shelled crab. Their diner-style menu includes many typical meals plus a few with a Maryland twist.

Red Shell Shanty

The Red Shell Shanty is located at Somers Cove Marina, just off of downtown, and is only open seasonally. It’s not the place for a sit-down family meal; you can get local eats and snacks like crab bites, crab dip, pizza, and other bar food.

Visiting the Red Shell Shanty gives a great view of the largest Marina on the Eastern Shore, and while you’re there, you can taste Maryland’s most famous cocktail—the Orange Crush. We recommend the Red Shell Shanty because it’s far enough off Main Street, so your crowd is a fun mix of locals and marina residents. Sit down and have a great conversation!

From Scratch

All of the above options are mainly seafood-focused and for dinner, but if you are in Crisfield, Maryland, for Breakfast or Lunch, you have to check out  From Scratch. Mainly focused on sandwiches, burgers, and many breakfast options, From Scratch is a great first stop on your Crisfield travels!

Where to Stay in Crisfield

Since Crisfield is a small town on the Eastern Shore, there are few places to stay the night. Here are our top picks.

Lady Grace Bed and Breakfast

Lady Grace Bed and Breakfast is a fantastic place to stay when visiting Crisfield. It is located close to downtown and is an iconic old Victorian home. Staying here will help immerse you in the history of Crisfield.

Rodeway Inn At Somers Cove Marina

If you are looking for a low-cost, quality place to spend the night and serve as a launching point for your adventures in Crisfield, look no further than the Rodeway Inn. Located right next to Somers Cove Marina, rooms have views of the harbor and a pool on the premises. It is only a short walk or drive until you are smack dab in the activities!

Condos on the Water with VRBO

Your last option for staying in Crisfield is to find a local vacation rental. We recommend checking out rentals in the newly built condos right off downtown with waterfront views.

Learn about our 3-year boating journey aboard our boat Pivot here.

What to Do in Crisfield

Since Crisfield was founded on the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore, you’ll need to do some water-related activity. The good thing is that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. There are plenty of free or low-cost options for enjoying the Chesapeake Bay.

Sunsets over the Chesapeake Bay

The sunsets in Crisfield, Maryland, are out of this world. Looking west gives you a view of the water, and you are frequently immersed in wonderland as the cloud-covered skies turn red and pink. We found the best place to view the sunset was at the local library! Yes, the local library (which we highly recommend visiting) has a trail and a dock leading to the water. It is more of a local sunset spot so you might have it all to yourself!

Day cruises to the inhabited islands on the Chesapeake

The most popular activity in Crisfield is taking a cruise to the inhabited islands off the Eastern Shore. These tours are seasonal and leave from the Crisfield City Dock. With rising sea levels, these islands are considered “sinking,” and it isn’t known if they will be around for much longer. Visit them while you can!

Smith Island

Smith Island is the last inhabited island in Maryland. Discovered by John Smith and later named after early landowner Henry Smith, Smith Island is a slice of the past made present. With around 200 people living in the three towns comprising Smith Island, it is still the place of work, schooling, and daily life for a few Marylanders.

We visited Smith Island by boat in 2021 before laying up in Crisfield for the season, and it was a beautiful town. You can get to the island by booking a Smith Island Cruise and can walk around the island in a day, but what was truly special was the history and their way of life. It was like going back in time.

When you visit Smith Island, be sure to stop by the Smith Island Bakery to try the layered Smith Island Cake, which is the state dessert of Maryland!

Tangier Island

Tangier Island, Virginia, is also accessible from Crisfield, Maryland. The Tangier Island Cruises offers a comprehensive tour of Tangier Sound, the local wildlife, and the history of Tangier Island during a one-and-a-half-hour cruise to the island. They operate from May 15th through October 15th and are a great way to get out on the water and learn about the local history and culture. You can walk past the local high school, visit one of the four restaurants on the island, and watch the local watermen work as their boats go in and out of the harbor.

Window shopping on Main Street

Another free option for exploring Crisfield is to grab an ice cream at Pay’s Sno Shack and walk downtown to the Crisfield City Docks. On the main street, you’ll find many small boutique shops, so you can take a stroll and relax on the city dock with uninterrupted views of the Chesapeake Bay.

Tawes Museum by the Crisfield Heritage Foundation

If you are looking for history and information about Crisfield, look no further than the free Tawes Museum. There, you can see miniature reproductions of historical watercraft and learn more about the crabbing industry and how soft-shelled crabs are harvested. Make sure the museum is open, and see if they have any guided walking tours available before you visit! Call (410) 968-2501 for more information.

When to Visit Crisfield

Like other small towns, Crisfield has a defined tourist season. The season starts in May and runs through September when stores close or operate at reduced hours. But if you are planning a trip to Crisfield, there are certain days of the Summer when It is a huge tourist destination!

Memorial Day – Crisfield Soft Shelled Crab Festival

Crisfield opens its season with a Memorial Day bonanza focused on its specialty… soft-shell crab! Many vendors will be out as the recreational boating season unofficially kicks off. Learn more here.

Labor Day – The Crisfield National Hard Crab Derby

The Crisfield National Hard Crab Derby for Labor Day weekend, in its 77th year as of 2024, is the best time to visit Crisfield, Maryland. The entire weekend is packed full of activities, including:

• 60th Crab Cooking Contest
• Miss Crustacean Pageant
• 10k Race / 5k Walk
• Crab Derby Race
• Boat Docking Championships

This is the weekend to experience Crisfield at its finest. Witnessing the culture and history of watermen and the importance of crabbers for the eastern shore of Maryland is a true highlight of Crisfield. If you’re curious about what “boat docking championships” are, check out this clip from last year:

End of September – Annual Tawes Crab & Clam Bake

If all you care about is seafood, the last massive event of the season is the Annual Tawes Crab & Clam Bake, the all-you-can-eat seafood festival. When we were in Crisfield, this doubled as a way to meet the local politicians, and since it’s after Labor Day, you get a much more local, regional vibe. It’s less of a party than Labor Day and focuses on what the people have loved for generations in Crisfield—the food from the Bay.

Nearby Attractions

If you’re staying in Crisfield (or the surrounding towns like Princess Anne or Salisbury), we recommend visiting a couple of other spots while you’re in the area.

Deal Island and the Historic Skipjack Boats

We took a trip out to historic Deal Island and went to Arby’s Dockside Bar and Grill in 2021, and it is a fun memory to this day. First off, it’s way out there, so you know only the people visiting are locals (which is our type of spot). Since Jen and I were eating Vegetarian at the time, we had some homemade grilled cheeses and french fries, nothing gourmet, but the bar cooked them up right – even using whole potatoes for hand-cut fries. Now, I’m not sure if the grill is still open today, as on Google, they are closed, so hopefully, they will reopen for the season. However, Deal Island’s other neat historical part is its Skipjack boats.

Skipjacks are old sailboats used for Oystering. They were popularized in the 19th century before motors were allowed to help harvest Oysters. Wide but shallow, sloop-rigged boats, Skipjacks are iconic to the Chesapeake Bay. While it is estimated there used to be 2,000 of these vessels, there are only roughly 40 left, and only a few are still sailing. You can find them on Deal Island.

Janes Island State Park

Janes Island State Park is located just north of Crisfield and offers different camping options, kayaking, and a way to see the Chesapeake Bay in its natural, wild state!

Boater’s Guide to Crisfield, Maryland

Where to Dock in Crisfield

The only marina in the area is Somer’s Cove Marina. It is a state-run facility, so its rates are very competitive. Don’t expect a lot of amenities, but you will have good power and water on its new floating docks and a friendly staff happy to catch a line. They have golf carts you can rent by the hour or free bicycles to explore the town!

If you decide to stay for a while, Somer’s Cove Marina has incredible seasonal rates, which we took full advantage of while we replaced our decks in the Fall of 2021!

Use our Referral Code 450ZMS3 for a $15 discount on your Dockwa reservation!

Where to Anchor in Crisfield

We found that anchoring right in Somer’s Cove, also called Crisfield Harbor, was the best location to explore Crisfield. It’s well protected from the Chesapeake Bay, meaning it’s a great place to ride out a storm. You can land your dingy at the marina just next door for a small fee. There is a little bit of boat traffic in the harbor from the nearby USGC station, the daily ferry to Smith Island, watermen traffic, and small pleasure boat traffic.

Check out our Great Loop Anchorages and Free Docks Spreadsheet with 600+ anchorages!

Wifi in Crisfield

Although the marina has wifi, we found the best wifi was at the Crisfield Public Library. Open Monday through Saturday, the newly constructed library has great resources, an awesome outdoor deck space, and beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay marshes. It’s a great spot to get off your boat on a rainy day.

Provisioning in Crisfield

Food Lion is 1.4 miles away and an 8-minute bike ride, making it a great stop to re-provision for groceries.

Hardware in Crisfield

Bayside Home Center is the local hardware store that is 1.5 miles away and an 8-minute bike ride.

Download the free Waterway Guide App to locate marinas, services, anchorages, free docks, navigation alerts, bridges, locks, and more!

Map of Crisfield

This guide mentions several restaurants, marinas, and places of interest. We have saved all the Crisfield, Maryland, locations on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. Once you’re in your Google Maps, click the menu icon, saved, maps, and Big Bend Florida will appear.

Final thoughts

All in all, we recommend taking some time to check out Crisfield, especially if you have an interest in the history of the Chesapeake Bay, love crab, or just want to see a different side to the United States. Here’s our YouTube video from our visit.