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Solomons Island Travel Guide – Everything You NEED to Know
Solomons Island, Maryland, is the getaway you’ve been waiting for. Located at the mouth of the Patuxent River on the Chesapeake Bay, it represents a rich history of maritime endeavors from the time Isaac Solomon started his Oystering enterprise in the late 1800s until today, as tourism brings people from all around for the local seafood, slower paced life, and as a point to venture out into the Chesapeake Bay.
We visited Solomons Island on our Great Loop in May, and the anchorage just into Back Creek was our home for the trip. Our first impression of Solomon’s as we pulled into the harbor was of awe at the number of boat yards, marinas, and waterfront restaurants; this town is about the water. We hope you enjoy this travel guide to Solomons Island, where we will be sharing the location’s history, some insider tips for visiting, the top places to stay, and the restaurants you can’t miss out on.
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History of Solomons Island
Solomons Island, Maryland, is a bit confusing geographically. When we visited, we were initially unsure if we were in Solomons or Solomons Island, as it seems both are used almost interchangeably throughout the documents we found! Here’s the lo-down. Solomon’s Island is a small piece of land that refers to the tip of Solomons CDP. In fact, if you were walking down the boardwalk, you might not realize you walked into the island since the road was laid on top of oyster shells! Solomons refers to the greater area North and West of Solomon’s Island, but most people use both terms interchangeably, so we will do the same in this article!
Solomons Island was named after Isaac Solomon moved from Baltimore to create his Oystering enterprise. At the height of the Oystering business, there were shipyards, processing plants, and a thriving operation here. You may see a statue or various places named “Bugeye” on Solomons Island, and this refers to their famous Oystering Sailboat, which was designed and built on Solomons Island. Bugeyes were the precursor to the Skipjacks, which were famous across the bay on Deal Island.
Unfortunately with the Great Depression, Oystering in Solomons Island was pretty much gutted. There’s only a record of a few hundred people living in Solomons until the US Navy created their Amphibious Training Base for WWII. This training proved critical for US Naval operations in the South Pacific and D-Day. With the training base population boomed into the thousands in the mid-1900s and today, Solomons Island has become the tourist getaway for anyone living on the Western shore of Maryland and Virginia.
Why you should visit Solomons Island
Solomons Island is the gateway to a relaxing, fun, local town with everything that makes the Chesapeake Bay the world-class destination it is. With a short drive (only 2 hours from Richmond, VA, and 1.5 hours from Washington, DC), you can escape the city and get the trip you want. Solomons Island has a great culinary scene focused on seafood, live music and drinks, a rich maritime history, and numerous ways to get out onto the Bay; whichever vacation you’re looking for, Solomons Island has it.
Live view of Solomons Harbor
If you’re interested in seeing the current conditions of the harbor, check out the live cam that you can control!
How to get to Solomons Island
Traveling to Solomons Island by Car
You can get to Solomons Island either from the South or the North-West. The Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge connects Solomons Island on the South side across the Patuxent River, and Route 4 enters Solomons from the North.
Flying into Solomons Island
The closest major airport to Solomons Island, Maryland, is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington DC. After flying in, it is roughly a 1.5-hour drive to Solomons Island.
Traveling to Solomons Island by Boat
Solomons Island is at the midpoint of the Chesapeake Bay, roughly 90 miles from Newport News, Virginia, and 90 miles from the C&D Canal. If you have a fast enough boat, you may be able to make it in one day or for a weekend resort trip!
Where to stay on Solomons Island
Determining where to stay on Solomons Island has a lot to do with what kind of trip you’re looking for. If you only have a weekend or one night, you’ll most likely want to stay on the island properly. This is because you’ll be right downtown, and you won’t have to worry about driving or commuting. Since most tourist attractions are on the boardwalk, you’ll be able to enjoy the most of your trip. If you stay just on the other side of the entrance to Solomons Island, in Ship Point, then it’ll be a 15-minute drive to the end of Solomons Island. The tradeoff is that you’ll be able to find a place with more room, like an entire house outside of downtown, so if you’re traveling with a big group, that may be a good option!
The Top Stays on Solomons Island
If you’re staying on Solomons Island, we recommend Solomons Victorian Inn. Not only will you be able to stay in a beautiful Victorian home built during the Oystering golden years of Solomons Island, but it is right at the end of Sandy Point. Don’t expect luxury, but you’ll be in the perfect location and able to experience a home that has been there for over 100 years!
Another fantastic option for Solomons Island is Back Creek Inn. This bed and breakfast is right where you want to be and has served this historic southern Maryland town for 28 years. They also have a dock, so if you are boating to Solomons, you’ll have a place to dock your sailboat or motorboat. Just call ahead to ensure their two slips are available!
Budget Stays for Solomons Island
The cheapest way to visit Solomons Island is to stay slightly off the island and take a short drive in. The most inexpensive hotels we found are actually in the town of California, Maryland, just across the bridge from downtown Solomons. Here’s a Wyndham Super 8 for less than $80 per night, a 10-minute drive from downtown.
Another way you can stay for cheap when visiting Solomons Island is by getting a VRBO in Solomons CDP and sharing the cost with guests. Here’s a beautiful place for $350 / night, and since it sleeps six comfortably (eight total), you’ll end up at a similar price to the cheap hotel but at a much nicer house. Here’s another waterfront VRBO, even cheaper at $275, with fantastic views of the Chesapeake Bay.
What to eat on Solomons Island
The fantastic restaurants are part of Solomons Island’s charm. They have everything you might expect from a town on the Chesapeake Bay. From fine dining to bar food, whatever you’re looking for is here, and you’ll find a lot of seafood twists. You could always stroll along Solomon Island Road and stop in what catches your eye, but you might miss these hidden gems!
Island Hideaway is a family-owned and operated bistro and bar on Solomons Island with water views. The Donaldson family creates their food from scratch, so you can be sure you’ll get quality local eats. We recommend trying their pasta made from scratch in Seafood Cannelloni with stuffed local seafood!
If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, we recommend Hidden Harbor. It’s not on the Island, so you’ll need to make the trip there specifically. Visitors travel from far and wide to have lunch or dinner in this low-key restaurant. There’s nothing quite exceptional here, other than an owner and staff who care to put out the best food possible with good views of the harbor. We recommend trying their crab fries!
For a nice dinner out, look no further than Charles Street Brasserie. If you want to just get a drink, get the official drink of Maryland, the Orange Crush at The Tiki Bar. They typically have live music, but you’ll want to check online first!
What to do on Solomons Island
Visiting Solomons Island doesn’t only have to be about food and waterfront vistas (although if that’s what you’re looking for, awesome)!
Calvert Marine Museum
If you want to learn more about the area and the history of Solomons Island, there is a fantastic museum, Calvert Marine Museum. The museum is kid-friendly, with interactive exhibits, and includes a waterfront area that provides details about the local flora and fauna. Included in your tickets is also touring the historical Drum Point Lighthouse, which was relocated to the museum in 1975. The Calvert Marine Museum is truly a gem and won’t break the bank, either. With adult tickets around $11 (2024) and children at $6, you can have a full afternoon of activities with your family on a budget. Learn more about visiting Calvert Marine Museum here.
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Calvert Cliffs State Park is the place to visit if you want to go to a beach or get out of the natural environment of the Chesapeake Bay. There are over 13 miles of trails if you want to do some hiking, but what is really unique about Calvert Cliffs State Park is the amount of fossils. The iconic cliffs and their creation have made the state park a prime area for fossil hunting. Take your kids, bring a shovel and a sieve, and have a fun day out you’ll never forget. It’s only a 12-minute drive from downtown, so it doesn’t even have to be a whole day activity, you can just go for a few hours!
Walk the Boardwalk
If you only have an afternoon on Solomons Island, you should walk the boardwalk paralleling Solomons Island Road. The boardwalk gets popular for sunset as you enjoy those beautiful Chesapeake sunsets over the Pax River. We stopped by The Ice Cream Place and got a brownie ice cream sundae to enjoy the cotton candy sky.
Any activity out on the Bay
Solomons Island is historically based on life on the water, located at the intersection of the Pax River and the Chesapeake Bay. If you like to fish, we recommend taking a fishing charter out and going for whatever your guide suggests! If you want a more relaxing trip, you can’t go wrong with a sunset sail from Chesapeake Charters. If you’d prefer to get out on your own instead, check out this kayak rental and explore Back River, stopping at the Calvert Marine Museum dock for a break!
Map of Solomons Island
Throughout this guide, we mention several restaurants, attractions, places to stay, marinas, and places of interest. We have saved all the locations for Florida’s Big Bend 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.
When to visit Solomons Island
Like most places in the Chesapeake Bay, Solomons Island has seasons when most places are open for tourists. While it may not shut down completely, like Crisfield, MD, you’ll enjoy your time most if you go in season. The season for Solomons Island begins in April and ends in October. If you want to go outside these months, we recommend planning your itinerary with more detail, ensuring the places you want to visit are open and the weather is not too cold!
Solomons Island Average Temperatures
Boaters Guide to Solomons Island
We visited Solomons Island while we lived on our boat and traveled around America’s Great Loop and thoroughly enjoyed our stay! Here’s everything we learned during our time in and around Solomons Island.
How to Approach Solomons Island
Solomons Island is located at the mouth of the Pax (Patuxent River) and the Chesapeake Bay, so you’ll want to check the weather and tides as you approach. The Chesapeake Bay is a vast, relatively shallow body of water that has burned even seasoned sailors with how rough it can get. So please take the weather seriously and don’t travel in a Small Craft Advisory!
There is plenty of water in the harbor as you approach, and most creeks have 8 feet to 15 feet of water all the way to the back. Also, Solomons Island has many full-service boat yards available, so if you are planning work, it is a great option.
Marinas on Solomons Island
Determining where to dock on Solomons Island is sort of picking whichever marina you want! There are over ten different options, some private, and some public so you’ll need to do a bit of research to find the best for you.
If you want a “free” dock on Solomons Island, check out the Lighthouse Restaurant Dock and Bar! If you get there late enough on a not-busy night, eat there, and then you can ask for permission to stay tied off for the night! Remember that it is a privilege, not a right, and it won’t have any amenities. Treat their staff right and be amiable whether or not you get permission to keep the option for future boaters! Make sure you are out in the morning to not overstay your welcome. The “free” is in quotations because you do need to spend money eating, but you’d probably be doing that anyway – and it’s only a pro that it’s at a great restaurant!
Safe Harbor Zahnisers is $3 per foot for a premium Yacht Club experience, and for a more budget marina, we recommend Calvert Marina. Beacon Marina, further into Back Creek, offers a Looper discount, and really, you’ll have to just read reviews on Dockwa or Waterway Guide to determine where you want to stay!
Use our Referral Code 450ZMS3 for a $15 discount on your Dockwa reservation!
Where to Anchor in Solomons Island
Looking at the charts, there are plenty of protected anchorages available. Any will work, depending on what you’re looking for. If you have a gale coming through, you’ll want to go as far away from the entrance to Solomons Island as possible.
Our favorite Anchorage is this one by the Calvert Marine Museum because it is protected, has room for a few boats, and is not too long of a dinghy ride to the town dock. We originally planned to anchor at Solomons Island Basin, but there is only room for one or two boats maximum there. If it’s open, you’ll be in a prime location!
There are a couple of places to get to shore, too. There is the small boat dock at Calvert Marine Museum, but this is literally inside the Museum, so you’ll probably need to pay for Museum access here. We didn’t know this and docked here after hours before we realized the museum was closed. Whoops!
Our number one option is the town dock on Solomons Island, located at 38.32299° N, 76.45887° W. You can tie up your dinghy for free here, and you’ll be right on the boardwalk.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the FREE PUMP OUT in Solomons Island at the same above coordinates. This was such a key finding, as we try to minimize our time at marinas, and it (along with our provisioning haul) gave us another couple of weeks without needing to dock!
If you have any concerns about anchoring, check out our 15-part Anchoring Course, where we show you how to anchor confidently and love it!
Check out our Great Loop Anchorages and Free Docks Spreadsheet with 600+ anchorages!
Internet on Solomons Island
Solomons Island, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, is not that far from large cities like Washington D.C. and Richmond, so you’ll have good cell signal. If you need faster WiFi, there is a public Library just north and within walking distance of the dinghy dock! We recommend Starlink for anyone who needs reliable, fast internet access onboard, which will work great.
Check out our blog post on Boat Internet!
Provisioning on Solomons Island
Unfortunately, there isn’t a grocery store within walking distance of the marinas or anchorages. However, we were still able to do a large provisioning haul here! We found a local taxi from Calvert Marina that picked up a group of Loopers, waited for us, and took us back to the marina for a small fee. We got all our needed food for the next week of living aboard at Weis Markets, so ask your local boaters around, and perhaps you can get a group together.
West Marine on Solomons Island
If you need to get any boat supplies while you’re visiting Solomon’s Island, a West Marine is located just up the road from the Calvert Marine Museum.
Download the free Waterway Guide App to locate marinas, services, anchorages, free docks, navigation alerts, bridges, locks, and more!
Watch our Solomons Island Videos on YouTube
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