You know all those offbeat places along Route 50 you’ve always been curious about but never stopped to visit? Well, we did. What follows are fourteen funky finds from the Bay Bridge to Ocean City.

1 A.H. Herb ’n Craft Farm

Spot It: Look for the handmade signs advertising fresh herbs and eggs, and, during election
season, political candidates.

What’s Inside: Who knew you could find the “World’s Best Bathroom Cleaner” on a Talbot County herb and chicken farm along Route 50? At A. H. Herb ’n Craft, you’ll also score dozens of other all-natural household cleaning products, dietary supplements, vitamins, handmade soaps, and organic eggs. Best of all, you’ll get an education in all-natural living from its loquacious owner, Fran Kisser, a Greek immigrant who practices what she preaches. Kisser grows many of the ingredients in the products she sells, from the roses in her rose-scented soaps to the lavender in her furniture polish. “Everything here is 100 percent natural, not 99 and a third,” she says.

Kisser, who once used the property to house her 4,000 show rabbits, now raises a flock of South American Araucana chickens, which lay
a blue-green egg. And according to Kisser, who also sells her wares at Easton’s Amish Market, business is booming. “There’s no recession for people who want to buy natural,” she says.—J.S.

13433 Ocean Gateway, Wye Mills, Md.
410-364-5068, http://www.ahherbncraft.com

2 Tuckahoe Steam & Gas Association

Spot It: Look for the small sign on the west side of the road—and old engines belching steam during special events.

What’s Inside: “Is this Tuckahoe State Park?” That’s what Tuckahoe Steam & Gas (TSG) caretaker Dave “Bullet” Wooters hears all too often from confused motorists who turn into the TSG complex. Hopefully, some of them stick around because there’s a lot to see here. TSG gets big crowds for its annual gas and tractor show, held the weekend after the Fourth of July every summer (July 9-12 this year). But you can pull in anytime to check out the impressive collection of vintage steam- and gas-powered engines, as well as numerous John Deere, International, and Farmall tractors at rest. The grounds are also home to the Rural Life Museum, filled with myriad Eastern Shore memorabilia, including farm tools, a re-created general store, and farmhouse kitchen. A new Machine Shop Museum houses huge early-twentieth-century, belt-driven boring machines, grinders, power hack saws, and more, all smelling of lubricating oil and hard work. No, this is definitely not Tuckahoe State Park, but it’s definitely worth a stop.—J.S.

11472 Ocean Gateway, Easton, Md. http://www.tuckahoesteam.org

3 Rabbit Hill Music

Spot It: Look for the ukulele mounted to the sign out front.

What’s Inside: Is it open? Is it closed? We’re never quite sure of the status of this eclectic music shop along a lonely stretch of Talbot County highway. And even when that recently installed “Open” sign is burning brightly, we’ve found the store locked. If you do manage to get inside, you’ll find a truly funky mix of music ephemera, from cheap guitar strings to stacks of 1980s cassette tapes to the odd ukulele hanging on the wall.—J.S.

10687 Ocean Gateway, Easton, Md.

4 Ruin of Old White Marsh Episcopal Church

Spot It: Brick wall that looks like a Mack truck drove through its center.

What’s Inside: This is one spooky place with some seriously deep roots. Built prior to 1690, White Marsh is one of the oldest churches on the Eastern Shore. Today, all that remains is a stumpy brick wall with a huge hole in the center. One of its most intriguing features is the restored tomb of Robert Morris Sr., father of the financier of the American Revolution, who settled in nearby Oxford. And White Marsh is not without lore: Legend has it that a few hours after the wife of the first rector, Rev. Daniel Maynadier, died, grave robbers dug up her body and cut a heirloom ring off her finger. The robbers were shocked to learn that Mrs. Maynadier was only sleeping. Roused by the pain, she sat up, and walked home to reunite with her likely equally surprised husband.—K.B. 

Located south of Easton, just before Trappe

5 Unicorn Bookstore

Spot It: The white, roadside sign emblazoned with a strutting unicorn.

What’s Inside: Hush-quiet, appropriately musty, and totally organized in its overwhelming collection of 30,000 used books, Unicorn Bookstore is a truly funky find along Route 50. Throughout the narrow aisles of the shop’s seven rooms, shelves made from old barn wood are crammed with books covering topics from trees to travel, crafts to Civil War, science to stamps. We spotted (and purchased) a rare copy of The Annotated Walden, a detailed chronology that includes sidebar notes, maps, drawings, and photographs of Henry D. Thoreau. But what makes this place a real treasure is its collection of roughly 3,000 books on Maryland history. “When I opened the shop in 1975,” says owner and Maryland native Jim Dawson, “no other bookstore had Eastern Shore history. James Michener used to come in here to do research for Chesapeake and so did Maryland historian Donald G. Shomette.” One of the coolest finds in the shop? John Ogilby’s 1671 tome, America, with a chapter on Maryland.—K.B.

3935 Ocean Gateway, Trappe, Md.
410-476-3838, http://www.unicornbookshop.com

6 Pop’s Market

Spot It: You can’t miss the Amish buggy on the roof.

What’s Inside: Yes, the Amish wagon on the roof should clue you in as to what you’ll find inside: hundreds of pieces of Amish-made furniture, from bookcases to miniature lighthouses. The goods come from approximately fifty different craftsmen in Pennsylvania and furniture can be custom-ordered. Pop’s was started in 1978 as a seafood and produce market, by J. Melvin “Pops” Schwaninger and his two sons, and it remains a family affair. Wander the grounds and you’ll be struck by the sheer variety of items here. Where else on Route 50 can you buy a six-passenger golf cart, a backyard shed, a gazebo, and a pre-World War II tractor? “We try to be different than everybody else,” says John Schwaninger. Speaking of which, as the sign out front says, you can get your ducks cleaned here, too.—J.S.

4093 Ocean Gateway, Trappe, Md.
410-476-3900, http://www.popsmarketinc.com

7 Vintage Toy Store

Spot It: It’s a dilapidated blue building completely covered with colorful cartoon characters.

What’s Inside: Well, nothing, as far as we know. The “No Trespassing” sign that’s been on the door the last few years has kept us out. But at one time, the inside of this distinctive building held a treasure trove of vintage toys and memorabilia, from Brady Bunch lunch- boxes to Star Wars figures. The only sign of life recently has been the wooden board on the lawn advertising duck and goose hunting services. Still, the fact that the store closed doesn’t stop passers-by from noticing the building, making it one of the most recognizable sights on this list.—J.S

Across from the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina

8 Lake Lou

Spot It: Water-skiers whizzing through the air at supersonic speeds

What’s Inside: Sure, you expect to spot waterfowl and even the occasional nutria while passing over the Nanticoke River Bridge. But water-skiers cruising at speeds of up to 35 mph across an 880-foot slalom course? Welcome to Lake Lou, a man-made body of water, where the members of the Vienna Ski Club congregate on most summer weekends. Founded by water-ski enthusiast Louis “Lou” Alcamo, the club consists of twenty hardcore skiers from ages twelve and up. A bevy of campers and charcoal grills dot the grounds around the lake while tanned tricksters heat up the water, flipping, turning, and twisting the summer days away. You’ll swear you’ve stepped into an ad for Juicy Fruit gum. Spectators are invited to watch-skiers practice anytime during summer.—K.B. 

9 Wright’s Market

Spot It: A herd of miniature goats underneath a giant windmill.

What’s Inside: What word other than funky could best describe a place where you can find ice cream and Adirondack chairs, produce and pygmy goats, homemade sauces and the saucy Miss Watermelon? (Get her autograph at Wright’s 7th annual Watermelon Festival on August 2.) Operated by the Wright family for the past sixty years, the market is a box-store-size enterprise, silly with homemade pies and cakes (made in the in-house bakery), fresh-from-the-soil fruits and veggies, and even a homemade ice cream stand. Kids can wile away the time feeding the goats or taking a hayride through the farm’s sixty-five acres in the fall.—K.B. 

9300 Old Railroad Road, Mardela Springs, Md.
410-742-8845, http://www.wrightsmarket.com

10 Goose on the Roof Antiques

Spot It: Look for the giant Canada goose in flight atop the roof and wire chickens in the yard.

What’s Inside: From the highway, Goose on the Roof Antiques looks deceptively diminutive, but inside are 10,000 square-feet of cool finds. Housing booths from thirty-two, mostly local vendors, the store is a magnet for collectors cruising Route 50 in search of, well, old stuff. “It surprises me how many kids come in here who are collectors,” says Gwen Marshall, who owns the shop with her husband, Gary. “They make a beeline for things like baseball and football cards and coins.” But what ups the funkiness factor here (besides that goose on the roof) is an adjacent field crowded with garden art: Giant chickens made from scrap metal mingle with near life-size metal bulls with “Keep Out” carved into their bucking forms. Birdbaths, benches, and chimineas add to the offbeat ambience.—K.B.

26510 Ocean Gateway, Hebron, Md.
410-742-0010

11 Gateway Books

Spot It: The plain white building just south of Goose on the Roof Antiques (see above).

What’s Inside: Don’t let the name fool you. Gateway is so much more than a bookstore. Yes, there is a decent selection of used books here, as well as a good collection of local Native American artifacts and antique bottles, but the shop’s owner, Bob Mooers has made a name for himself in the vintage newspaper business.

Back in the early 1980s, Bob started buying up newspaper collections from libraries and reselling them for a profit. “Within a year and a half I made a half million more than in my entire Naval career,” he says. These days, his collection has dwindled considerably, but Gateway still sells reproduction newspapers with the biggest headlines of the twentieth century. So if you’re looking for that “War Declared!” headline from a 1914 issue of The New York Times, this is the place.—J.S.

26550 Ocean Gateway, Hebron, Md.
410-860-9750

12 The Chicken Man

Spot It: It’s hard to miss the bright orange “Chicken Man” sign.

What’s Inside: You don’t expect fried chicken to taste so good when it’s served at a place with gas pumps out front. Or maybe you do. The house specialty, lightly fried and served with potato wedges and coleslaw, is the tastiest chicken you’ll find for miles around. But The Chicken Man also serves up smoked brisket, chicken wings, slices of Smith Island cake, and undoubtedly the best chicken pasta Florentine you’ll find at a shop that also sells road maps, lottery tickets, Slim Jims, and six-packs of cold Bud. “We get regulars who go to the beach and wait to eat until here,” says owner Kirk Vaughan, whose parents opened the business in 1986. “It’s a mom-and-pop place and people like it that way.”

People also like it when Vaughan suits up in his Chicken Man costume and waves to passing motorists on Route 50. Now, that’s something you don’t see everyday on a busy highway.—J.S.

27000 Ocean Gateway, Hebron, Md. 410-749-6608

13 Eastern Shore Pet Cemetery

Spot It: Tombstones, iron gate. Yep, it’s a cemetery.

What’s Inside: Born in 1961, “Smoothy” Soloway apparently lived a good long life when she finally died in 1977. So did little Half Pint, whose thirteen years on this earth made someone so happy that he or she decided to inter their pet in the Eastern Shore Pet Cemetery. The funeral gardens, which shares its grounds with a cemetery for humans, serves as the final resting place for hundreds of dogs and cats. Many sites are decorated with flowers, American flags, and illuminated crosses. The tombstones make for a fascinating read, revealing as much about pet owners as they do about pets. So, Little Tinker Bell, may you do as your headstone says and “run with Mr. Ball forever.”—J.S.

Route 50 W, Mile Marker 106, Hebron, Md. 410-749-1411.

14 Maryland Biodiesel Station

Spot It: Looks like a clean, well-lit gas station.

What’s Inside: On the surface, there’s nothing too funky about a gas station (unless they sell delicious fried chicken inside, of course. See “Chicken Man,” above). But what merits a mention of this pumpatorium is the fact that it’s only gas station in Maryland that sells several grades of biodiesel at the pump. The fuel, sourced from local Perdue factories, is made from soybean oil or rendered chicken fat by Berlin’s Cropper Oil Company. It’ll only work in your diesel-powered car or truck, so you gassers will have to make due with the regular stuff, which is also available. Diesel drivers will find their car’s exhaust smells decidedly like french fries, and cruisin’ down Route 50 doesn’t get much more funky than that.—J.S.

10535 Ocean Gateway, Berlin, Md.
410-641-3383, http://www.mdbiodiesel.com