For more information on St. Mary’s County, visit maryland375.com.

See Some Planes: In Flight—and at Rest

Patuxent River Naval Air Station is the county’s largest employer, but if you lack the proper security clearance, you can always visit the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum instead. The museum is home to several dozen aircraft, all of which were tested by Navy pilots, including a Joint Strike Fighter prototype, a Cobra attack helicopter, and the not-to-be-missed rubber “Inflatoplane” made by Goodyear in 1959. Inside the museum’s warehouse-like building lie dozens of scale models, exhibits on engines and unmanned aircraft, and an entire display devoted to … helmets. To see the real birds in flight, visit on May 23 for the air station’s annual air show. 22156 Three Notch Road, 301-863-7418, paxmuseum.com

Watch the sun set

Romantic weekend escapes tend to involve buzz-words like “winery,” “waterfront,” and/or “Jacuzzi hot tub.” You’ll find them all—plus gourmet breakfasts, lovely gardens, and stunning sunsets—at Woodlawn Farm. The 180-acre estate and its regal manor house date to circa 1798; you can bunk in the main house or at several private cottages overlooking Calvert Bay. This summer Woodlawn offers its first vintage of five wines, made with French and Italian grapes grown on fifteen acres at a farm down the road. Attend a tasting in the garden or historic house, and let the romance begin. Rooms start at $140 a night. 16040 Woodlawn Lane, Ridge, 301-872-0555, woodlawn-farm.com

Check Out a New Museum

It wasn’t until 1962 that archaeologists discovered the remains of a seventeenth-century house along the St. Mary’s River. In fall of 2008 the St. John’s Site Museum opened, showcasing the discovery and the home’s evolution from a private house to tavern to finally being plowed over for a farm. The house, originally built in 1638 by John Lewyer, Maryland’s first secretary of state, went through several owners (including Maryland governor Charles Calvert) before being demolished and buried in 1715. The museum contains a fascinating look at early life in St. Mary’s City, and visitors can see remnants of the original structure, including the cellar’s stone walls, brick chimney, and other archaeological finds. Located on St. Mary’s College campus, 240-895-4990, stmaryscity.org

Visit a Historic island

Maryland’s first settlers arrived on The Ark and The Dove and held the first Catholic Mass in the New World on St. Clement’s Island in 1634. Since 1851 the island was home to the Blackistone Lighthouse, until vandals burned the building in the 1950s. Last year, the lighthouse was finally reconstructed, and visitors can tour the structure on weekends during warm weather. Also on the 65-acre island are hiking trails, picnic tables, and a towering, forty-seven-foot-tall cross made of fifty-gallon oil drums covered in cement, which was dedicated in the 1930s. Stop by the St. Clement’s Island Museum to get your historical bearings before taking the water taxi over to the island. Route 242, Colton’s Point, 301-769-2222, co.saint-marys.md.us

Visit a Plantation

Visit Maryland’s Only Tidewater plantation open to the public Sotterley Plantation pre-dates Mount Vernon and Monticello, but doesn’t receive as much attention as those Virginian homes because, well, no presidents called Sotterley home. The land’s original owner, James Bowles, was simply the son of a wealthy London tobacco merchant and member of Maryland’s Lower House of the Assembly. He purchased 2,000 acres and built a two-room house in 1703. But it was in the mid-eighteenth century that the house came into its own under the Plater family. (George Plater III was Maryland’s sixth governor.) The Platers converted the simple house into an English mansion, and named it Sotterley Hall after their Suffolk ancestral home. Today, visitors can tour the mansion house and gawk at its famed Chinese Chippendale stairway. Then explore the ground’s slave cabin, customs warehouse, and lush gardens. 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, 301-373-2280, sotterly.org

Listen to Beautiful Music

The place to be on a Friday night in summer in Southern Maryland is under the stars at St. Mary’s College’s River Concert Series. Maestro, impresario, and all-around ham Jeffrey Silberschlag leads the Chesapeake Symphony Orchestra in a free, family friendly program of musical styles ranging from Celtic to jazz to Beethoven. The season kicks off June 19 with the world premiere of “In Terra Maryland” by Maryland composer Nathan Lincoln-DeCusatis, with spoken texts culled from early writings on Maryland’s founding. The season continues through July 31. 240-895-4107, riverconcertseries.com

Eat the Local Delicacy

Visiting St. Mary’s County without eating stuffed ham is like going to Philadelphia without trying a cheese-steak. The local delicacy, a mixture of spiced greens stuffed in a brined ham, is available at church suppers, county fairs, and mom-and-pop restaurants throughout the county. At St. Mary’s Landing, it’s available in various forms for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The setting—complete with Keno video screens—is typical roadhouse, but, hey, you can’t get a good cheesesteak at Ruth’s Chris, if you know what we mean. 29935 Three Notch Road, Charlotte Hall, 301-884-3287

Stay in a Historic House

In 1840, Dr. John Mackall Brome, looking to impress his new bride, built her a plantation house on 1,700 acres along the St. Mary’s River. Thanks to Dr. Brome, if you’re looking to impress a special someone, all you have to do is bring him or her to the Brome-Howard Inn for a night’s stay. Choose among four guestrooms, outfitted in period furnishings. Then take a stroll by the river or explore nearby Historic St. Mary’s City. Lisa and Michael Kelley are your affable hosts; Michael does the cooking and makes a mean mini crab cake appetizer and a roast breast of duck topped with an orange sauce. Mrs. Brome never ate so well. Rates from $125 per night. 18281 Rosecroft Road, St. Mary’s City, 301-866-0656, bromehowardinn.com

Eat Some (Very) Fresh Seafood

If you’re looking for the classic Chesapeake seafood dive of your dreams, just pull up your pickup truck to Courtney’s. Tommy Courtney, a local waterman, goes out fishing daily and his wife, Julie, cooks up whatever her husband brings back. For $15.95 you get a fresh fish platter, plus an extra helping of authentic Southern Maryland charm. 48290 Wynne Road, Ridge, 301-872-4403

Drive to the End of the Road

You’ll know when you reach Point Lookout State Park. You can’t travel any farther. This end-of-the-road park boasts scenery and history in ample amounts. During the Civil War, the park served as a prison camp for nearly 53,000 Confederate soldiers, and supposedly, many of the approximately 4,000 who died here still haunt its grounds. You can tour the park’s Civil War museum (and lighthouse during scheduled programs), or just relax by the water, rent a boat, hike, or camp for the night. Ghost stories around the campfire never seemed so real. 11175 Point Lookout Road, Scotland, 301-872-5688, dnr.state.md.us