Imagine two floors of picture windows overlooking a spacious deck, and heated pool, all gazing out at one of the most historic and scenic rivers in the country. The Choptank River first navigated by European colonists in 1612 and immortalized in James Michener's novel, Chesapeake, 350 years later, beckons River House guests to walk its woods, yak a its shores, and explore its historic and tranquil surroundings. This is the heart of Maryland's Eastern Shore, renowned worldwide for its crab and oysters, yet situation in the middle of just about everything without drawing attention to itself. This is Pinch Me country.
The Eastern Shore is a large, flat peninsula occupied by three states between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay--which is really an ancient estuary. There are no metropolises, no limited-access highways, no scheduled commercial airports. Less than 30 feet above sea level in most spots, it is etched by countless meandering tributaries, none 100 miles long, yet more than a couple of them--including the Choptank--2 to 4 miles wide when they reach the Bay. Weaving like blood vessels in a retina, the graceful paths of the rivers, and the marshes and grasslands they define, are reminiscent of the plains of Africa and South America. There is nothing like it in the Western Hemisphere above the equator.
One hour east of River House are the Atlantic beaches of Rehoboth and Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. An hour west puts you in the nation's capital, with Annapolis in between. Less than 90 minutes southeast is Assateague Island, famous for its beach camping, off-loading, and wild horses. Half an hour due south of River House are the superb dining and shopping of Easton and, a little further, St. Michael's and Oxford. Within easy reach north are churches with gravestones from the 1600's near Ruthsburg, the nation's first chartered college in Chestertown, and the largest weekly antique auction in the works, in Crumpton. Or head just three miles down the road to Denton and begin retracing the Underground Railroad and visit the birth places of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. both natives of the Choptank's shores.
River House offers a master bedroom with a king bed and ensuite. There is a quiet guest room on the first floor with a queen bed, a couple of steps from the second full bathroom. Additional guests could be accommodated with a queen air mattress. A wash and drier are down the hall in the laundry room. The living room provides Direct TV on a large screen next to the gas fireplace.