Reviews of Calvert Marine Museum (Museum)

Blake Lyon

A pretty decent museum for such a small place. Some great exhibits and fun for the kids.

United States Marine

We had great time at the museum! Friendly staff and lots to see and interact with. Perfect for the whole family.

Nate Bessenger

I've had the privilege of visiting a few county museums in my travels. Out of all of them, Calvert Marine Museum exceeds all expectations. Aside from the live aquariums and detailed history of the county itself, it offers a fantastic geological history of the area. With an on-staff geologist, any questions that are related can be answered with confidence. Aside from that, the children's area with various types of sting ray and manta rays and the educational graphic used to decipher which are which is useful to children and adult alike. The entire experience at the Calvert Museum was nothing short of excellence, and anyone interested in geology or just the history of Calvert county would be remiss to not visit this bastion of local history.

Joseph C. Fazekas

A gem for local history and marine life

jayden carter

Great place to go and have a fun time at concerts and museum

Holly Hare

The boat ride is my favorite

Meghan Caslin

An absolutely wonderful little gem of a museum! They do a beautiful job highlighting not only the history of the area but also the local ecosystem. It has something for everyone, history buffs, nature buffs, and even a very cool kids discovery zone.

Paul Acito

What a great experience it was under the stars concert on a great evening, and Bret Eldredge is a great performer. Will be back

Vicky Krugman

It's a nice place to visit. Pretty interesting

Tony Bulluck

Great place.

jere cornell

Very interesting and informational

Fergus Hammond

I'm a big fan of maritime museums and was very impressed with Calvert. I came here as part of a family reunion and had no expectations. I was blown away! Super-interesting. I could have spent the entire day there. If you're remotely interested in maritime history, definitely visit Calvert. Be sure to do a tour of the light tower.

William Hemelt

Nice maritime museum in southern Maryland. Stuff for kids, fossils, boats and motors are displayed.

Yeebis

A very nice establishment, but many problems overall. First of all, there were no marines at all. Just a bunch of fish. Second, apparently, you can’t fish in a museum. Crazy right? Can’t a man just eat some good ones? Now, I am banned from the museum, all because I jumped in a tank and went spear fishing. Luckily, I was able to get two big fish before I was pulled out by the feds.

Ginni and Willie Lu

Must see whenever you're visiting Solomons Island! The PNC concert pavilion is also located here, which is a great spot for concerts.

James Gossard

This is a destination! Enjoy the museum. Take a river cruise on the Wm B. Tennison. Fossils, Bay history, historic boats, lighthouse. Wood shop and more. Friendly staff and volunteers . You'll feel welcome, here.

Eric Karpus

Went to the museum two weeks ago and I had an amazing time looking at the different artifacts and explanation of the different animals in the bay. Also loved the “skeleton” of the Megladon and visiting the light house was interesting as well. Great place to just go and learn at. Various topics of history, math, infrastructure, and interactive programs for the kids as well. And parts of the place where you can pet sea animals such as rays. Also has cute otters outside.

Johnny Kochanko

Thank you for having the Brad Paisley tour. Us drivers shure appreciated all the hospitality from the community. We hope to see you again.

DJ DJ

Can't wait for the next episode!

Mark Mann

Great day

Shane Metcalfe

This was a very fun little stop, the volunteers are so knowledgable and very polite!!

Jill Rison

Awesome day trip for kids.

Mark Girsang

Great for younger kids and adults interested in the Chesapeake

Cathy Snyder

What a awesome hometown museum. Highly recommend checking it out!

Abi Adams

One of my family's favorite place to go.

Barry Keith

I didnt think i was going to like this place due to its size and location, i figured it was a really small local museum. But its actually much bigger than it looks with some great exhibits and fish tanks. They even have a cool otter exhibit

W. Dennis Derr Ed.D., SPHR

A real gem of a museum Aquatic life displays of the Chesapeake as well as amazing local fossils. Should be on the bucket list of anyone traveling nearby.

Michael Jordahl

Absolutely best venue for seeing big name celebrities. Close to home, very intimate, plenty of bathrooms and concessions, parking is a snap, exiting the venue is quick and easy. Just an all-around great experience.

Gerald Davis

Good educational place for kids. The otter are fun and the lighthouse is interesting.

Michelle Carroll

My family loves CMM, we've been members for years. We love the exhibits, and the staff is excellent!

Wendy Dean

We enjoyed our visit!

Maritza Cooper

Absolutely love this little jewel of a Museum. From the dinosaur bones to the lighthouse itself, it was a treat! Who knew Calvert County had so many fossils? And the marine life on view were quite interesting. Got to watch Sea Horses feed. Check out the Otter pond too! And getting to go inside an actual lighthouse was pretty cool. Its roomier than you would expect. We missed the boat ride but next time we will plan better. My 5 year old granddaughter loved it. So did I. Visit and enjoy!

Breea Pepiot

Recently moved to Calvert County and everyone recommended I see this museum, I was hesitant but it was actually AMAZING. The museum was very well done and we'll organized. There was plenty to see including fish tanks, otters and a lighthouse you can climb to the top of. There was plenty to see for adults and kids alike.

Remash Guyah

This is a small museum. It is an easy stroll with the kids and is rarely ever over crowded. The boat rides are cheap and relaxing.

Hassan Naeem

It's was very interactive the place has nice parking clean restrooms and the place is very well layed out but one thing I don't like is the prices for the gift shop they are ok but I feel as if it could be lowered, but other than that it was a good experience there with my friends and family

C. S.

Very nice afternoon visit family friendly

k ba

The best place to visit on a rainy day, sunny day, or any day!

Mike Patterson

Terrific place esp for children! Ours are four and six and had a great time! Individual boats on the water as part of the paid admission were a big plus in my boat, too!! Lots of incredibly varied exhibits in the nature center!!

Megan Tomasic

Awesome place to spend the day for all ages

Mary Macaluso

Wonderful museum. We arrived at 4 PM knowing that the museum closed at 5. We toured the museum building first before heading outside to the light house. Would have been nice if we had been told that the light house closed at 4:30. Very disappointed as we could have seen the light house first.

Wen Han

Who knew that this Gem of a museum was located in southern Maryland? They have so much to do for kids and adults. They have fossils, a section on ships and motors, War of 1812, live otters, live rays, a kids room and some cool Wildlife to see in the wetlands. My favorite part was actually going into a restored lighthouse and seeing how the keeper lived. We spent three hours here and time just flew by.

Joy Maniego

Fun and cute museum. I was really impressed by their exhibits. Looks small from outside, but there were a lot to see inside. My whole family enjoyed time there.

Sheldon Stuchell

Great museum, great staff.

Sam Crouse

Really does well with the subject matter. Well done museum with interesting exhibits

Joseph Huntt

Very very nice place to visit. The children will love it. Has live stingrays and fish tanks, paddle boats. Old boats from years gone by. I have lived hear all my life and never went, but I will be sure to go back!

Pitoon Ekarintaragun

Wonderful place to spend an afternoon with the family

charles cutts

Love this place. Great place for families

Eric Harvey

I loved my visit so much I message a member!

Sunora Knill-Wilbar

My friends at the Calvert Marine Museum. It is a 1st class museum with a wide variety of exhibits featuring Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries flora and fauna. Also of note is the history of life on the water, Native Americans, boat building, lighthouses and much, much more. Excellent educational and musical programs for all ages.

Wes Loyd

Great spot to stop with lots of kid-friendly exhibits.

Christopher Deffinger

Love this place, the staff and the grounds.

Crystal Whitney

This was a fun way to kill an afternoon! The lighthouse was cool, the museum was interesting, and the otters were a blast!

Sara Green

Very cool displays!

Amy Geisel

What a fun place. Enjoyed the boat ride tour. The otters were fun to watch.

ninjas lifestyle

So much fun! Hands on activities, awesome otters, informative guides. We loved it, and look forward to returning.

Amy Foley

Hands on learning for kids of all ages!

Cheryl Sohl

Lots of neat things to see. Going into the light house was cool. The seals were adorable!

Regina Ziegenfuss

Enjoyed going there with my grandchildren they loved it

Rebecca Bryant

Wonderful place for kids and adults alike. Ended up spending about 4 hours and could have stayed longer with a 3 and 4 year old. And decently priced for everything they have. Otters were easily the favorite part, but the kids play room was a big hit as well. I enjoyed talking with the guy cleaning the fossils and all the boat models. There is also an aquarium section that is hidden but comprehensive. And you can't beat the $9 boat ride around Solomon's. Definitely will be back to this gem.

Kendra Bush

WE SAW KANE BROWN LIVE!!!!!!!!Je sang heaven my favorite song.

Justin Johnson

Great museum. Spent +2 hours with the kids enjoying it!

Caitlyn Powell

This place was so much fun! They gave a variety of different activities to keep younger and older kids busy. But it's not mindless fun like amusement parks, it's educational and interactive. They have a wonderful gift shop with tons of goodies for sale. They have a huge circular skate tank with a variety of skates you can watch fly around and read informative panels located through out the room about each type of skate in the tank. There are a lot of different tanks with different fish along with informative labels about them too. They have huge skeletons of ancient creatures and a fossil wall of different fossils found in the river. There is an outdoor/ indoor river otter exhibit with a cute as all get out otter family that loves to snuggle and play. There is an actual museum part in the middle that has all kinds of maritime treasures both behind and but behind glass. If you go outside by the otter exhibit, there is an old octogon light house that they turned into an exhibit of its own. Each floor (there are surprisingly 3 floors) has real furniture from the lighthouse keepers and their families set up like it would be if they still lived there. There are journal entries from the lighthouse master's journal/ logs on the walls and give you a good insight as to how life was back then. The third floor is the light itself and you get to look out over the river. They hold concerts here every year or so with famous singers. I personally went to a Martina McBride concert here but they've had other famous artists too. Definitely worth going there!

Isabel Schenk

It was wonderful there

Connie Follin

Awesome place to visit!

Chris Clark

This museum has expanded amazingly since our last visit about 15 yeas ago. Marine life, Chesapeake skipjacks, powerboat racing, and tons of stuff for children....this museum has something for everyone. Don’t miss the screwpoint lighthouse that you can climb up and see how the lighthouse keeper and his family lived - just a fantastic representation of a way of life no longer around on the Chesapeake. Great staff, beautiful gift shop, and military and senior discounts for entry. Great visit, thank you so much!

Julie Bucci

Awesome place to take your children. Staff were very friendly and greeted us everywhere we went. Great learning experience for my 12 year old son and I.

Erin Lee

interesting fact about the area. Loved the light house!

Chris Taylor

A very interesting museum. They have a lighthouse on the property as well. they are across the island from the cove point lighthouse.

Jennifer German

Great place for kids and adults.

Kevin Conroy

Come for the megaladon, stay for the otters and other amazing exhibits. The prices are very reasonable and the staff is helpful. There’s a great exhibit on fossils, history of the Bay, a kids playroom, and historic lighthouse. Seriously one of our new favorite museums and worth the drive from DC

Lisa Hendricks

Super cute museum and friendly staff. It is not huge but they pack a lot of fun things to see including touring the lighthouse, seeing sea rays and similar up close, and watching sea otters play. There is a lot if history shared about the Chesapeake Bay too!

Roger McGee

Watching the otters play is worth the admission price...and the displays are fantastic.

Mike Basham

Great place to explore Maryland history

Michael Edwards

One of my favorite places to take the kids, it's fun and educational but also usually pretty quiet!

Alysia Witherow

Love this place! We come every time we are in town

Nathan Bowen

Neat little museum with pretty lousy staff. They kept being pushy about closing 5 minutes earlier than the posted times and were more interested in kicking us out than taking money from me in the gift shop. Whatever, I'll gladly spend my vacation money elsewhere that actually wants it.

Ashley Hamilton

Great place to take the kids to explore. They had interactive things for little ones to enjoy which make the experience even better.

Buddy B.

Wonderful place for both adults and kids!

Jude Vitilio

Great venue, interesting historical and marine displays.

H C

Always a nice visit. Very cute and lots of information! Some of the staff are a little rude considering this place is meant for families. But overall it is fun :-)

Melanie Wigton

Fun place to take the whole family

Andrew Coulby

Usually it's a pretty fun experience for the whole family. Sort of a mixture of aqarium and museum. Our last visit was during shark fest and it was overly full. They allowed too many people inside and it was difficult to move around or enjoy yourself.

Joey Stevens

Very cool marine history and the lighthouse tour was awesome!

Robert Aldridge

Very well curated Museum covering the natural history, the commercial, military and recreational maritime history, and the general history of the Chesapeake Bay area from the time of the early exploration to the present. Excellent marine paleontology.

Amy Lynn

This museum is fun for all ages!

Greg Folk

Great museum. It's small but there's lots to see for it's size. The aquarium and otters are great.

AD Nunya

It's great to visit and learn plus the gift shop rocks!

Justin The Redstone Miner

Great place to take the kids. The have 3 otters that show off, swim and play. They also have a kids shark tooth/fossil room where kids can dig in a sand pile to find shark teeth. They just opened a dinosaur exhibit. We joined their yearly family pass and go about once a month.

Jordan Wishart

Exciting place to go. Very educational for kids and adults alike. Friendly staff and clean orderly facilities. We just enjoyed a free day at the Patuxent River Appreciation Weekend.

Dan Day

Well worth the visit. Fabulous displays!

marc sevigny

We went and saw Brad Paisley here on Aug 23, 2018. It was a great show and awesome venue. We will definitely be back.

Faith Ebersole

Nice place with some interactive exhibits for kids, including dig your own shark tooth. Not huge, takes about 2-3 hours depending on how much you like to read vs view.

Toni Laich

There lots to see here: historical exhibits, aquariums, otters and an awesome lighthouse.

Andy Harris

This museum has a lot more than you would think. If you are in to fossils, you could spend hours here. They also have a good amount of kid friendly activities. There is a sting Ray/skate area, a discovery area for kids with a kid light house, a kid sail boat, an area to 'dig for a fossil' and two tanks with fish including a turtle and star fish you can touch. The staff were very friendly and good with my 2 year old. There is also a neat archeology exhibit, an area with a variety of aquariums and otters that were very entertaining to watch. Outside had a short trail around the water that was partly on a dock through shallow water/ the edge of a marsh. There was a large exhibit of historic boats and of course the lighthouse that you can actually go up in and look around which was very cool. Definitely worth the admission price and fun for all ages.

Marra Crook

Absolutely amazing! A surprisingly wide variety of very well maintained exhibits and knowledgeable staff and volunteers

dan b

Awesome fun when I went as a kid with my dad and now taking my son... Awesome. .:) Thank you all for the great experience! !!!

Bruce Adams

Haven't been in since the new update and was impressed with the new lobby. Exhibits were clean and very informative.

Mike Ambroso

Better than you would expect. Really nice and large set of aquariumiums with an astounding array of fish.

Rob Herion

It's not a huge museum, but you just can't pass up this museum when down here. Very well curated with many fun surprises! We spent about 2 hours here. Both adults and kids will love it!

Melissa Neuman

We drove down to Southern Maryland last weekend and had a blast at Calvert Marine Museum. My daughter loved petting the sharks and starfish although she was hesitant at first! The gift shop was super cute with so many amazing choices! My daughter has worn her new necklace every day since we bought it. Definitely will be returning again before the summer is over.

Philip Seeger

Really nice museam.

Kevin Arthur

Kids loved Shark Fest!

Chris Henderson

Pretty cool for family fun

Naazima Ali

Large, well maintained facility with lots to see and do. Areas with fish, snakes, fossils that children can find on their own, otters, marsh walk and so much more. I took my 2nd grade grand daughter for a day trip and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

lloyd berzinis

Amazing!!! Bring the kids!! Enjoy nature!! Love the lighthouse!!!!! And the Otters!! I love it every bit!!!!

Cristina A

Fantastic place to visit. It was a surprise to find that there was a small aquarium inside with different kind of fish. The otters were really cute. The lighthouse was very interesting and the guide who showed it to us was super nice also all the staff were very welcoming. The ladies at the store were super helpful, the t-shirts are the best.

Donald Spatz

An excellent museum telling the history of the region with of course a strong maritime focus. The three playful river otters were great. Much you can learn in this museum.

Tony Gribbins

Awesome atmosphere for a Friday night concert. Get there early and eat at the "food truck court"

Cipher Magus

More awesome than expected. Live animal exhibits. Walking trails. Old boats and plenty of history. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Ed Hudson

Pleasant for all. For adults and children. Boat ride, lighthouse tour, history of Chesapeake maritime...boats, fishing, aquarium, otters.

Mary Roughton

We like to come every for Sharkfest! We live up by DC and it is worth the drive every year. The staff and volunteers are so kind and helpful. They don't ever seem to be bothered by all the people during Sharkfest. I wished we lived close enough to make it worth it to become members!

william hogan

Great place to learn about megalodons and other prehistoric creatures that swam in the now- Chesapeake bay. Awesome exhibit about "the days gone by" as far as the oyster-crab industry that once dominated Calvert and St. Mary's Counties. Check out the boat shop, they always have an interesting projext going on!

Andrew Lawlin

This Is an amazing Place to hang out with friends and family! I really really enjoyed my time there! Theres a nice place to eat lunch outside, you can take a tour of the lighthouse, watch otters and jellyfish float around! So much history from this place and lots of interactive maps and old boats! So go check it out! Its worth it!

Allison Field

Really had a great time here. Enjoyed the boat ride. Grandson really loved it too. Will be returning again sometime.

T Hamp

Very informative and the staff was amazing and extremely knowledgeable. Will definitely return.

Roger Wilber

Unexpectedly awesome.

Jennifer Newton-Bateman

A really neat museum complex and a good place to spend the day with the family. Local history, live animal exhibits, paddle boat rentals, and the lighthouse provide a variety of activities for all interests.

angela powell

We love the Calvert Marine Museum! It has a great little Discovery room for kids with a little lighthouse and a sand pit to find shark teeth and Fossils! We love looking at the otters outside. Being a member you get perks too ! You can buy concert tickets by presales and the concerts are always fantastic ! Great music, food and ambiance. Right now they have a dinosaur exhibit. Love Love Love. Also the gift shop is incredible!

Believe6

I loved it here, there were tons of exhibits to see, interactive displays, live animals including the ray tank which was awesome. It gives a lot of history for the area, Maryland, and the mid Atlantic region. I would say the gift shop could be a tad cheaper, and have a large kids exhibit and area but there was enough where the kids were able to stay entertained.

Jay Fisc

Very cool museum! It has at least a hours worth of exhibits. They even have a large amount of aquariums and petting area!! Highly recommended.

Frank DiGeronimo

Last 2 concerts we attended, Great Sound, Good Food and Awesome Music. Hopefully we will be able to go see the 3rd which is also the last concert of the Season, but either way; if we do or do not get to go, we will definitely have memorable experiences from the other 2.

David Rivett

Wonderful place to see. Great and friendly staff. The facility is wonderful.

John R

Great museum. Definitely worth the visit.

Steve Turnage

Visit this museum on Solomans Island if you can. Make sure to check out all the aquariums. My favorite had skates swimming around. Don't miss the otter habitat and the lighthouse outside. The best fossil collection I've seen outside of the Smithsonian. Congratulations to Calvert county and the state of Maryland. If you are anywhere in southern Maryland do yourself a favor and go see this museum.

Christopher Sherman

The concert we went to was amazing for the price. The museaum is good too.

R. Cain Sauer

What a beautiful museum!

Kathy Morgan

Best place to go see concerts and to explore

Michele Smith

Awesome outdoor concerts

John Moore

Very cool and affordable museum with fossils, live animals, and artifacts. Take the harbor cruise!

John S

Lots to see and do for both adults and kids.

Clella Lane

Love to take my grandchildren. I think it's a great environment to encourage learning. They love the children's area and watching the otters and stingrays. The volunteers are very friendly and patient with small children's questions.

Reba Childs

Always an interesting visit..this time a boat ride on the historic Tennison boat..very nice.

Ernie Herring

Modern, informative worth the time to see.

Jimmy Kesecker

Been coming here since i was little. Have a lot of family memeories here. Definitely recommend the lighthouse tour. Plus who dosnt love petting a horseshoe crab??

Michelle Little

So much for kuds to interact with. Highly recommended.

Anita higgins

Great museum and super cool sail on the Dee!!

tim hidden

Great trip to take with kids. History of the bay, war of 1812 and plenty of animals to see!

James Gaddis

Educational and fun for the whole family.

Tyler Williams

They have made so many improvements. Glad to see local history kept alive.

Brian Dailey

Great history of the area. Cool fossils.

Melissa Hogan

So much more to experience than it seems on first look. The aquarium area is spectacular and the otters are so cute! We took the cruise on the Tennison, which was totally worth it. The captain and first mate were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the historical information and being on the bay/river, even for a short time. Definitely need to go back.

Steve May

Out of town guests loved it. They found the exhibits interesting and imformative.

Theresa Sims

Did a few lights on the MD Lighthouse Challenge. I've been here several time before.

Joann Herring

My grand daughter really enjoyed it and so did I. The employees are very friendly.

Kevin Chronister

Yay for the first Friday of every month being free, I feel like it's something special for locals

Mazz man

Hey this Museum is grand.Not expensive.The workers a great.I was way impressed.Its a great place to see.

Kelley Koehler

The staff were very friendly in gift shop, wood shop, and check in. Fun to see all of the different artifacts and fossils. Everything is set up in an organized way. My favorite part was seeing the sea otters. It would be a great place to bring kids but there were parts that could be enjoyed by any age group.

Scott Rainey

Nice visit with all sorts of collections from dinosaurs to boats

Marie Tyree

It's a great afternoon activity. I gave it 4 stars because the staff at the ray tank was a little rude. I've taken my niece a few times and she always seems to enjoy the hands on experience. The light house tour was okay. Nothing to write home about but I went in a larger group. The kids area is always a hit. Digging for fossils and touching animals has always been a major plus for us. I always find the cutest stuff in their gift shop.

Marissa Schwartz

We always make it a point to stop in here with our almost three year old when visiting friends in California MD. They have an awesome little museum, some super cool exhibits and aquariums. It's a short walk from some of our favorite restaurants for lunch as well!

Sherie Robey

Staff friendly, exhibits are informative and well displayed.

Heather McDonald

This was such a fun and educational experience. Lots of sites to see when here.

Will Berkovitz

Great place to learn about boating and fishing!

Leigh Gernie

The concerts here are always a blast. Food and drink options are available.

Leanne Wiedmayer

First time there. Museum was amazing. Everything from history to aquarium to art. Definitely worth checking out.

Daniel Brown

Excellent collection for a local county maritime museum. A must see for any one visiting Southern Maryland. Smartly combines a kid friendly atmosphere (aquatic petting pool and two otters) with informative displays on local environmental biosphere and maritime history. Great gift shop, cheap entry fee, and knowledgeable and friendly staff and volunteers.

Nicole Shepherd

Very cool!!! Wish you could interact with the otters though.

Michael Polka

Even though the museum is small, there is a lot of stuff to see and do. The staff is kind and will answer questions if you have any.