Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail: Greater Baltimore Area

Seeped in centuries of watermen tradition, Maryland promises delectable and succulent oysters and crabs that you can find throughout and around the state’s most populous city — Baltimore.

Check out these restaurants, crab houses and oyster bars serving up delicious, decadent and fresh seafood along the Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail in the greater Baltimore area.

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Central Maryland

Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail: Greater Baltimore Area

Succulent, sweet, and centuries of tradition.

Baltimore Oyster Bars

These venues offer oysters from a variety of locations, so you can sample the subtle flavor differences that arise from their diverse environments and salinities. To savor oysters and seafood delicacies in Fells Point, head to Thames Street Oyster House for the fresh or fried oysters paired with mustard sauce, or Catonsville Gourmet in the suburbs — they dish up favorites like fried-oyster salad along with other seafood like tuna, mussels and more.

Oysters at Baltimore Inner Harbor Restaurants

Seeking a special night out with spectacular views of the waterfront and city skyline? Head to Rusty Scupper for harbor-side drinking and dining. Watch as the delicious creatures are shucked right in front of you at the oyster bar. Blackwall Hitch Baltimore offers an elegant dining experience; try the raw oysters in horseradish, cocktail sauce or tangy vinegar mignonette. Any choice pairs excellently with a chilled glass of the house white.

Crabs in Dundalk & Essex

As you visit restaurants along the Crab & Oyster Trail be sure to look for the “True Blue” symbol to support Maryland’s local crab industry. Click here for a list of establishments certified as “True Blue.” On the bay, Essex and Dundalk have a unique culture all their own where crab houses and restaurants combine rollicking nightlife and entertainment with delectable seafood. Check out the Hard Yacht Café for sparkling views of the water as well as crab soup, crab-cake sandwiches and inventive egg rolls — wonton wrappers stuffed with savory crab dip and shrimp. Costas Inn in Dundalk has locals and visitors alike raving about the salty steamed crabs, and McFaul’s Oyster & Reel in Essex boasts big-lump chowder and mouth-watering crab cakes.

Seafood Restaurants in Westminster & Havre de Grace

You’ll find crab houses and seafood markets at towns a little farther inland, too, such as Conrad’s Crabs in Parkville, Richard’s Fish & Crabs in Belair and RockSalt Grille in Westminster. For impressive and peaceful water views, head to Havre de Grace where history and culture intermingle with the town’s excellent food and spirits, just like the waters of the wide Susquehanna Flats that merge with the Chesapeake Bay.

Tour the National Aquarium in Baltimore to explore what lives in our oceans, then try a dragon or pedal boat in the Inner Harbor.

Seafood Festivals, Events & Maritime Museums

The wide array of Maryland’s seafood festivals in October kicks off the oyster season, which lasts through the winter and early spring. At these festivals, sample raw, fried or grilled oysters, then watch professional oyster shuckers compete against each other and against the clock. If you’re a novice and want to practice your shucking skills, check out the Downtown Oyster Stroll in Westminster, or attend educational events at Maggie’s Restaurant to hone the craft.

Explore maritime museums in cities teeming with fishing history, from Annapolis to Havre de Grace to Calvert, to discover what it was like to be a waterman in decades past. Or, spend a day on a watermen heritage tour to try your hand at tonging or running a trotline. Admire the unparalleled majestic beauty of a skipjack or log-canoe race, both traditional watermen’s boats.

Explore more of the Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail.

Trip Tips

While in Baltimore, Don’t miss the National Aquarium, where exhibits about Maryland’s aquatic habitats include a salt marsh display with live crabs and fish.

See lighthouses of various styles around the bay in Central Maryland’s Upper Western Shore. Turkey Point Lighthouse, Concord Point Lighthouse, Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, and Lightship Chesapeake can be accessed from land. Take a boat cruise to see the Baltimore Harbor Light.

Visit the Frederick-Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum in Baltimore to learn about 19th-century shipbuilding and Frederick Douglass’s role in Fells Point. The Maryland Historical Society Museum in Baltimore also has a Maritime Gallery.

The Carroll County Arts Council is located in the magnificently renovated Carroll Arts Center, formerly the Carroll Theatre in downtown Westminster. The art deco building now houses a 263-seat theatre, the Tevis Gallery, Community Gallery, Director’s Hall Gallery, Gift Shop, two art classrooms and offices.

North Point State Park in Edgemere is on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay and offers scenic overlooks, a fishing pier and hiking trails. Its visitor center showcases exhibits about the Battle of North Point during the War of 1812 and the Bay Shore Amusement Park, which was on this site in the early 1900s.

Take a Side Trip

Just outside Baltimore, the Bay and its rivers have a party boat culture where people take a floating vacation every weekend and visit each other’s boats. In the Edgemere area, boaters tie up at Hart Miller Island State Park, then enjoy its 3,000-foot sandy beach and campground.