A Late Fall Tour through Three Chesapeake Gateways

November and December are exciting months to visit three Chesapeake Gateways, all essential stops on the Harriet Tubman Byway. The weather is crisp and bird migrations are in full flight! Sailwinds Park East, MD, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical and State Park, MD and the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, MD are enchanting and educational Chesapeake Gateways. They are all linked to the life, history, and legacy of the amazing and courageous Harriet Tubman, a hero for all times.

Visiting the geography, studying the topography, and observing the flora and fauna of Tubman’s world at these three locations, helps visitors to visualize and understand the magnitude of Tubman’s work and accomplishments. Whether standing on the shores of the Choptank River at Sailwinds Park East or hiking or driving through the Tubman national and state park, and the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, one cannot help but to imagine what it must have been like for Harriet as she waded through treacherous swamps, navigated tumultuous rivers and hiked challenging land trails to bring herself and so many others to freedom. A deep appreciation and understanding of Tubman’s spirit, tenacity, courage, and humanitarianism are truly illuminated at these three sites.

Sailwinds Park East in Cambridge, Maryland

A perfect way to start our journey. It is also the official starting point of the Harriet Tubman Byway, Stop #1. It is situated on the shore of the sparkling blue Choptank River, which derives its name from the Choptank Indians who occupied the southside of the Choptank River basin in 1668. The name is thought to have originated from a Nanticoke word, “tshapetank,” meaning a stream that separates. Sailwinds Park East boasts an award-winning architectural design and with its huge welcoming sail soaring more than 100 feet in the air, Sailwinds Park is an Eastern Shore landmark. Its design and execution supported in part by NPS Chesapeake Gateways.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff await every traveler in the visitor center. Staff members enthusiastically share information about Chesapeake Gateways, Harriet Tubman, and the Choptank River, and more. The visitor center also offers an array of maps, brochures, and guides and two levels of exhibits about Dorchester County and the area. Outside the visitor center, awaits the Sailwinds East Park. It offers something for everyone: a children’s playground, a seasonal garden with native plants, a mile long board walk for people and pets, a lovely beach area, an excellent fishing pier, and the astonishing flying goose sculpture--all await community members and visitors.

NPS/Buckelew

Standing on the shores of the indigo blue Choptank River, one realizes the magnitude of Harriet Tubman’s determination, dedication, and bravery in escaping to freedom and in helping so many other family and friends to escape as well. The nearly 75-mile river is the longest on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with its headwaters beginning in Delaware. The river still flows through a diverse natural landscape, not that much different than it was in the early 19th century when Tubman lived in the area. As beautiful as the river is to the eye, navigating rivers in the 1800s while being tracked by slave owners and bounty hunters was anything but easy.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Historical National & State Park

Just 15 or so miles from Sailwinds East Park, welcoming and knowledgeable park rangers await visitors at The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and State Park and Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland. This 17-acre park anchors the 125-mile Harriet Tubman Byway. The park and the 10,000 square foot visitor center offer exciting interactive exhibits, vibrant artworks, a theater, and rich history and narratives that illustrate Harriet Tubman’s amazing and inspiring life, work, and achievements.

The center illuminates the secret networks of the Underground Railroad and Tubman’s own intrepid rescue missions. Tubman’s activities during the Civil War, her civil rights activities including her later years as a suffragist are all highlighted in the outstanding, interactive visitor center. The Tubman Visitor Center’s award-winning architecture is awe-inspiring, with its attention to detail. Its concept and execution further highlight the rescue mission of Harriet Tubman and so many other enslaved people of the time and place. “The progression through the visitor center site and building exhibits are oriented south to north. A series of interpretive stations (“Living with the Land” & “Concealment”) illustrate Tubman’s struggle through the elements of the landscape and illustrate how the natural landscape was inextricably linked to her extraordinary journey. Joined by a shared entry plaza and terrace, the two structures of the complex, one exhibit and one administrative, frame a view north, expressing the importance of traveling northward to escape slavery. The space between the buildings widens as visitors venture north—a metaphor for freedom.”

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitors Center, is stop #13 on the Tubman Byway.

Exhibits at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical and State Parks.

NPS/Buckelew

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

The last stop on this Daycation, is less than 2 miles away from the Tubman Visitor Center, the neighboring Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (Stop #14 on the Tubman Byway tour). Informative and friendly refuge rangers greet visitors and are delighted to share information about the forests, marshes, and waterways of the 28,000-acre refuge, which are largely unchanged from the time that Harriet Tubman was in Dorchester County.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1933 as a refuge for migratory birds. Habitats of the refuge include rich tidal marsh, mixed hardwood and loblolly pine forests, managed freshwater wetlands and croplands. The refuge serves as an important resting and feeding area for migrating and wintering waterfowl and is one of the chief wintering areas for Canada geese using the Atlantic Flyway. Blackwater NWR is home to the largest natural population of formerly endangered Delmarva peninsula fox squirrels and is also home to the largest breeding population of American bald eagles on the East Coast, north of Florida.

Pintails and Mallards at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

USFWS/Whetzel

In October through November, it is possible to watch the Blackbirds, the last of the songbirds to migrate. Tundra swans from northwest Canada usually arrive in November. Several hundred remain throughout the winter. White-tailed deer and sika breed from October to December. Bald eagle numbers increase with the arrival of migrants from the north. Golden eagles are occasionally seen.

With over 20,000 acres open for public recreation, you can experience the refuge year-round in a variety of ways! From 5 miles of hiking to 17 miles of paddling, there are so many land and water experiences and opportunities to observe wildlife. If you prefer to travel by car, the 3.6 mile wildlife drive is popular with photographers and birders alike.

Take time to pause, ponder, and visualize Harriet Tubman in the fields, forests, rivers, creeks, and swamps on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. One cannot help but feel the magnitude of the physical, social, and spiritual courage of Harriet Tubman and other courageous freedom fighters.

If you would like to learn more about Harriet Tubman, check out the comprehensive and detailed “Driving Tour Guide for the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway."