Last updated: September 19, 2025
Place
Captain Avery Museum
Captain Avery Museum connects visitors to the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime heritage.
Quick Facts
Location:
1418 East West Shady Side Road, Shady Side, MD 20764
Significance:
The Captain Avery Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserves Chesapeake Bay maritime heritage, social history, and stewardship across three centuries of tradition.
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places; Chesapeake Gateways Network Site
MANAGED BY:
The Captain Avery Museum connects visitors to the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime heritage, social history, and environmental stewardship. As a Chesapeake Gateways Network Site, the Captain Avery Museum invites exploration of the West River’s traditions, resilience, and ongoing conservation efforts.
Housed in a 19th-century home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum interprets three centuries of history. Exhibits explore the life of Captain Salem Avery, a Chesapeake buyboat captain; the site's transformation into "Our Place," a Jewish fishing and recreation refuge during segregation; and today’s environmental restoration efforts. Visitors can view historic artifacts, maritime tools, native gardens, a rain garden, and shoreline conservation exhibits, or stroll to the waterfront Learning Pier for stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay.
Outdoor exhibits include traditional boats like the racing "Vanity" and the "Edna Florence" deadrise workboat. Throughout the year, the Captain Avery Museum hosts music festivals, oyster celebrations, children’s events, and environmental education programs that emphasize the Bay’s cultural and ecological significance.
Open daily for outdoor recreation and seasonally for museum tours and events, the Captain Avery Museum welcomes all to discover the enduring stories of the Chesapeake Bay’s people, landscapes, and waters. Learn more about programs and exhibits by visiting the museum’s website.