Anyone know the Chesapeake Bay area well?

[diamondfan]

We live outside Philly and have been looking for a good spot for a second home, something that is in reasonable driving distance, no planes needed. Some people we know love the Chesapeake, I have heard about St. Michaels and Easton, but know NOTHING about the area except my beloved Maya comes from there! Anyway, I was wondering if anyone is either from the area and can give some thoughts, or had vacationed there...I like space where I would have a home, but love the idea of being near a cute town area, I do not want to be in a really remote spot...

 

[Mara]

DF...Greg's dad and stepmom live over near St. Michaels and Easton...they have a house on one of the inlets along the Bay...we go visit every once in a while, we'll be there this spring. St. Michaels and Easton are cute, but pretty small. We pretty much walk through them in about an hour or so. Yummy places to eat too. A nice area, especially in the summer and if you have a boat you can take it around to diff spots around the Bay... I don't know too much about it as we have just been there a few times but I guess they have said a lot of senators and politicians have summer houses over near there and it's become a real vacation kinda home area. There are lots of houses on the water and to me the roads seem kind of remote, there are not that many people out there in general it seems like. The houses are set pretty far apart on lots of land.

If you want me to ask Greg anything, let me know!! I dont really know too much. Oh random other note, I was looking online for houses in NC and I found that some builders are building over near Easton too. From what I can recall, large lots, large houses, and not too pricey depending on what you are looking for...so you might want to check out some new home builders online in that area to see if you can find more information.

 

[diamondfan]

Thanks Mara, I am just so uncertain about it. I love a couple of towns in our New Jersey shore area, which is really convenient...hubby could even go to and from his office in downtown Philadelphia each day while I stayed. The issue is you get a small house on a tiny lot, and ocean front is over 5 million while just beach block is anywhere from $3.5 and up. The area is not one in which I want to be blocks away from the beach...with three kids, it is not great if you all go to the beach and one decides he is hot/tired/bored...you cannot go home easily, parking is impossible near the beach, usually residents only with a couple of spots left over, and since there are NO public restrooms on the beach and you are not supposed to picnic, it is a huge pain. Plus beach erosion etc there is pretty bad. My husband is a total investigator researcher type, so he starts thinking, well, what else is out there? I refuse to have to fly out, and need to drive so Maya can come in the car with us. I do not mind my home being on some nice land, with grass and stuff, but I do not want to be in the remote areas since I will be there alone with my youngest a lot. I love the idea of cute towns, charming and quaint...The realtor that my hubby talked to said that if you live in DC you want to be on one side of the bay, but that for us, the drive is easier to the other side. Just ask Greg sort of general things, my three kids would be there for part of the summer, then big kids to camp and it would just be me, my youngest, my nanny and the dog most days. I would want activities for my youngest, a place to maybe find other kids his age, and cute shops and good places to eat that are not all totally touristy. I am sure the area is getting inundated though, I have been reading a lot about it. My friend said it gets hot and there are bugs, and that there are these nettles (jelly fish things) in certain spots in late summer, so you have to swim in a wet suit. That scares me a bit. I also want to feel safe if I am there without Greg, because I have a feeling even though I will have friends come periodically, I will be on my own a lot. So things like kid friendly eateries and movie theaters close by are a must, as is having food shopping not too far...our friends have a place on 40 acres and said the nearest small grocery store is over 20 miles! No chance!

 

[ephemery1]

DF, I am a beach person, so my vote is for a shore house!! C''mon, you know it''s worth the 5+ mil to be on the water....

My family used to keep a boat on the Chesapeake Bay in one of those cute little communities, but unfortunately I don''t remember much about it. They have since moved on to the Delaware shore, which is not quite as out of control as New Jersey in terms of real estate cost... would that be a consideration? It is a little further (seems like everyone in Philly goes to Jersey, everyone in DC goes to Delaware) but there are some great beach towns... Rehoboth has fantastic restaurants (and I''m a restaurant snob) and fun little boutiques (but a "louder" crowd because of the boardwalk), Bethany is more laidback and filled with beautiful homes. Lots of good golfing in the area, too, if anyone in your family golfs. It is a very different feel than the Jersey shore though, so some people are very loyal to one or the other... although my in-laws came close to buying in Avalon many times but couldn''t find exactly what they wanted, and finally fell in love with a new golf community in Delaware called the Peninsula, and bought a summer home there instead.

I think it is always nice to have a shore house in the family though... we always end up congregating there for holidays and weekends. Even in the middle of the winter, there is just something peaceful and relaxing about being at the beach.

 

[diamondfan]

I am much more of a beach type person, but my hubby just gets so ticked at the real estate in New Jersey. We have been to Bethany and Rehobeth and did not like it nearly as much as Stone Harbor. So, it might be a case of back to the drawing board unless we find an awesome home in SH on the streets we like (even what side of the street matters for view etc) and it is the right size for us to make good use of. I know I always like it when I am in SH, it feels so family oriented and great, flat streets, great for walking etc, little ice cream places and such, I just love that feeling. I do not want to be too near a wild boardwalk or all the casinos. So, SH and Avalon are the places I would consider down there. I will know more after this weekend, my dh arranged to drive down to the two towns and see some homes, so we can get a sense of the drive and surrounding areas...if we like it on the bleak days of winter it can only be better in the summer!

 

[Girlrocks]

I live on Kent Island which is just over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Annapolis...about 20 minutes from St. Michael and Easton. Oxford is also a nice quaint small town. A lot like St. Michael''s with the Bed and Breakfast''s feel. I grew up on the Bay in Annapolis and I love living on the island.

 

[diamondfan]

Thanks! What kinds of activities are there close by? I am thinking of having my kids and possibly friends with kids around so I would love to know if there is stuff to do other than boating and biking...

 

[diamondfan]

Well, we went down Sunday and saw some pretty homes in Oxford...

Just am not sure about the area overall, recreation and things to do besides boating, and did not get to St. Michaels...

Girl, where is Kent Island? Can you give me some more general info about Oxford and St. M''s?