Havre de Grace, or "Graceful Harbor," is a small harbor town with a population of just over 11,000. It was once in the running to become the nation's capital, but lost out to Washington D.C. by one point. A quiet overnight stay at a resident bed and breakfast and fresh seafood restaurants make for a relaxing weekend getaway from the hustle of nearby Baltimore and Wilmington.
Havre de Grace houses the Concord Point Lighthouse, the most famed structure in the region, and in operation for over 150 years. Book shops, antique stores and seafood restaurants line the streets of this town by the bay, and golf, bird watching, boating and fishing are just a few of the ways to spend a weekend here.
In nearby Aberdeen, the Ripken Museum pays homage to baseball great, Cal Ripken Jr. The museum includes World Series memorabilia and artifacts, as well as Ripken family history. The Ladew Topiary Gardens, in Monkton, has a myriad of topiary displays and twenty themed garden areas. A manor house on the grounds contains collections of paintings, silver and ceramics collected by the garden owners.
Havre de Grace is located in northeast Maryland at the base of the Susquehanna River, along the Chesapeake Bay. It is equidistance from Baltimore to the southwest and Wilmington, Delaware to the northeast.