Individuals, Families & Smaller Groups

Explore the options below for some ideas if you’re traveling on your own or with a few friends or family. You can also browse our Things to Do section to create your own itinerary.

More information is available at the Dorchester County Visitor Center, 2 Rose Hill Pl., Cambridge, MD.

Half-Day: Overview of Tubman Country

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – self-guided tour of the exhibits. Optional walk along the nature trail.

Visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. There is a small fee for the four-mile Wildlife Drive. Admission to the Blackwater Visitor Center is free, and includes exhibits, a butterfly garden, and gift shop.

Make stops at nearby Tubman Byway sites, such as:

• Buttons Creek, near where a woman escaped slavery by disguising herself as a man.
• Brodess Farm, where Harriet lived as a child.
• Bucktown Village Store, open by appointment, where Harriet almost died.

Lunch at one of the award-winning restaurants in downtown Cambridge. Shops and galleries are also there for exploring. While in Cambridge, stop by the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, where local residents have been promoting and preserving Harriet’s legacy for decades.

One-Day: Connected to the Water

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – self-guided tour of the exhibits. Optional walk along the nature trail.

Drive through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. There is a small fee for the four-mile Wildlife Drive. Admission to the Blackwater Visitor Center is free.

Lunch at Suicide Bridge Restaurant with award-winning crab cakes. Crab feasts available in season. Waterfront restaurant with views of Cabin Creek located in Hurlock, Maryland.

Join a public cruise on a riverboat out of Suicide Bridge Restaurant. The Choptank Riverboat Company offers sightseeing, crab feast, lunch cruises, and more. See the cruise schedule.

One-Day: Historic Cambridge

Visit Tubman Byway sites in Cambridge:

• Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, where locals have kept the legacy of Harriet alive for decades.
• Dorchester County Courthouse, site of the escape by Kessiah Bowley (Harriet Tubman’s niece) and her children. Also home to the Beacon of Hope sculpture of Harriet Tubman.
• Long Wharf, where ships carrying enslaved people from Africa docked in the 1700s.

Visit the Choptank River Lighthouse, replica of a historic lighthouse. Stop inside and see the mini-museum and great views of the Choptank River.

Take a self-guided walking tour in Cambridge, with the free Audio Tour app.

Lunch at one of the award-winning restaurants in downtown Cambridge. Shops and galleries are also there for exploring.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – self-guided tour of the exhibits. Optional walk along the nature trail.

Drive through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. There is a small fee for the four-mile Wildlife Drive. Admission to the Blackwater Visitor Center is free.

Stop by Emily’s Produce, a destination produce stand and market with local foods. Offers a free children’s play area and several U-Pick options in season. Open April through November.

One-Day: Tubman/Underground Railroad Immersion

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – self-guided tour of the exhibits. Optional walk along the nature trail.

Drive to nearby sites along the Tubman Byway:

• Buttons Creek
• Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
• Brodess Farm
• Bucktown Village Store (open by appointment only)
• Stanley Institute (open by appointment only)

Lunch at one of the award-winning restaurants in downtown Cambridge. Shops and galleries are also there for exploring. While in Cambridge, stop by the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, where local residents have been promoting and preserving Harriet’s legacy for decades. Consider reserving ahead for a walking tour hosted by the museum.

Drive to sites related to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, as escaping slaves made their way north toward freedom, such as:

• Linchester Mill, historic mill where crucial information was secretly shared.
• Poplar Neck, where Harriet Tubman made her most daring escape to rescue her parents.
• Webb Cabin, the restored home of a free black man in the mid-1800s.
• Quaker Meeting House, open by appointment, where local abolitionists gathered.

Stretch your legs at Adkins Arboretum, a 400-acre garden and preserve with walking trails, and listen to their audio guide about nature’s role in the Underground Railroad.

One-Day: Family Friendly

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – self-guided tour of the multimedia exhibits. Ask about the Junior Ranger program. Optional walk along the nature trail.

To deepen the experience or to make it a homeschool activity, before your trip browse the field trip and curriculum materials and more from the National Park Service on their website.

Explore Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which offers a four-mile Wildlife Drive (there is a fee) for driving, walking, or cycling. Look for bald eagles, great blue herons, osprey, egrets, and dramatic marshland views. The free visitor center offers exhibits, a butterfly garden, and gift shop. Kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and bicycle rentals available through Blackwater Adventures.

Stop by Emily’s Produce, a destination produce stand and market with local foods and lite fare. Offers a free children’s play area and seasonal U-Pick options including berries, flowers, and pumpkins. Open April through November.

Lunch at one of the award-winning, family-friendly restaurants in downtown Cambridge. Shops and galleries are also there for exploring.

Visit Choptank River Lighthouse, replica of a historic lighthouse. Stop inside and see the mini-museum and great views of the Choptank River.

Engage the whole family on a historical adventure with the free Dorchester Passport Tour. Find the numbered medallions and make rubbings at each site. Collect 10 and you can win a prize.

Let the kids run around at the playground at the Dorchester County Visitor Center (2 Rose Hill Pl., Cambridge, MD) or Great Marsh Park (Somerset Ave. and Hambrooks Blvd., Cambridge, MD).

Group Itineraries

Whether you are planning to visit for just a half day, or a whole day, with a group, your family, or on your own, there are plenty of ways to make sure you get the most out of your Byway experience. We’ve put together some suggested itineraries that combine the Tubman Byway with other aspects of the area. This tab includes suggested itineraries for larger groups and bus tours. Contact the individual businesses for details on minimum group size.

One-Day: Seafood Extravaganza

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – 2 hours – ranger-led introduction or program (with advance notice)

Drive through four-mile Wildlife Drive at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge for possible glimpses of bald eagles, great blue herons, osprey, egrets, and dramatic marshland views. Optional stop at the refuge’s Visitor Center.

Lunch at Portside, Snappers or Suicide Bridge restaurants, all with extensive menus, including seafood, and ample bus parking.

OR

Cruise on a riverboat out with the Choptank Riverboat Company, also located at Suicide Bridge Restaurant for a sightseeing cruise.

One-Day: Tubman Immersion Experience

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – 2 hours – ranger-led introduction or program (with advance notice)

Brief stops at sites related to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, such as:
• Brodess Farm, where Harriet lived as a child.
• Bucktown Village Store, open by appointment, where Harriet almost died.
• Stanley Institute, open by appointment, the site of the so-called “Stampede of Slaves” and a one-room schoolhouse used by the African American community starting in the 1800s.
• Dorchester County Courthouse, site of the escape by Kessiah Bowley (Harriet Tubman’s niece) and her children. Also home to the “Beacon of Hope” sculpture of Harriet Tubman.

Lunch at Portside, Snappers or Suicide Bridge restaurants, all with extensive menus, including seafood, and ample bus parking.

Brief stops at sites related to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, as escaping slaves made their way north toward freedom, such as:

• Linchester Mill, historic mill where crucial information was secretly shared.
• Poplar Neck, where Harriet Tubman made her most daring escape to rescue her parents.
• Webb Cabin, the restored home of a free black man in the mid-1800s.
• Quaker Meeting House, open by appointment, where local abolitionists gathered.

Optional tour and tasting at Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery on a farm near Vienna, MD.

One-Day: Outdoor Adventure

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – 2 hours – ranger-led introduction or program

Lunch at Portside, Snappers or Suicide Bridge restaurants, all with extensive menus, including seafood, and ample bus parking.

Paddling or cycling through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, a 28,000-acre refuge that includes water trails and the four-mile Wildlife Drive. Check out Blackwater Adventures for equipment rental.

Tasting at RAR Brewing, a microbrewery in downtown Cambridge, Maryland.

OR

Tour and tasting at Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery, on a farm near Vienna, Maryland.