St. Michaels Running Festival

Running, drinks, and sunshine - a fantastic first overnight boat trip of the season.

I'm smiling because I'm close to the finish line.

A couple of friends signed up for the half marathon in the St. Michaels First Annual Running Festival. I don't have their endurance yet (hopefully "yet" is the key word there), so I signed up for the 5K and we decided to make a weekend of it. St. Michaels is beautiful and flat, therefore, a perfect place for me to run and I'm hoping to go back for the festival next year. It was obvious that this was their first running festival - even to an inexperienced runner like me - but I think they will learn from their minor mistakes this year and have an even better event next year. I wish I could take the boat to my 10K in a few weeks.

We had a special treat at the beginning of our trip. The Lady Maryland was out sailing near the Key Bridge. My husband spent some time on this boat when he was in school so he always gets excited when he sees it.

The trip from Baltimore to St. Michaels is just under 2 hours. At least it is for us because we don't have to worry about the drawbridge schedule in Kent Narrows - I've found conflicting reports about when it opens. Some say only on the half hour and hour. Some say it can open more often if you hail the bridge operator. Anybody know which is correct? - Lucky for us we fit underneath the bridge. Even still, the few seconds under the bridge can be tricky. The current through the Narrows is strong so my advice is to be aware as you navigate under the bridge.

We normally stay at the St. Michaels Marina because it's on the town side of the water. Two of our friends and their dog were staying at the St. Michaels Harbour Inn so we reserved a slip in their marina. Our slip backed up to the hotel and our friends' room was right behind the decorative lighthouse in this photo:

St. Michaels is a small town so you can walk to restaurants, shops, and bars from just about anywhere, but I still prefer the convenience of St. Michaels Marina. However, for this particular trip, the Harbour Inn Marina was closest to the running festival - definitely a plus for the long distance runners in our group at the end of their race. And whoever owns this marina must be a fan of the ACC:

It's hard to see in this photo but those are all ACC flags.

After the races on Saturday we found a great new little restaurant. Gina's Cafe is uniquely decorated and pescatarian friendly. The tuna tacos with asian slaw were yummy. Gina also makes a mean margarita. With only five two-top tables and room for six at the bar, the place is tiny, but we all enjoyed our lunch. They've been open since December and I wish them luck.

No trip to St. Michaels is complete without a drink or two at Foxy's. The three runners in the group had only a beer or two on Friday and we were all ready for a good island drink. I don't drink many frozen concoctions but the dirty banana is perfect for a sunny day by the water.

Our tour of St. Michaels continued at the St. Michaels Winery. They have a brand new bright and airy tasting room. With over 20 wines there is something for everyone. It may sound really strange but I recommend trying their Chocolate Zinfandel (and that's coming from someone who doesn't like sweet wines).

We were very excited to discover that St. Michaels now has a brewery. The Eastern Shore Brewery is right next door to the winery. I only had a chance to try one of their beers so I guess I need to go back to St. Michaels soon.

If I haven't convinced you to visit St. Michaels yet, here are a couple more photos:

Even the dogs get their own bar.

Cold beer, crab dip, AND FLUFFY WAFFLES? What more could you want?