Column: Maryland suits for a
Michigan family's vacation

If you can combine a beach, family fun and baseball game, I call that a pretty good vacation. Last summer, we were able to pull this off.

Last July, our family visited the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay area. I am the trip planner, and my job is to make it enjoyable for the five of us (my wife and our three children, all age 9 in a blended family.) At first, my plan for a cottage on the beach didn't work out (we arrived and it was awful), but as we drove up the coast, we found the quaint town of Chesapeake Beach.

Maybe it was the tired look on my face after the disappointment of the cottage, but the staff at the Chesapeake Beach resort was extremely helpful. We were able to book a double queen room (and put an inflatable bed on the floor) and settled in.

This resort and area really reminded us of a trip up north. It had a few touristy spots, but it was mostly made up of rental and residential homes. There were mostly family-owned restaurants, a few souvenir shops, but overall it was a quiet place with few crowds.

We did not take advantage of the amenities at the resort, but we did enjoy the area. Across from the hotel was a small water park, the Chesapeake Beach Water Park. This was a fun-filled day for the kids of tubing, slides and all-around splash-filled activites.

On our agenda the next morning was the beach. About five miles north of the resort, North Beach was a neat area. There was a slight charge, but I really liked that the beach area was surrounded by netting in the water. This helped keep away the jellyfish that sometimes bother swimmers at this time of year. It was also extremely warm because it was the Bay and not the ocean. As a day at the beach goes, this was top notch.

There were many great places for food in Chesapeake Beach. The first night, we found a pizza joint, and the next night we ate at the resort because they had a kids-eat-free special. The food was very good, and that evening we hung out on the docks, watching some kids trapping crabs and the moon rising over the bay (we took a picture of the kids and that was our Christmas card this year).

Our last night there, we saw cars lining up at a crab house right across the street from our hotel. It was one of those classic Maryland places, where they bring you steamed crabs by the bushel and drop them on your table, with a tablecloth made of brown grocery bag material. The kids ordered small items, while my wife and I ordered the all you can eat crabs and shared some with them. We all slept well that night.

Baltimore, about 60 miles north, was next on the agenda. We left early because we had a full day planned there. After getting tickets for the Tigers game that night, we checked in to our hotel, the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace. This is also where the Tigers were staying.

This location was beautiful. It overlooked the Harbor, was within walking distance to the attractions and ballpark, and the boys even were able to get Joel Zumaya's autograph in the Starbucks in the lobby.

Walking across the street and down a block, we visited the National Aquarium. We've been to Shedd's in Chicago, but this one is a bit nicer, possibly because it's newer. There were many memorable exhibits, but I think the multilevel shark tank and rainforest were extremely unique.

That evening, we did the 10-minute walk to Camden Yards, one of the first new-style, baseball-only stadiums, built in the early 1990s. Since I named my son Kal, I've always had a special place for the Orioles. I had been to the ballpark before, but this was the first with my family, and they truly loved the experience (even though the Tigers lost).

Having been to Baltimore before, I know there are many other activities (including Babe Ruth's birthplace), museums and locales to visit. Since I was planning, baseball took precedent, though.

For a long weekend or even a week-long excursion, Chesapeake Beach and Baltimore would be a great place to take the family.

Jeff Nardone is journalism advisor to students at Grosse Pointe South High School.

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