Community
Shady Side
Shady Side connects Chesapeake community history with marsh and shoreline landscapes, including the Captain Avery Museum and Franklin Point State Park.
Shady Side offers a useful pairing for exploring South County: community history through the Captain Avery Museum and a quieter natural setting at Franklin Point State Park. These are different kinds of visits. Decide whether you want an indoor history program, a walk or a paddling outing before choosing your route and equipment.
Start with community voices
The Captain Avery Museum tells the story of a waterfront home associated with Salem Avery and Lucretia Weedon Andrews and preserves the wider history of the area. Its Conversations with the Past project provides access to oral histories and images of Shady Side life. Listening to or reading those accounts can add context before a visit. Check the museum’s current program and visitor information if you want to enter the building or attend an event.
Plan Franklin Point carefully
Maryland DNR describes Franklin Point as a landscape of marsh, woods, fields and Bay shoreline. Use the Dent Road entrance information on the park page; the Annapolis address shown for its administrative office is not the visitor destination. The park uses a combination gate, and DNR provides a request form for access instructions. Parking is restricted to the designated area.
Match the activity to conditions
DNR notes that the shallow, unimproved shoreline can be difficult or inaccessible at low tide and limits water access to non-motorized vessels. Check current park notices and tide information when considering a paddle. A walk or wildlife-viewing visit may be a better fit for the day. Allow the conditions and the group’s abilities to shape the outing rather than treating every waterfront stop as a ready-made boat launch.
Sources and local resources
Sources checked October 2, 2026. Use the linked organizations for current access, programs and project updates.