Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary, Lothian, MD

 Fresh air, great exercise, and beautiful and unique nature. What more could you ask for? Not much. Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary offers an enjoyable and unique outdoor experience for all ages. Located in Lothian, Maryland this nature preserve offers a beautiful view of marshes from many different boardwalks built into the water. On the Patuxent River, there are many different paths that you can take with various offshoots that allow you to see the freshwater, beautiful fauna, and wonderful wildlife. Our favorite part was enjoying the 1-mile walk along a peninsula that had several views of the water and large birds. We enjoyed feeling like we were in an aquatic field of dreams, with many areas snaking through thick brush on either side of the path. There are maps at the visitor center and the hike contained a mix of sun and shade.

Website: https://jugbay.org/

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Assateague Adventure, Ocean City, MD

 M.R. Ducks offers a wide array of options for getting out on the water in the Ocean City, MD area. Their options include riding on the Duckaneer (a pirate ship experience), OC Rocket (a speedboat experience), adventure cruises on the Assateague Adventure Cruise I and II, as well as fishing trips on the Happy Hooker. While in Ocean City, we chose to do the Assateague adventure cruise, which was easy to book online with one days’ notice.

Upon arrival to the dock, we showed our electronic tickets and they set us up with our paper tickets. The dock was clean with their restaurant and bathrooms on site, and the boat arrived from the previous tour group on time. Once they cleaned up, they allowed us entry and we promptly set off on the boat. The guide was welcoming and throughout the 80 minute tour, shared lots of information about the boats in the harbor and the history of the area. The ride was smooth and comfortable, and they drove us out to Assateague Island where we got to see wild ponies roaming freely. They explained how they got there and the difference between the ponies on the MD and VA sides of the island.

Shortly after seeing the ponies, they boated us a little further up to small island area, where we were able to get off the boat. They gave us nets and we were able to dredge for hermit crabs (we caught 5 or 6) and could try catching other marine life. We had about 20 minutes or so to enjoy that experience, and then we got back on the boat. For the drive back, they showed us different marine life from their live touch tanks. They asked for volunteers, and my children got to each bring one of the featured creatures around for everyone to see. They had large snails, horseshoe crabs, and regular crabs.

Overall, this was a fun experience, and we would certainly come back and try one of their other rides/experiences in the future.

Website: http://www.mrducks.com/talbotstreetwatersports.html