EWELL, Md. — Within minutes of crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge onto Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I began seeing the small roadside signs.
“Order your Smith Island cake here.”
Smith Island, as I was about to discover, is best known for two things: some of the sweetest soft-shell crabs to be found anywhere and a multilayer cake of golden sponge and chocolate frosting. It’s so special that state legislators have named the cake Maryland’s official dessert.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to stop and order one. I was on my way to the island, the only inhabited isle in Maryland’s portion of the expansive bay, in search of a unique and relatively inexpensive getaway about three hours and one world away from Washington and Baltimore. High on my agenda was pigging out on fresh seafood and several slices of the local specialty, that mammoth cake with, at minimum, nine rich layers.
Getting to the island is part of the adventure. Through mid-October, a tour boat gives day-trippers a couple of hours to explore Ewell, the most-visited of the three settlements.
I, however, was headed to Tylerton, which meant catching one of the two ferries operated by brothers Larry and Terry Laird. Their boats aren’t so much ferries as fishing boats with minimal concessions for passengers: a couple of wooden benches and a few lawn chairs.
In one chair was Mina Laird, mother to the boat captains, who was returning home from a visit to her eye doctor. I was the only nonislander among the nine travelers; the other eight had been to the mainland for appointments or to shop.
The conviviality on board quickly overcame the spartan surroundings. One of the men joshed about Ewell, with a population of about 70, being the island’s “big city.”
“Ewell’s got the mall,” he wryly told me.
“The mall?” I said.
“Yeah,” he replied. “That means there are two stores that are connected.”
The hamlets of Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton evoke rural, seaside life of years past with their mix of neatly kept, mostly modest homes and quaint crabbing shacks atop aging wooden piers. The timbers of disused docks, a sign of modern times, slowly rot, their shanties listing as they inch toward the brine below.
Water defines Smith Island, which consists primarily of tidal marshes. Waterfowl abound, and though the northern half of the island is part of a wildlife refuge that is closed to the public, there are abundant opportunities for bird watching from canoes and kayaks in the bevy of coves and creeks.
I was met dockside in Tylerton, population 57, by Rob Kellogg. He and his wife, Linda, run the Inn of Silent Music, an upscale bed-and-breakfast.
Aboard a golf cart, the preferred method of transportation on an island where narrow lanes of crushed white rock pass for roads, Rob gave me a tour of Tylerton.
The piers with their stacked crab pots and fishing shacks, some selling folk-art carvings of boats, lighthouses and men in yellow rain slickers, are probably the biggest draw. As Rob explained, most of the folks here derive their income from the sea, as has been the case for 15 generations.
Later, we pulled up in front of the Drum Point Market, a combination grocery, snack bar and souvenir stand.
Rob told me that the market sells slices of Smith Island cake and crab cakes, the latter popular with locals and tourists. They couldn’t have been any sweeter than the ones served up that night at dinner. Linda Kellogg gives credit to the mix of salt and fresh water in this part of Chesapeake Bay for the heavenly flavor of its soft-shell crabs.
We also dined on rockfish, another common catch for the local fishermen, who are known around here as “watermen.” Dinner at the inn is timed to coincide with the deservedly renowned sunsets. It is served on the large, screened porch, which affords guests a sweeping, unobstructed view.
The following morning, breakfast brought another overwhelming feast to the porch: homemade granola; lemon and currant scones; eggs baked in ham cups with goat cheese and crab relish, served over grits; and an absolutely astounding fresh fruit salad.
Rob leaves the baking to Linda, but the fruit salad is his masterpiece. It includes pears, apples, melon, peaches, grapes, pluots, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries — and probably others. Many B&Bs advertise a “gourmet breakfast,” but the Kelloggs’ creations surpass all expectations.
However great the meals, Linda cautioned would-be guests that Smith Island isn’t a resort destination.
“They won’t find TVs, phones or computers in the inn,” she explained. “Cell service is very spotty.”
Keep in mind, this island didn’t have electricity until 1949, and street names and house numbers didn’t exist until 1991.
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Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton are, in essence, working fishing villages that welcome visitors, often called “foreigners.”
“This is not your typical island getaway,” Linda said. “But if you’re into canoeing, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, or just kicking back with a book, this is the perfect place to be.”
Day-trippers and overnighters alike should make a point of checking out the Smith Island Center in Ewell. It’s a cultural center that shares the island’s history and champions the preservation of the local culture. Many fear it is eroding as the island’s population declines — now somewhere around 200.
“When I moved here (42 years ago), there were 450 to 500 people,” Bill Dize said as he bemoaned the exodus of young people. His own kids are among those who have left in search of more plentiful, and better paying, jobs. But, he added, they have parted with paradise.
“This island here is, I believe, one of the greatest places on Earth,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for nothin’.”
If you go
Smith Island, 12 miles offshore from Crisfield, Md., offers a limited choice of dining and lodging options, but all at affordable prices.
At the Inn of Silent Music (410-425-3541, innofsilentmusic.com), bright and airy rooms overlooking the water start at $110 a night, including a truly memorable breakfast. The use of bicycles and watercraft is included. Dinner is optional, at an extra charge.
To find additional lodging, visit smithisland.org.
Scheduled services ferry folks to the island’s three communities. Round-trip fares start at $25. (visitsmithisland.com/getting
here) For kayak rentals, go to visitsmithisland.com/outfitters.
Those seeking an abbreviated island experience should consider Smith Island Cruises, which operate daily from Crisfield and allow guests 21/2 hours to wander Ewell, with its cultural center and a handful of shops and restaurants. (410-425-2771, smithislandcruises.com)
For more information: Somerset County Tourism (800-521-9189, visitsomerset.com).