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Back to Solomons

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Solomons

Solomons Island

Give Solomons one night, two at most: a boardwalk, a marine museum and a seafood strip where the Patuxent meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Solomons is a small waterfront resort on a peninsula in Southern Maryland, about a two-hour drive from Washington, DC and Baltimore. It is a boating and fishing town with a short boardwalk, one strong museum, a cluster of seafood restaurants and a summer open-air bar. Most people come for a night or as a day trip combined with Calvert Cliffs or St. Mary's City. There is no train and no airport: you need a car.

New YorkAberdeenAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsAdaAdamsAdamsAddisonAdrianAdrianAftonAgoura HillsSolomons500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United States
Local name
Solomons Island
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Jul–Aug (heat and humidity), Jan–Feb (many waterfront places closed)
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend
Budget $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–230 excl. bed · High $250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Calvert County Sheriff (non-emergency) 410-535-1600 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping
Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water
Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets
Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee$3–6
Seafood platter or crab cakes$22–38
Burger or sandwich$12–18
Draught beer at the bar$6–9
Calvert Marine Museum entry$7 adult, $6 senior, $2 child
Sotterley mansion tour$10 adult
eSIM, about a week of data$10–25

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

BWI · Baltimore/Washington International
About 1 h 45 min–2 h by car.
DCA · Ronald Reagan Washington National
About 1 h 45 min by car.
IAD · Washington Dulles
About 2 h 30 min by car; allow more in weekday traffic.

Typical fares

Washington, DC → Solomons by car
about 2 h, roughly 100 km (62 mi)
BWI → Solomons by car
about 1 h 45 min–2 h
Parking on the Solomons strip
free lots near the museum and boardwalk; fills on summer weekends
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

A car is the practical choice: Route 2/4 is the only road in and out, and the sights sit a short drive apart. The boardwalk, museum and restaurant strip are walkable from each other. Boaters arrive at Solomons Harbor, Spring Cove or Zahnisers marinas on Back Creek. Bus service to the town is limited; check local schedules before relying on it.

See and do

Known for

  • Calvert Marine Museum and Drum Point lighthouse
  • Boardwalk at the river mouth
  • Fishing and boating on the Patuxent
  • Seafood restaurants and the seasonal Tiki Bar

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Calvert Cliffs State ParkDrive Route 4 north, then park and walk the trail to the beachAbout 30–40 min
St. Mary's CityRoute 4 south to Route 5 eastAbout 45 min
Lexington ParkRoute 4 south to Route 235About 20 min
Sotterley PlantationRoute 4 south, Route 235 north, then Route 245About 45 min
Chesapeake BeachDrive north around the bay via Route 4 and Route 260About 1 h

Sleep

Solomons Island Road strip (Route 2/4)
Motels and the Hilton Garden Inn; walkable to the museum and most restaurants.
Dowell, north of the bridge
Quieter chain hotels about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from the restaurant strip; needs a car.
Lexington Park
More rooms and services south on Route 4/Route 235, about 20 min away; useful when Solomons is full in summer.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the boardwalk?Where is the boardwalk?
A table for two, pleaseA table for two, please
Is the kitchen still open?Is the kitchen still open?
Can I pay by card?Can I pay by card?
Where can I park?Where can I park?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
  • Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
  • Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
  • Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
  • Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

  • Route 2/4 is the single road in and out: summer weekends and the bridge back up badly.
  • The Tiki Bar is seasonal, roughly April to October, and opening day draws a very large crowd.
  • Calvert Cliffs State Park's public beach is usually picked over by noon: arrive early for fossils.
  • Restaurant kitchens close early outside summer; check hours before a late dinner.

A low-crime resort town; the real risks are summer heat, sunburn on the water, ticks on park trails and drinking on the boat or the road. 911 works everywhere.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Solomons yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Calvert Marine Museum and Drum Point lighthouse
  • Boardwalk at the river mouth
  • Fishing and boating on the Patuxent
  • Seafood restaurants and the seasonal Tiki Bar

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

SolomonsSolomons Island

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

No embassies here; national embassies are in Washington, DC, about two hours away.

Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink at the bar.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/solomons). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.