Running 63 miles from the Mason-Dixon Line to Wye Mills and traversing one canal, two colleges, three county seats, and four rivers, Maryland’s Rte. 213 is one of the prettiest roads in the state. It’s just a two-hour drive, but you’ll likely linger all day!

From the post office parking lot in Lewistown PA right on the Mason-Dixon Line, head south toward Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, about two miles away. On a prominent rise and with gorgeous grounds and views, Fair Hill is famous for its steeplechase races with parimutuel betting as well as its equestrian center.

From Fair Hill, Rte. 213 drops steadily downhill, a stretch known as the fall line. After crossing I-95, you reach Elkton, once the quickest place to get married south of New York. Cecil County’s seat has coffee and ice cream shops on Main Street.

To honor an early settler and prominent landowner, from Elkton to Chestertown, Rte. 213 is known as the Augustine Herman highway.

Several miles past Elkton, a high bridge spans the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, with picturesque Chesapeake City nestled below. This modest treasure of a town is a must place to stop and stroll around with camera in hand along cobbled streets with restored and well-kept homes. Also look for the C&D Canal Museum and the seasonally crowded boat basin. And another coffee shop and more ice cream!

After Chesapeake City, you’ll pass a work in progress, the soon-to-be Bohemia River State Park. Under construction as of summer 2021, it will have water access and offer the usual birding, hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and hunting. Check the park’s website for its opening. Just downhill are a hillside vineyard and the Bohemia River bridge, close to a marina.

After passing through Cecilton, you’ll arrive at the Sassafras River and its drawbridge, with Fredericktown on the north side and Georgetown on the south, a bustling boat basin, and many docks. As you cross the bridge and enter Kent County, there’s ice cream on the right, and the Kitty Knight House restaurant and hotel is atop the hill.

Less than two miles further brings you to Galena, with a well-known roadside eatery, Twinny’s Place. At the crossroads, you must turn right to stay on Rte. 213.

Twelve miles south of Galena is Kent County’s seat, Chestertown, a historic colonial port on the Chester River and home to Washington College. Turn right at Cross Street and you’ll quickly find yourself at Fountain Park, the very center of town. Chestertown has much to see, so park and be a tourist for an hour or so. Chestertown has restaurants, two coffee houses, and ice cream. Its numerous shops include the Finishing Touch (prints and frames) and The Bookplate (many used books).

Now inoperable as a drawbridge, the Chester River bridge carries you into Queen Anne’s County. Past Church Hill, which 213 bypasses, is Unity Nursery, worth a stop for all sorts of native plants and plant containers.  A half mile past Unity on the left is a historic “Colored” schoolhouse, rescued and restored by a local African American congregation.

Next is Centreville, the third county seat on this trip, with its historic courthouse on the town square, a statue of Queen Anne herself, and a block of eateries, including an ice cream parlor.

Two miles past Centreville, you’ll cross over U.S. Rte. 301 and six miles farther, you’ll cross U.S. 50. Chesapeake College is at this juncture, and in another two miles, you’ll reach the southern terminus of 213, in Wye Mills. Here is a beautiful old millpond, an historic mill, and the remains of Maryland’s famous State Tree, the 460-year-old Wye Oak, and the new Wye Oak cloned from the old.

You’ve traversed Rte. 213 from north to south, and your drive is over.

Fair Hill: fairhillraces.com
Bohemia River State Park: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/Bohemia.aspx
Wye Oak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye_Oak

Cover photo: Grandstands at Fair Hill. All photos by the author.