Monday Night Optional Activities

On Monday evening after sessions end for the day, choose from two optional activities described below, or make plans of your own. The organized optional activities require advance registration when completing your registration for the Symposium.

Choptank Riverboat Dinner Cruise

Join us on a memorable 3 hour evening cruise while enjoying a delicious dinner prepared by Suicide Bridge Restaurant, a favorite local establishment which has been serving the peninsula for over 65 years! Board their authentic reproduction "Paddle Wheeler"--like those used during the turn of the century for traveling. The vessel has a fully enclosed lower deck and a covered open air upper deck with an incredible view of the Choptank River and Maryland's Dorchester and Talbot counties. Your scenic vista will be the grand Tidewater style homes still lining the river banks, Bald eagles, osprey and Great Blue heron! You will also learn some history and fun facts about the area from a local resident who will be our guide and host during the cruise!

Please join us as we celebrate our time on the Eastern Shore of Maryland by partaking in some of the signature bests of the area--Maryland style cooking and cruising on the beautiful Choptank River!

When registering for this event, you will be asked to pre-select your entree for dinner. Go here for the full dinner menu.

There is a fee for the Choptank Riverboat Dinner Cruise for all participants, including attendees. Adult and child companions are welcome to attend with registered attendees; the attendee must purchase a ticket for companions in advance as part of their registration for this event and the Symposium.

Adults: $100
Children (5-12): $40
Children (4 and under): $20
Register for this activity on or before June 29, 2018.

Downtown Cambridge Bus - Dinner on Your Own

Interested in doing your own thing on Monday night? Would you like to see a little of the community surrounding the hotel but won't have a car during the Symposium?

As an alternative to the Choptank Riverboat Cruise, choose a restaurant in Cambridge, Maryland’s quaint downtown for dinner on your own.

Complimentary bus transportation will be provided on a limited basis, first-come, first served. Advance registration is required; please sign up when you register and indicate the number in your party.

Attendees who pre-register for this activity are responsible for making their own restaurant reservations; the hotel concierge will be happy to assist. Dinner and all associated costs are at the expense of the attendee. The bus transportation is complimentary, but attendees registered for this activity who miss the bus are responsible for arranging their own transportation. Click here to view a list of downtown Cambridge restaurants expected to be open on Monday night.

Sign up for this activity on or before June 29, 2018.

Wednesday Afternoon Optional Tours

Wednesday, July 18, 2018, sessions will end at 12:20 p.m. and all attendees will have the afternoon free for activities of their choice.

Local tour company, Blackwater Adventures, has arranged for three tours/activities to explore and experience the flavor of the local area. All are optional and there is a fee to participate. Be sure to review the options below or here. Please sign up for the tour of your choice no later than Friday, July 6, 2018; links to sign up for each tour are provided below and in the Wednesday Optional Tours flier. Capacity is limited for each tour, and each tour requires a minimum number of participants.

Oysters & the Chesapeake Bay Bus Tour

Enjoy a meandering 30 minute ride through the beautiful countryside of Dorchester County to Hooper’s Island, a quaint fishing village situated between the Chesapeake Bay and the Honga River. You will tour a cultured oyster farm, learn first-hand from local watermen about the evolution of the delectable bivalve, and have the opportunity to try one of these freshly shucked oysters.

Tour fee includes: Transportation, your Blackwater Adventures host, bottled water, your choice of an original print or a copy of “WORKING THE WATER” by Jay Flemming, a local photographer and historian of the Chesapeake Bay.

Adults: $143.10 per person with fees and taxes.
Children 10 and under: $71.55 with fees and taxes (Children’s price does not include a copy of the book or artwork).

To book your spot for the Oysters & the Chesapeake Bay Bus Tour, please go here.

Inside A Bald Eagles Nest Bus Tour

Join Professor Teena Ruark Gorrow, a Dorchester County native and author of the award-winning book “INSIDE A BALD EAGLE'S NEST,” on an American Bald Eagle adventure to search through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and beyond. You'll enjoy learning about the characteristics and nesting behaviors of this majestic bird, and also hear about its recovery as a species. Dorchester County hosts the second largest concentration of Bald Eagles in the continental U.S.

Tour fee includes: Transportation, bottled water, and a personalized autographed copy of Gorrow’s award-winning book, or one of her original matted photographs.

Adults: $143.10 per person with fees and taxes.
Children 10 and under: $71.55 with fees and taxes (Children's price does not include a copy of the book or photograph).

To book your spot for the Inside a Bald Eagles Nest Bus Tour, please go here.

Chesapeake Bay Pub Crawl

Board the bus at the Hyatt lobby for a tour of historic Cambridge Main Street, on a journey of spirits and delectable local flavors. Your group will experience the best of Eastern Shore hospitality while visiting local restaurants and enjoy the stroll to each establishment while viewing the quaint historic buildings of Cambridge. This is a 3-hour adults only event where you will enjoy local fresh foods prepared by award winning chef Patrick Fanning. Your menu will be personally chosen by the chef himself and the only thing left for you to do is to order your drinks when you arrive.

These three restaurants are all owned and operated by Chef Patrick
The High Spot
Rock Lobstah
Stoked Wood Fired Eatery

Tour fee includes: Transportation, the chef’s pick menu and all you can drink at each of his three restaurants.

Adults (only): $143.10 per person with fees and taxes

To book your spot for the Chesapeake Bay Pub Crawl, please go here.

Area Information

For more information about Cambridge and the surrounding area, go to http://visitdorchester.org. You may also wish to learn more about neighboring Talbot County; visit https://tourtalbot.org/.

Area Restaurants

If you have a car, you may want to try out some of the local restaurants during lunch one day, or in the evening when there aren't other planned activities. Below are links to restaurant information in Cambridge and nearby Easton (approximately 12 miles from the hotel).

Cambridge Restaurant Brochure
Quick Meal Options Near Hotel
Easton Map and Directory

Hotel Activities

The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, with over 300 acres situated on the banks of the Choptank River, offers many activities for guests to enjoy during free time. If you'll be bringing family with you, there will be plenty for them to do while you're attending the Symposium. To learn more, visit the Area Activities page on the hotel website and click on "Hotel Activities" (below the map). Some additional activities can be found on the hotel website's home page.

Some activities may require advance reservations.

Hotel Restaurants

There are several restaurants in the hotel and around the hotel property. For a complete list and description of all dining options at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, visit the Dining page on the hotel website.