The Watermen's Museum

The Watermen's Museum is one of the Chesapeake Bay's special places linked together by the Gateways Network. Visitors to Chesapeake Bay Gateways experience first-hand the varied stories and adventures shaped by the extraordinary environment of America's largest estuary. There are more than 150 Gateway sites and water-trails and all of them offer ways to explore and connect to the authentic Chesapeake. To learn more, visit the Gateways website at: www.baygateways.net or ask here for the informative map and guide., Chesapeake Bay Facts: , . 2,500 sq. miles of water , . Width: 3.4 to 35 miles , . Approximately 11,684 miles of shoreline , . Average depth – 21 feet; maximum depth 174 feet , . Largest of the 130 estuaries (a place where salt and fresh water intermix) in the United States , . Watershed drains 64,000 sq. miles of land in 5 states , . The estuary supports more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, While in the area visit nearby Gateway sites to learn even more stories about the Chesapeake Bay., Watermen fishing the Bay , The Chesapeake Bay is filled with maritime lore. Watermen still head out in pre-dawn darkness to harvest the Bay’s bounty., Osprey , Millions of waterfowl make their way along the Bay and through its watershed every year. Witness these migrations and countless other natural wonders., Yorktown Battlefield , At Gateway sites like Yorktown Battlefield history comes alive. The Bay provided the background for events that created our nation.