E-news Archives

Hotel Specials

Salisbury, Maryland boasts affordable accommodations, quaint bed and breakfasts and unique attractions that will make your visit to Wicomico County one to remember! Below you'll find lodging information for hotels offering special rates for readers of our Visitors E-mail Newsletter

Country Inn & Suites
By Carlson
Leap like a leprechaun during the month of March. Country Inn & Suites By Carlson is working out with Powerhouse Gym. Enjoy any style room (subject to availability) and receive a 3-day pass to Powerhouse. Just look for the Power-Up Package. Call 410-742-2688 to make your reservations or go online to http:// www.countryinns.com/salisburymd.

Microtel Inn & Suites
Easter is arriving soon. Hop into Microtel for an Easter Special. During the month of March, reserve our Easter package. Reserve a Suite and Easter basket full of goodies for a rate of $79.

Sleep Inn
Easter Special! Call directly to book at (410) 572-5516 and ask for the Easter special.

Hotel Information

Quick Links

Hotels

Attractions

Shopping

Restaurants

More About Us

2008 Health and Wellness Expo

5th Annual Pork in the Park BBQ Festival

Spring is Heading our Way!
 

Spring is approaching! With the warmer weather comes a myriad of different events and activities for Wicomico County.

March will see us host many events including, the Mary Kay Cosmetics Conference, the College Ultimate Frisbee Competition, all-star Cheer and Dance, and a host of Civic Center Events! But even if you aren't part of those events, think about visiting Wicomico County in the springtime.
Come explore our sprawling landscape marked by scenic parks, historical sites, wetlands, rivers and more. Whether you choose to hike, bike, canoe or kayak you're sure to be impressed. Wicomico County has 75 expertly maintained parks, eleven public boat ramps, 30 mapped bike routes, and professionally guided and self-guided tours of the area's rivers and creeks.

Perhaps you would prefer a relaxing day at the Salisbury Zoo, strolling around their 13 acre facility. There's plenty to see with more than 400 mammals, birds and reptiles including Spectacled Bears, Spider Monkeys, Jaguars, Bison, Bald Eagles and one of the finest waterfowl collections in the country. Or take in a fun-filled day of minor league baseball at the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Delmarva Shorebirds can always be counted on for down home fun and entertainment.

No matter what form your vacation takes one thing remains the same - you need to "Discover Delmarva's Hidden Treasures" for yourself! We look forward to seeing you!

Attraction of the Month: Delmarva Shorebirds

The weather is still cold (most days) but things are gearing up for the 2008 Shorebirds baseball season! For those of you that don't know, the Delmarva Shorebirds are a Class A minor league baseball team affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles. The Shorebirds play their home games at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium right here in Salisbury, Maryland. The Shorebirds are part of the South Atlantic League and they have won two South Atlantic League championships, in 1997 and 2000. Also in 1997, the Shorebirds received Baseball America's Bob Freitas Award for Class A baseball.

Season and individual game tickets are currently on sale, as well as, 10 & 20 Game Premium Ticket Plans. For just $8.50 per game you can enjoy your very own reserved box seat to 10 or 20 of the biggest games of the season! Fireworks, Giveaways, National Acts...each plan features all the excitement that Shorebirds Baseball has to offer! Order now and you can lock in seats to your favorite part of the ballpark, behind the dugout or the dish. But you better hurry as seats are going fast!
Recently, the final coaching position was filled when the Baltimore Orioles announced that former Shorebird Ryan Minor would be the 2008 Field Coach for the team. Minor, a member of the 1997 Shorebird Championship squad, is perhaps best known for being the man who stepped in for Cal Ripken, Jr. on September 20, 1998 bringing his consecutive games streak to an end. This year's coaching staff is now complete with first year manager Ramon Sambo, pitching coach Kennie Steenstra and field coach Minor.

The Delmarva Shorebirds have so many options to entertain you, your family or your business! Enjoy the game in the Picnic Pavilion with a two-hour all you can eat picnic-style buffet behind first base overlooking the ball field. Want something a little more upscale? The Hardball Café is just the ticket with tabled seating and a partial covering from the elements behind home plate. You can enjoy a two-hour all you can eat buffet of your favorite ballpark foods. Would you like to entertain in style? Rent the Shorebirds Executive Club, fully enclosed and spacious it offers one of the best views of the park! Mounted televisions throughout the room, internet access, power point capabilities and specialty menus prepared by an award winning on-site chef make the Executive Club ideal for your next event! Whether you bring a group, your family or just come on your own - spending an evening at the Delmarva Shorebirds game will create memories that last a lifetime!

Visit our Website for More Information

Discover a Healthy Mind and Body
at the 2008 Health and Wellness Expo

Discover a healthy mind and body during the Health & Wellness Expo at to the Wicomico Civic Center Friday, March 7th from 5pm to 8pm and Saturday, March 8th from 8am to 5pm.

The Eastern Shore's largest health event is FREE and offers something for everyone with over thirty screenings (including cholesterol, bone density, stroke, diabetes and skin cancer), entertainment, knowledgeable speakers, a Kid's Health Corner, health-related vendors and an interactive demonstration of Peninsula Regional's da Vinci Surgical System Robot.

Brought to you by Wicomico Tourism, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, WMDT, Clear Channel Radio and Apple Drug.

More Information

The Lower Eastern Shore's 'Roots' and Branches--Isaac Handy's 1741 Pemberton Hall

by William Wilson

A few years ago we were all spellbound as author Alex Haley lead us on a journey back to his "Roots", where it all began for his family. For hundreds of families, and tens of thousands of individuals, their family roots are planted in the soils of the Lower Eastern Shore. This was what is known today as "Old Somerset County". In the 17th, 18th, and into the 19th century Somerset County was composed of what is now Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties, Maryland and 25 miles into what is Lower Sussex County Delaware (until the 1750s and the Mason Dixon Line). The original Somerset County Court and Land records, going back to first settlement in the 1660s are, according to scholars, the most complete colonial records in the United States, "Old Somerset" is considered a "cultural hearth" for the people of The United States. The Handy Family, with its many branches now spread all over this country, is a prime example of this cultural phenomenon. The Handy family's roots go deep into this early cultural soil.

Samuel Handy came to Somerset County in the 1670s as an indentured servant. As a Redemptioner he owned nothing including his own labor until his release from servitude after seven to ten years. Yet, at his death in 1721, he would own over 2000 acres and ships plying the coastal trade. He and his wife Mary Sewell raised 15 children. The 13th child, Isaac, was taken to live with his older brother in Bermuda at age 13. He was trained as a mariner and ship master of the sloop Samuel and Mary. He was to later inherit half interest in this sloop at his father's death.

When Isaac reached his majority in 1726 he returned to join his older brothers in Somerset County along the banks of the Wicomico River (then known as the "Rockawalkin River"). He married Anne Dashiell, and acquired 960 acres of undeveloped land from Joseph Pemberton. At the time of his purchase, opposite his new holdings, on the southern bank of the river, was "Tondotank Indian Town" part of a reservation established by the Provincial Assembly.

He became a planter and a ships' Master. Through hard work, industry and his advantageous marriage (Anne was also the sister to the wives of two of his older brothers) he began to rise in society and to become very prominent in the community of the Lower Eastern Shore. In addition to owning interests in 3 ships, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace (combination of judge and commissioner), colonel in the Somerset militia, and a member of the Provincial Assembly in Annapolis. He was one of the founders of the City of Salisbury, as well. Isaac, along with four others, was appointed to purchase the land and to lay out "Salisbury Town" in 1732. Historians today rank him in the upper 5-6% of wealth in Somerset County at the time of his death in 1762. This includes ownership of sixteen enslaved Africans and over 1500 acres of land.

In 1741 Isaac completed construction of his new brick, plantation house, to be named Pemberton Hall. It was built to be an expression of his perceived prominence in the community. All of the components utilized in the building, except for the window glass and iron hardware, were created on the Plantation including the thousands of bricks needed for laying the walls. Building Pemberton Hall was a way to show off the status and wealth that he had achieved and it was a major undertaking for this period in time and place. The Hall or Great room in Pemberton Hall would have been twice the size of the entire house for 90-95% of the people of the Chesapeake Bay region of the early to mid eighteenth century. Indeed, the first house that he and Anne occupied (built in 1726) at Pemberton plantation measured no more than 16 by 20 feet with a 10 foot separate kitchen structure. Isaac and Anne would raise 9 of their 11 children in that (by today's standard) small structure before constructing Pemberton Hall eighteen years after the original patent.

Two hundred and fifty years later, in the mid 1960s Pemberton Hall was an abandoned derelict and very close to being bulldozed into the cellar hole. To save it from eminent destruction and to undertake careful and full restoration, The Pemberton Hall Foundation Inc. was formed, it is a private, nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors. For more information please visit the Pemberton Park web site. Today this ancient gem stands fully restored to its eighteenth century appearance. It is the only original eighteenth century plantation house open to the public on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore.

So, why not plan a visit back in time this spring or summer to Isaac Handy's Pemberton Hall. Maybe you too will discover your historic Lower Eastern Shore "roots".

Open hours for Pemberton Hall are May through October, 3 days a week and by appointment. It is best to phone ahead for directions or pick up one of the rack cards at the tourism office. To schedule an appointment for a special tour please phone: 410- 742:1741 or 410 -742:4182. There is a small admission charge and donations are encouraged.

More Information

Perfect Your Swing in Wicomico County

Spring means golf, and Wicomico County has plenty of courses to keep everyone from the novice to the pro happy!

Wood Creek Executive Course, Delmar
410-896- 3000

Elks Golf Club (9-hole, private course), Salisbury
410-749-2695

Nutters Crossing Golf Course, Salisbury
800-615- 4657

Green Hill Yacht & Country Club, Quantico
410-749-1605

Planning A Visit to Wicomico County?

Gearing Up for the 2008 Wicomico County Visitors Guide!

The 2008 Visitor's Guide has been sent to print. This year's guide highlights some of Salisbury's most exciting attractions, hotels and restaurants. 2008 guides will be available by mid-March.

Call 1-800-332-TOUR to request your guide today.

Don't forget to stop by the Visitors Center while you're in town. The center is conveniently located on Rt. 13 North in Salisbury, and is open seven days a week. Visit www.wicomicotourism.org or call 1-800-332- TOUR.