The spirited residents of Chestertown, Md., a Colonial historical town just a short distance from the Chesapeake Bay, invite you to their annual tea party on Memorial Day weekend. But, leave your fine china teacups at home. Instead, bring your sunscreen, your appetite, and your penchant for fun as the town celebrates its unique, historical claim to fame.

In 1706, Chestertown was one of six official ports of entry established under demands from England. Situated on the banks of the Chester River, the town thrived as a shipping and trading center. In May 1774, its indignant citizens staged a tea party and threw its shipment of British tea into the Chester River in an act of defiance toward British rule and in support of Boston, which was suffering under The Boston Port Act.

Each Memorial Day weekend, the town holds a Chestertown Tea Party Festival, as residents reenact the tea party revolt on the town’s working schooner Sultana and celebrate a weekend of festivities with live Colonial music, period costumes, a grand parade, and much more. A one-of-a-kind, have to see-it-to-believe-it homemade-raft race on the Chester River brings out the creative juices of the townspeople. You just may see floating cars, oversized bottles and homemade animals floating down the river as citizens compete for the coveted Broken Tea Cup Award.

For information on the Chestertown Tea Party Festival, call 410-778-0416 or visit www.chestertownteaparty.com.

Stay, shop, dine & play

Chestertown is an easy 1 ½ hour drive from the Baltimore-Washington area and is under an hour’s drive from the Bay Bridge. The charming Colonial town is alive and bustling with activity, specialty shops, restaurants and cafes. One such cafe is Andy’s where locals come for good food and camaraderie.

Chestertown is also home to Washington College, the first college in the new nation, established in 1782 and encouraged and supported by George Washington. Because of the presence of the college, the town has an active arts feel, from galleries and musical concerts to local theatre productions by the Historic Prince Theatre.

Visitors will enjoy a walking tour of the town’s historic district, featuring restored 18th-century homes with various types of architecture that range from Georgian to Federal Gothic or Queen Anne and Victorian. With brick sidewalks and attractive antique stores, gift shops, restaurants and inns, visitors will enjoy its relaxed atmosphere.

Some of the exquisite historical homes are now bed and breakfasts and inns. One such inn on High Street is Widow’s Walk Inn, circa 1877, so named because of the appearance of a widow’s walk atop the house. Wives of seafaring men would watch for their husbands in hopes that they would return home safely. The inn is comfortable and beautifully furnished with antiques and within walking distance of the historical district. Breakfast is continental but on occasion you might be privileged to taste the innkeeper’s special treat of stuffed pancakes ... awesome! Innkeepers Bob and Susan Lathroum are welcoming to their visitors. Bob sums it up nicely: “The joy of the business is the people that pass through our doors.”

The Widow’s Walk Inn is located at 402 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620. For information, call 1-888-778-6455.

For information on Chestertown, contact the Kent County Visitor Center at 410-778-9737 or www.discoverourtown.com.