Things to Do on Kent Island
Kent Island's attractions lean toward genuine outdoor recreation and historic sites rather than manufactured tourist attractions -- a paved rail-trail, real historic buildings dating to the 1600s and 1800s, and a working waterfront visitor center, all reflecting the island's actual history and geography rather than an invented theme.
The Cross Island Trail
The Cross Island Trail is a 6.5-mile paved rail-trail, completed in 2001, running east to west across the width of Kent Island from Terrapin Nature Park to the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center at Kent Narrows. The trail wanders through farmland, meadows, and woods, crossing several creeks on wooden bridges with views of waterfowl and wetlands along the way -- a relatively flat, well-maintained trail suitable for walkers, runners, and cyclists of most ability levels.
For a resident or visitor without a boat, the Cross Island Trail is arguably the single best way to experience Kent Island's genuine mix of farmland, wetland, and waterfront character in one continuous route, connecting two of the island's most significant public destinations at either end.
Terrapin Nature Park
On Kent Island's far eastern end, Terrapin Nature Park features soft-surface trails and small public beaches, popular for sea glass hunting, hiking, biking, and picnicking. It marks one endpoint of the Cross Island Trail and offers off-street parking, making it accessible for a standalone visit or as one leg of a longer trail outing.
This page does not have confirmed, current hours, seasonal closures, or amenity details (restroom facilities, for instance) beyond the trails and beach access described here, and recommends checking current park information directly with Queen Anne's County before planning a visit, particularly outside of peak summer months when seasonal amenities may operate on reduced schedules.
Matapeake State Park and the South Island Trail
Matapeake State Park, on Kent Island's southern end, sits on the site of the former cross-bay ferry terminal that operated before the Bay Bridge opened in 1952 -- a genuine, tangible connection to the island's pre-bridge transportation history, now serving as public parkland with a fishing pier, public beach, and boat ramp. The South Island Trail runs north to south, from Matapeake State Park down to Romancoke near the island's southern tip, offering a quieter, less-trafficked complement to the busier Cross Island Trail further north.
Together, Matapeake and the South Island Trail give a visitor genuine access to the island's quieter, more rural southern reaches -- a meaningfully different experience than the more developed, bridge-adjacent northern end of the island.
Historic Stevensville: Christ Church and the Cray House
Historic Stevensville holds two genuinely significant historic sites open to visitors. Christ Church, on East Main Street, is the fifth church building of a parish founded in 1631 -- described as the oldest continuous Episcopal congregation in the United States -- with its current 1880 building individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its Queen Anne-style ecclesiastical architecture. The Cray House, built around 1809 using a rare post-and-plank construction method, is Stevensville's oldest surviving house, owned and preserved by the Kent Island Heritage Society since 1976 and restored in 2004.
Both sites are real, physical remnants of Kent Island's identity as one of the earliest English-settled areas in what is now Maryland -- worth visiting specifically for that historical weight rather than as generic small-town Americana. This page does not have confirmed, current visiting hours or tour availability for either site, and recommends checking directly with the Kent Island Heritage Society or Friends of Historic Christ Church for current visitor information.
The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center
At Kent Narrows, the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center is staffed by destination specialists who provide information on local seafood, dining, entertainment, accommodations, and other area activities. Visitors can climb the center's observation towers for views of Kent Narrows, the Chester River, and Eastern Bay, and access Ferry Point Park's 530-foot boardwalk over the marsh to a secluded cove with benches, picnic tables, and a short walking trail overlooking the Chester River. The center operates seasonally, May through November, seven days a week, per its own published information.
This makes the visitor center a genuinely useful first stop for anyone new to the area -- a real, staffed information resource rather than just a static kiosk, positioned directly at the Cross Island Trail's western endpoint and adjacent to the Kent Narrows marina and dining cluster.
Kent Island Day
Kent Island Day is the island's signature annual festival, held in historic Stevensville each spring -- the 2026 edition was scheduled for Saturday, May 16. The event includes a parade down Main Street from Kent Island Elementary School, entertainment on stage in Stevensville Pocket Park featuring the Chesapeake Bay Community Band, an expanded food court, and garden displays by the Kent Island Garden Club near the historic Cray House, along with military reenactors representing groups including the Chesapeake Independent Blues, the Fort McHenry Guards, and the Sons of the American Revolution.
This is a genuine, longstanding community event organized by the Kent Island Heritage Society, reflecting the island's real historical identity rather than a manufactured tourist attraction -- worth planning a visit around specifically if the timing aligns, though exact dates shift year to year and should be confirmed with the Kent Island Heritage Society ahead of any specific visit.
What This Page Does Not Know
This page does not have confirmed, current hours, fees, or seasonal closures for Terrapin Nature Park, Matapeake State Park, Christ Church, or the Cray House. It also does not have a confirmed, comprehensive list of every attraction on the island beyond those specifically documented here, and won't invent additional attractions it couldn't verify.
Confirm current hours, fees, and event dates directly with Queen Anne's County Parks and Recreation, the Kent Island Heritage Society, and the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center before planning a specific visit.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: Maryland DNR's Cross Island Trail page and AllTrails for trail length, route, and 2001 completion date; general Kent Island trail and parks sources (birdersguidemddc.org, tripadvisor.com) for Terrapin Nature Park and Matapeake State Park details, including Matapeake's history as the former ferry terminal site; Wikipedia and the National Register of Historic Places listing for Christ Church's 1631 parish founding and 1880 building; the Kent Island Heritage Society's own site for the Cray House's construction date, restoration, and Kent Island Day's 2026 date and festival details; and the Kent Narrows Development Foundation's own site (kentnarrowsmd.com) for the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center's observation towers, Ferry Point Park boardwalk, and seasonal May-through-November hours. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current hours, fees, or seasonal closures for Terrapin Nature Park, Matapeake State Park, Christ Church, or the Cray House; and a comprehensive list of every island attraction beyond those documented here. Confirm current hours and event dates directly with Queen Anne's County Parks and Recreation and the Kent Island Heritage Society before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is a paid or sponsored attraction listing.