Anyone hoping to ride out to St. Clement’s Island this year has until Tuesday, Oct. 13.
St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division announced that the water taxi at St. Clement’s Island Museum will end its season that day and resume in March 2027. The county says the vessel must undergo further upgrades and certifications mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard. Until the final day, the boat cruises daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. between the museum in Coltons Point and St. Clements Island State Park.
The county’s announcement did not name the vessel. The museum began running a new, larger boat in June, when it operated under temporary restrictions that included limited passenger capacity. Division manager Karen Stone called the launch “an important milestone” while noting that the restrictions remained in place. The new vessel, the First Landing Explorer, was bought with a $219,000 state grant and nearly doubles the capacity of the 1990s-era boat it replaced, adding a restroom and better access for visitors with mobility needs.
Visitors should call 301-769-2222 before heading out. The county notes that “extenuating circumstances and last-minute extreme weather conditions” can cancel cruises.
The pause lines up with another milestone. The museum building is being demolished and rebuilt in a $4.4 million project, with a reopening planned for the week of Maryland Day in March 2027. The water taxi’s return is set for the same month.
The island is where English settlers landed in 1634. The 43-acre state park in the Potomac River is accessible only by boat. It is open sunrise to sunset and has hiking trails, a picnic pavilion, a composting toilet and the Blackistone Lighthouse.
The Museum Division also runs the Old Jail Museum & Visitor Center in Leonardtown, the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and the Drayden African American Schoolhouse. Each has a Facebook page for programs and events, including St. Clement’s Island Museum, the Old Jail Museum, the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and the Drayden African American Schoolhouse. More information is at the county’s museums page.
