Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Welcome Center

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) is dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and people of the Chesapeake Bay. The Museum’s 35 buildings, clustered around a series of open spaces on its 18-acre waterfront campus, together create a unique venue for exhibition, education, and events.

The Welcome Center, the first of the new buildings proposed in our Campus Master Plan, is currently in construction. It will serve as both the Museum entrance and exit, offering visitors campus orientation and a preview of Museum collections.

A combination of pre-engineered components and customized design, the Welcome Center is elevated above grade for protection against hurricanes and tidal surges. Fully accessible, it houses visitor ticketing and information, as well as a gift shop and coffee station. A high-ceiling gallery introduces visitors to the Museum’s collection of small boat craft, while a more intimate and climate-controlled gallery exhibits duck decoys and utilitarian objects of the region. Seating on an expansive exterior deck provides a visitor resting place overlooking a maritime landscape and the Chesapeake Bay beyond.