If you’re looking to day trip in a town that looks especially festive this time of year, Snow Hill is the place to go. About 20 minutes south from Berlin, Snow Hill is a quaint, small town that might be best known for housing the historical heritage village Furnace Town (where I was lucky enough to make a separate day trip to back in the summer).
I took a walk around Snow Hill in mid-November and was excited to see the light-up Christmas decorations already up in Byrd Park and the lampposts downtown already wrapped in garland. It’s an interesting time when the town is already laying out the Christmas spirit thick but the crunchy leaves on the ground and scarecrows in storefronts make you feel more like you’re in a Halloween movie (but like, a charming Hallmark movie, not a horror flick). No complaints, though–even when pumpkins and snowmen are both vying for your attention in this holiday limbo, Snow Hill is a beautiful place for a day trip.
Outside the courthouse downtown. “Established in 1686 as part of the Calvert family’s objective to create towns and advance trade. Laid out on a sandy ridge at the head of the Pocomoke River, the town developed as a trading center on the seaside of Somerset County, and later as a county seat when Worcester was established in 1742.” Several blocks away in Byrd Park, a miniature Winterfest of Lights is all set up and ready for the tree lighting ceremony later in the month. The byrd after which the park was named (not really, though).Outside the Julia A. Purnell Museum, a required stop for local history buffs. The museum houses over 500 years worth of Worcester County history.Since Snow Hill sits right on the banks of the Pocomoke River, canoeing and paddle boarding are pretty big. Downtown, where most of the shops haven’t agreed yet what season they should be decorating for. The Snow Hill water tower. The All Hallows Episcopoal Church, which sits on a bit of a hill, allowing for some interesting photo angles. The church was built in the 1750s and is one of 30 original Anglican parishes in Maryland. Views into the church cemetery. Happy, high-fiving snowmen in Byrd Park. Ducks enjoying the sunny day out on the Pocomoke River.
Kristin is a writer and photographer in Ocean City, Maryland, and is the content manager for OceanCity.com and other State Ventures, LLC sites. She loves getting reader-submitted stories and photos, so send her an email anytime. She also works part-time at the Art League of Ocean City and the Ocean City Film Festival and lives just off the peninsula with her dog and fiancรฉ. Her photos can be found on Instagram @oc_kristin.
