Looking to get away for a night or two? I highly recommend heading to Tilghman Island to recharge. It’s only about a 1.5 hour drive from where I’m at, and the Eastern Shore’s beautiful. Daisy was especially excited for our trip!
I stayed at the charming Wylder – a 54-room boutique hotel located on the sparsely populated 3-mile island on the Chesapeake Bay – and had a lovely time.
They have all kinds of activities available at their hotel – think island bike riding, canoes + kayaks, fishing trips, private sunset cruises, and more.
You also have access to a private marina with 25 boat slips, but if you’d prefer to stay on-site, you can always just enjoy vino in front of their nightly bonfire while making s’mores.
I stayed in their Waterfront King Suite, and it had a gorgeous view of Dogwood Harbor. The bed was reallllly comfortable, and I loved waking up to a beautiful sunrise by the water.
I was only there for an evening so I didn’t get to explore the food scene as much as I would’ve liked, but I had two fantastic dining experiences there. Wylder’s restaurant, Tickler’s Crab Shack, was absolutely wonderful. Chef crafts his menu around local offerings so everything’s fresh as can be, and they have a slew of specials available.
The Friday Fried Chicken Dinner special was FIRE so if you’re in town, you gotta get it! It comes with 3 big pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and a buttery biscuit. Anything crab’s amazing as well!
I started my meal off with a bowl of chef’s truffle-tarragon cream of crab soup. Made with burgundy truffle, fresh herbs and chesapeake seasoning, this was the epitome of bougie comfort. It had huge chunks of jumbo lump crab, and it was so rich, and I mean that in the best way possible.
For appetizers, I got a half dozen of their local oysters (served with pomegranate black pepper mignonette, lemon, and cocktail sauce) and their crab and corn hushpuppies (safflower fried crab, corn and herb fritters, and rosemary-buttermilk sauce).
Honestly, these were some of the freshest oysters I’ve ever had, and the hushpuppies were tasty as well. As for entrees, I mentioned the fried chicken already, but if you’re in the mood for seafood, I highly recommend chef’s Crab Cake Dinner. It came with vegetable hash and tartar sauce – a solid option for those of you looking to treat yourself to something yum.
They’re currently open from 5-9PM Thursday-Friday, 12PM-9PM Saturday and 10AM-4PM Sunday, and for those of you interested, they offer 1/2 off drinks during happy hour at their bar (4-6PM on Fridays and Saturdays), and all carryout orders come with a free slice of old fashioned pie.
On a side note, it’s such a luxury to eat out nowadays – I can’t wait for things to return to normal. They had a lovely outdoor patio with heaters so I enjoyed my dinner with my pup by my side.
The second awesome meal I had in the area was at a local restaurant called Two If By Sea – it was about a 5 minute walk from Wylder, and I got food to go. The interior was SO cute, and I would’ve really loved to dine in. Maybe one day post COVID! They have a country store on site with all sorts of goodies, and I had to practice some serious restraint to avoid spending a crazy amount of money.
I was trying to be healthier after my epic splurge at Tickler’s so I got a mushroom and tomato omelette with home fries! Apparently they do a tasting menu in the evening as well? Super bummed I didn’t get to experience it – if you guys visit Tilghman Island, make sure you go and let me know how it is.
Alright friends, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed reading all about my latest staycation at Wylder Hotel. I had so much fun visiting with the pup, and I’m already looking forward to visiting again soon.
For more on travels, make sure to check out this tab and stay tuned for more content coming your way soon! Sending big hugs.
