When many hear the name of the Severn River, they think about the U.S. Naval Academy or Annapolis gracing its shores, but there is much more to see on the 14-mile-long river, including quiet coves and wooded neighborhoods with community beaches and boat ramps where boaters of all ages launch fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards, personal watercraft, and more.
We asked a few Severn River boaters who live on or near the water what they considered the wonderful aspects of the Severn. Here’s what they had to say:
“July 3 Sherwood Forest fireworks, as viewed from one of a couple of hundred boats anchored in Round Bay, are always a highlight of the summer and much more relaxed than the ‘official’ city fireworks on the Fourth.” ~Chris Groobey
“Our dogs also think that the Severn/Weems Creek is a pretty awesome place to be a dog. They can go swimming, fetching, and dock jumping almost year round.” ~Carolyn Groobey
“Our community, Winchester on the Severn, is constantly active on our beach. We have family movie nights, dance parties, happy hours, and everyday crabbing and cookouts. The best part, lazy evenings just watching sunsets and the boating traffic up and down the river. And we Eastport Oyster Boys indeed meetup for raft ups all around the area… Yeah, we truly are in the land of pleasant living!” ~Tom Guay, SRA board member
“Summers were seaweed, soft crabs, grass shrimp, sunnies, and sea nettles. Anything that would float, and some that wouldn’t were boats worth trying. Coke bottles sank—unfortunately so did some other stuff. Parental displeasure was common.” ~Charlie Iliff
“Wonderful aspects of waterfront life along the Severn River: the scenery changes every day, and we don’t have to go far to see it. The tide goes in and out; the water sparkles in the sunlight and looks angry when the wind picks up on cloudy days. Storms come and leave their mark on the shoreline (and sometimes elsewhere). Depending on the clouds and recent storms, the water may look blue, green, dark brown, or even red.
"Geese and ducks raise their young; deer families wander the shoreline in the morning; eagles, osprey, cormorants, kingfishers, great blue herons, and other birds fly by and dive for fish; fish jump to escape bigger fish, muskrats, turtles, and snakes; purple martins and bats keep the mosquito population down and fly over and under our community pier. “The river freezes and thaws, and snow on the ice makes wonderful patterns. The sun rises and sets with beautiful color and cloud patterns. Sometimes there is a rainbow. The river provides a wide expanse to watch stars and the moon. We see fish nests in the shallow water with females guarding their eggs. Some water plants have interesting seed pods designed to float, fly, or stick to something to spread the seeds. Cattails turn fluffy in the fall.
“Boats come in and out; sometimes the Naval Academy boats or a Viking rowing boat comes by, an unusually large ship comes to visit, or a barge and/or pile driver goes by. My community (Ben Oaks) loves its trees, so they get maintained, not cut down. The autumn colors amaze me, and I watch for the green leaves to arrive in the spring.
"There is so much to do without driving somewhere: we swim, fish, and crab; watch a variety of birds and animals both on land and on the river; play in the sand; bask in the sun; kayak, canoe, or paddleboard—great ways to explore the flora and fauna of the Severn and its creeks. ~ Lynne Rockenbauch, SRA president
11 Things to Love About the Severn
- Easy access to Annapolis Harbor and Ego Alley to zip down for dinner or a drink.
- Maynadier Creek: maneuver through a few turns, and you'll find it opens up into a pond, perfect for skiing or sleeping on the hook.
- The secret rope swing along shore of one of the creeks on the east side of the river. Or is it a secret?
- St. Helena Island at the top of the river is fun to boat and fish around (but it's private, so don't beach your boat).
- Round Bay: nice for fishing and tubing and anchoring for dinner. Awesome sunsets.
- Clements Creek is sheltered and great for dinner, swimming, or overnight.
- It's scenic with some high cliffs that make the shoreline interesting, and some amazing homes that are visible from the water.
- Blue Angels fly for USNA Commissioning Week.
- The Midshipmen rowing crew.
- Because the USNA boats come up the Severn to hole up for hurricanes, we know when to really worry.
- The Severn River Association (SRA) is the largest partner with DNR in the Marylanders Grow Oysters program. We now have more than 400 volunteers growing oysters in the Severn River watershed, sponsoring over 1700 cages of oysters each year, which are planted on a sanctuary reef near where Route 50 crosses the Severn.
By Beth Crabtree