Around Maryland

We get asked that question a lot at the Somerset Counter Visitor’s Centers. We maintain two centers in the county: the main office in Princess Anne on the southbound side of Rt. 13 and the satellite office in Crisfield just a block or so from the Crisfield City Dock. Combined, we serve over 100,000 travelers annually. The majority of people who come to see us are on vacation and are, for the most part, happy to be there. Moody teenagers not included.

Each and every time someone walks through the door, it is an opportunity to promote Somerset County and Maryland, sometimes with specific information about the area and sometimes by just providing good customer service.

We get our fair share of people who come in lost and asking for directions. We also get unusual requests that require staff research, which usually involves calling the network of county tourism offices and tourism professionals throughout Maryland. If they don’t know the answer, they make every attempt to find the information so we won’t be surprised the next time.

Some questions are so unexpected that the answer stays with you. One person wanted to know where the German Enigma Machine was located. He said, “I know it is somewhere in Maryland”. After a couple of phone calls, our staff found it, at the National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade.

We’ve had several visitors leave a lasting impression on our staff: the woman who left her purse in a bathroom at a travel plaza on the New Jersey turnpike and need help canceling her credit cards; the multi-generational Greek family touring the area, relying on the youngest generation to translate, who all kissed the staff member on the cheek when she gave them the information they needed; the man who had a small stroke while traveling and whose behavior in the center indicated that something was wrong – we were able to help him get back home; the retired man with the hundred pound Labradors we affectionately refer to as the Thundering Herd. They start barking when his truck reaches the stoplight a half mile before our rest area. They visit each of us in turn, waiting to see who gets the biscuits out first. (Our staff members are all dog lovers and we keep dog biscuits in the visitor’s center to encourage well-behaved canine visitors. We’ve had every type come through from show dogs to pound puppies to the occasional pot-bellied pig.)

Working in a visitor center is exciting, challenging, and sometimes fun. If you are ever in the area, please stop in and say hi…and bring your dog, too.

For more information about Somerset County, please contact our office at 800-521-9189 or somtour@dmv.com. You can also visit our website at www.visitsomerset.com.