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Smallwood State Park
Maryland State Park
This 630-acre park in Charles County, Maryland, is adjacent to the Mattawoman Creek, near its confluence with the Potomac. Woodland swamps are known for their wood duck population. A 600-foot boardwalk crosses the tidal creek and wetlands, offering sites for viewing sea gulls, terns, beaver, water turtles, goldfinch and great blue heron. The park is named for General William Smallwood, a Revolutionary War officer and former Maryland governor. Smallwood's plantation house and burial place are here. Costumed tours of the house are given on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., May to mid-October. Groups by appointment. Annual events include Revolutionary War Days with authentic 18th-century English and American encampments. The event has reenactments, crafts, music, and tours of the restored house and tobacco barn. Other annual events include a "Haunts of Smallwood" tour around Halloween (when the park is haunted for one day), and the Easter Egg hunt for ages 1 to 12 around Easter.
At the Sweden Point Boating Facility, the park hosts many bass tournaments from spring through the fall. The facility supports six launching ramps, a marina with daily and monthly slip rentals, and a concession stand operated seasonally. The facility has 16 wooded campsites with electric hookups available April through October 15; reservations are requested. During summer months, naturalists lead canoe and pontoon boat tours of Mattawoman Creek. They also offer living history and natural history programs and campfire events.
The Sweden Point Marina is an access point for a kayak trail along Mattawoman Creek. The trail starts at Mattingly Park in Indian Head and follows the creek 4.5 miles to Smallwood State Park. From Smallwood Park to the Potomac is another 2.2 miles.
Smallwood State Park is a site on the Southern Maryland Religious Freedom Byway, a route of historic sites dealing with the establishment of religious freedom in the U.S.Smallwood State Park is part of the "Find Your Chesapeake" project of the National Park Service and the Chesapeake Conservancy. Click here for details.
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Contact Information
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
2750 Sweden Point Road
Marbury MD 20658
301-743-7613
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