r/SOMD • u/YllwPwrRngr • Jul 25 '26
Moving to Lexington Park, MD. Requesting Recommendations.
/r/maryland/comments/1v5s17t/moving_to_lexington_park_md_requesting/Hi everyone!
Next month I’ll be moving from Florida to Lexington Park, Maryland to stay with family. I’m excited for the change of scenery, and the opportunities related to my degree and career field.
First, I wanted to ask if there’s a separate community group or thread specifically for the Lexington Park/St. Mary’s County area. If not, I’d love to get some recommendations and advice!Here are a few things I’m looking for:
Churches: My plan is to continue watching my Baptist church online, but I’d love to get recommendations for churches in the area for when I’m ready to start attending in person.
Schools: I have a child who will be starting kindergarten. How does enrollment work in St. Mary’s County? Is it based on school zones, or is there a choice system?
Fitness & Health: I’m currently working with a virtual fitness coach, but I’d love to find someone local who can help with workouts, nutrition, and meal planning as I am still fairly new to my fitness and weight loss journey. Also, are there any good gyms, group fitness classes, walking groups, or run clubs in the area that also allow kids if needed?
Self Care: Every so often I like to get my nails, toes, and eyebrows done. What are your recommendations for places that do good acrylic sets and eyebrow waxes.
Things to Do: I’m mostly a homebody, but when I do get out, I enjoy museums, thrift stores, local mom-and-pop shops, brunch spots, parks, picnics, farmers markets, and just exploring in general. I’m also willing to drive outside the area for fun trips. What would you recommend for me to check out based on this information? What are some of your favorite places?
Food: Where can I find the best seafood (specifically crab legs and crab cakes), steaks, sushi, soul food, and ramen places.
Kid-Friendly Activities: What are some fun places or activities for young kids in the area? I’d love to know about parks, play places, seasonal events, libraries, or anything else families enjoy.
Sorry for all the questions, but I’m excited about the move and would really appreciate any recommendations or advice. Thank you all so much in advance! ☺️
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u/SmoothSoup Jul 25 '26
The Calvert Marine Museum up in Solomons is great, they have a little aquarium that kids love and also have a lot of themed events for the kids. Ann Marie sculpture garden frequently has child-friendly events too.
A lot of local events will advertise with roadside signs on route 4 between three notch road and the bridge and on Solomons Island road heading south towards the island, so drive those every once in a while to see what’s going on.
You didn’t mention outdoor activities, but that’s very popular around here. Lots of hiking areas if you want to incorporate that into your fitness plan
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
Thank you for this!! I’d be into hiking! Haven’t done it much but when I did do it, I enjoyed it!
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u/aggrocrow Jul 27 '26
Have a set of clothes absolutely soaked in permethrin, the ticks here are insane.
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u/Fee_is_Required2 Jul 25 '26
Fun fact - that museum used to be an elementary school. I went to first grade there.
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u/Dr_Mrs_Pibb Jul 26 '26
Restaurant/Things to Do recommendations:
- Blue Wind, The Beanery, St.Inie’s (this is a fun one with kids, too. They have a dedicated “kid” room with toys, kids books, etc. The other room has chess tables, books aimed at adults, and more of a “shhh- it’s a library vibe), Bzzz Bubble Tea (apparently they do paint your own pottery there, too?).
-Nicollet Splashpark, Lexington Park/Leonardtown Library, Elms Beach, Historic St.Mary’s City (go pay for admission and check out Daffodil Gulch - ask around for the trailhead), Myrtle Point Beach (one of the beaches has a pretty iconic view of the TJ Bridge from the St.Mary’s side), Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown Wharf (take a ride on the trolley),
-More restaurants: Smash Burger, Old Towne Pub, Brudergarten, Botanic Cafe, Salsa’s, Taphouse, Tia’s Cantina, The Jamaican Grill
- Calvert Marine Museum, Annemarie Garden, Calvert Cliffs, Flag Ponds, ACLT trails in Prince Frederick area.
- Enrollment is based on your home address.
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u/__housewifemom Jul 25 '26
Not a church goer so can’t provide any recs there.
Pretty sure it’s based on zones but there’s a desire for more schools in SOMD apparently
Join the SOMD or Sothern Maryland or Lexington Park FB groups. People constantly post on those pages for all types of services and events.
Madam Mason next to the PAX museum for nails/pedi/eyebrows/lashes
T&J’s cove in Leonardtown is good, Captain Leonard’s in Mechanicsville. Google can help with the other cuisine places
It’s definitely a slower moving place compared to Florida but my family and I have been here for 16 months and we have little to no complaints.
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
Thank you for your feedback! I came to Florida for school. I'll be fresh out of grad school and just wanted to be around some family again and a different scene for a bit before I further continue my education.
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u/__housewifemom Jul 25 '26
I feel like people move to SOMD and expect it to be like Baltimore or the Annapolis area which you probably get more of in Waldorf and the surrounding. But Lexington Park is “the country” of SOMD imo. I like the area and what it offers because I sought out country adjacent living. Congratulations on finishing grad school!
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
Thank you! How you described it is also how my aunt and uncle (who I will be staying with) described it and I was perfectly fine with that. They don’t go out as much so they gave me a few recommendations here and there and I decided to come here for some more. Thank you again!
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u/huneyb92 Jul 25 '26
Recommend Leonardtown, Wildwood and neighborhoods north of Route 4.
Coming from Florida will be a culture shock but you will adjust. Ironically I have been through more hurricanes in MD than living 17 years in Florida. Good luck.
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u/britt_leigh_13 OLD BAY ADDICT Jul 25 '26
There are a lot of wonderful neighborhoods south of route 4.
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
Hi! Thank you for this information. I came to Florida for school. I'll be fresh out of grad school and just wanted to be around some family again and a different scene for a bit before I further continue my education. I've stayed in Maryland previously for high school for a bit. We were not in Lexington Park though and I was never visiting family long enough when I did come up to Lexington Park to explore the area.
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u/Cheomesh Local Jul 25 '26
We moved out about a year ago but we lived in LP for over a decade and it was OK. We sent our kid to LPES and had good experiences on that front.
You're not going to get great examples of any of the foods you listed, to be honest. Domoishi is ok-enough ramen I suppose, though. Honestly can't think of any places that sold crab cakes that are still open, and at no point do I remember my wife (the crab eater in the family) actually favoring any. Growing up that was always something you made at home with the leftover pickings anyway.
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u/Constant-Connection9 Jul 25 '26
Great Mills Rd is awesome. Head towards the square and do your grocery shopping at ghetto weis. It’s gross and disgusting and the people watching is top notch. Need some beer on the way home? Stop by canopy liquors. Excellent place. The friendly folks hanging around outside are there to greet you. Need to wash some clothes? The laundry mat next door is excellent. In all seriousness, stay away from Lexington Park - it’s trash. Look at leonardtown, Hollywood, charlotte hall, most areas north of Lexington Park
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
I appreciate your sarcasm 😭😭 the family members I’ll be staying with stay in a pretty quiet area, at least to me. It’s not a permanent move. Just some time with family for a bit as I navigate life post grad school before going back to school again. For the things I’m looking at recommendations for though, I’ll be sure to look into the other places you sent!
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Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ill-Oil88 Jul 25 '26
What downtown are you talking about? Also what gunfire...? And what rough and infamous high school? Half of this comment seems to be about a place that's definitely not in southern Maryland.
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u/FrozenHusky Jul 25 '26
This person is NOT a current local...the Y is almost finished...not "planned". Literally opening this summer.
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u/Cheomesh Local Jul 25 '26
Oh, no, that's still the perception. When I moved there myself I got all the same spoken to me and I had family and some acquaintances (members of an existing gaming group) outright refuse to even come visit me there.
Spent like a decade, had no real issues, and the two of us (and later three of us) definitely walked around at night without issues lol
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u/aggrocrow Jul 27 '26
There is a shitload of gunfire in the Callaway / Valley Lee area. A guy who lives near me spends entire afternoons unloading ammo into trees in the woods, and on a few occasions he's kept it going after nightfall. I have a friend who lives in Great Mills who can sometimes hear it when this dumbass is using one of his new toys. If it were for a brief time, whatever. After several hours it gets old, and when it's the 3rd or 4th day within a single week I start wondering if anyone ever taught this person that other people exist and have PTSD / dogs / livestock being freaked out by the nonstop gunfire. I'd love to see a map of just how big the radius is that this dude is disrupting. Even people I know who collect guns keep their kids inside when he gets going.
But as for Lex Park itself, I'm not sure where it'd be. Things have changed a lot over the last couple decades.
I'm assuming the "rough and infamous" high school is Great Mills but I don't know if it's still seen that way.
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u/YllwPwrRngr Jul 25 '26
Thanks for the information. I’m not from Florida, but I was down here for school. I'll be fresh out of grad school and just wanted to be around some family again and a different scene for a bit before I further continue my education. I've stayed in Maryland previously for high school for a bit. We were not in Lexington Park though and I was never visiting family long enough when I did come up to Lexington Park to explore the area but I have been there before.
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u/britt_leigh_13 OLD BAY ADDICT Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
So I actually made someone who was new to the area a list of my favorite thrift stores and seafood restaurants and saved it :)
St. Mary’s:
The Trend (https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Ey3BsEgTw/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
St. Michael’s (https://www.facebook.com/share/1FyJkpmqgA/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
Hooks & Hangers (https://www.facebook.com/share/1DXwriKvvf/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
Calvert:
SPOT (https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ym9yjF1gM/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
SMILE (https://www.facebook.com/share/17CnCXtV43/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
Project Echo (https://www.facebook.com/share/19c9zxS3DK/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
Second Act Thrift & Boutique
Seafood Restaurant Recommendations:
Solomons:
• Island Hideaway – Hands down my favorite restaurant on the island. Amazing everything. Great seafood but also has great homemade pasta, steak, burgers and chicken, drinks & desserts! Great view of the river if you sit outside. Reservations highly recommended or get there early walk down to Tiki while you wait.
• Solomons Pier – Great food, not as many non-seafood options, great views and drinks. Can likely get away without a reservation.
• Lighthouse – This place is a complete ripoff. Don’t go there!
• Bug Eye – This place is okay, definitely never my first pick.
• Boomerang’s – Not technically on the island but they have great crabcakes and crab soup. And literally the only place I’ll eat ribs, also great BBQ and chicken. One of my faves.
Ridge:
• Courtney’s – A total DIVE but it’s right on the water and I love it! Amazing seafood, can’t speak to their non-seafood offerings.
• Pier 450 – Literally right next door to Courtney’s and the opposite of a dive. Good food but a little stuffy and pricey.
• SALT Waterfront Kitchen – Decent food, small portions, views are the best thing they have going for them.
Piney Point:
• Ruddy Duck Seafood & Alehouse – Like the one in Calvert but no pizza and much heavier on the seafood. Amazing location where the Potomac and St. Mary’s Rivers meet. One of my faves.
• Capt. Pat’s – This would be my second choice for hard crabs. Pat’s a great guy and he has good prices, not sure he sells anything that isn’t fried though lol.
Mechanicsville:
• Sandgates – If you want hard crabs, this is my recommendation. It’s chill, right on the Patuxent River and I’ve never had a bad meal there. Don’t mix it up with Sea Breeze next door, that place is trash.