Historic Kent Island is separated from the Delmarva Peninsula by Kent Narrows and from Sandy Point near Annapolis by four miles of water. Chesapeake Bay Bridge connects the island with the mainland at this point. Kent Island is the largest island in Chesapeake Bay. The Chester River runs through the island until it spills into the sea at Love Point. The island is a popular tourist destination for visitors from Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis.

Kent Island was once a trading post for the Maryland’s first permanent English settlement. It later developed into an important seafood processing and packing area. Stevensville, the island’s largest town, is home to the historic Stevensville Train Depot and Maryland’s oldest congregation Christ Church, founded in 1631.

The Chesapeake Exploration Center on the Kent Narrows waterfront is home to the Queen Anne’s County Office of Tourism with a range of interpretive displays about Chesapeake Bay. The island’s best beach, Matapeake Beach, is located on the western shore and is surrounded by a small park with nice views of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It also has a public swimming beach, an outdoor amphitheater, a picnic area, and woodland trails.

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