Mark’s Score 8.4
Let’s deal with the truth in advertising issue right off the top. You will find neither snow nor a hill in Snow Hill. But what you will find is one of Delmarva’s best kept secrets. It is precisely because of places like Snow Hill that we moved to Delmarva eight years ago, Delmarva is full of charming historical towns and villages. Set on the gently rolling farmland of the Eastern Shore, Snow Hill is one such town, 80% of Snow Hill is designated as an historic district. Snow Hill has a bucolic charm that is all too rare in rural America these days.
Snow Hill was founded in 1686 and was designated the county seat of Worcester County in 1742 making it one of the older settlements in America, and an excellent destination if you like history. The town was destroyed by fires in both 1844 and 1893 so there is little left of its 17th and 18th century architecture, but the town has a number of late Victorian treasures, including the George Washington Purnell and Gov. Walter Smith Houses. However, there yet exists two 18th century gems that survived the fires, Chanceford Hall and the Samuel Gunn House. Chanceford Hall is a mansion designed in the neo-classical style and now serves as a bed and breakfast.
Snow Hill is small, there are only a little over 2,000 residents. In spite of its small size there are a surprisingly large number of places to visit, things to do, and places to eat. The downtown area encompasses only a couple of blocks along Green Street and Snow Hill Road. You can walk the whole downtown in ten minutes. But for its small size it contains a surprising number of delightful small retail establishments and restaurants. There are no doubt prettier downtowns, but the several blocks of two-story red brick Victorian commercial architecture create its own charm. And unlike more touristy towns that have a fake Disneyesque feel, Snow Hill feels authentic.
We used to live in Sydney, Australia. On weekends we would drive out into the New South Wales countryside. We would marvel that you could be hours away from an urban center, come across a small town with a population of several hundred people and find a good restaurant or two, several nice shops and a quirky little museum. We used to wonder why you never seem to find such rural towns in America. Snow Hill is such a town.
Some people will tell you that Snow Hill is conveniently located to the more touristy areas of Delmarva. It isn’t. It is firmly and distantly placed in the rural central part of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But that is just fine, it may not have bay or beach, but the gentle rolling farmland of Worcester County combined with the marshlands around the Pocomoke River have their own beauty. Approaching Snow Hill on Rte. 12 from Salisbury will take you through some lovely countryside.
Though it may not be near the beach there are many places to visit in Snow Hill’s immediate surroundings, including: Furnace Town Historic Site, hiking trails at Pocomoke River State Park, kayaking access to the Pocomoke River in multiple locations, and two boat landing ramps on Chincoteague Bay.
Places rated in or near Snow Hill
| Rating Date | Place | Category Type | Score |
| 2024 Sep | Bishop’s Stock | Shop/Art | 9.53 |
| 2024 Sep | Pocomoke River Canoe Co. | Shop/Outdoor | 9.25 |
| 2024 Sep | Del Vecchio’s | Shop/Bakery | 8.65 |
| 2025 Apr | Pokomoko River Shad Landing | State Park | 8.65 |
| 2024 Oct | Furnace Town | Museum | 8.63 |
| 2025 Jun | Golden Clover Café | Restaurant | 8.19 |
| 2025 Apr | Oaked 110 | Restaurant | 8.11 |
| 2024 Oct | Elliott’sTavern | Restaurant/Bar | 7.77 |
Places reviewed in or near Snow Hill
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