I visited a Maryland town in the 'new Hamptons.' This laid-back hidden gem is my new favorite vacation spot.

Growing up successful New Jersey, I spent my summers connected the Jersey Shore because the Hamptons felt for illustration excessively overmuch of a schlep.

For the past 2 years, though, my family and I person traded our favourite boardwalks for agelong weekends connected Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The area, which has been nicknamed the "new Hamptons" by Forbes, is location to a municipality that's really stolen our hearts: Easton. To me, it has the polish of an upscale Hamptons municipality pinch a much laid-back feel.

Plus, it's only astir 3 hours from my location successful New Jersey, making it the cleanable three-day play getaway for my family.

Here's why I deliberation Easton is worthy a visit.

We emotion exploring the charming downtown area

When visiting Easton, we emotion spending clip successful the charming but lively downtown area. The first clip we visited, location was a performance successful the mediate of the road. Folks brought section chairs to perceive to the euphony while kids, for illustration my son, played and danced along.

But moreover erstwhile location isn't a typical event, we emotion exploring the shops. The Easton Town Center is very overmuch a mini walkable metropolis spanning respective blocks pinch back-to-back stores, restaurants, and creation galleries.

Crackerjack Toys and Children's Books was a deed for my 3-year-old. The classical artifact shop, which has been astir since 1979, had a sprawling assortment of merchandise. Plus, location was a train array that kept him entertained for astatine slightest 30 minutes.

For adults, location are countless shops and creation galleries to peruse. Flying Cloud Booksellers, for example, is simply a bookshop offering literate classics, celebrated titles, and uncommon sounds for each age.

We besides visited Benjamin, a curated abstraction brimming pinch a rarefied postulation of tableware, and Curlicue's, which sells home accessories, jewelry, and stationery.

There are tons of awesome restaurants successful town, too

During our first sojourn to Easton, we were blown distant by really galore eating options location were wrong the astir 11-square-mile area. To make judge we didn't miss retired connected immoderate of the champion places, we decided to create our ain nutrient crawl to sample the section staples.

I was obsessed pinch The Wardroom — not only were location gourmet charcuterie boards connected the menu, but an full vino bar. The business has 24 wines that move retired of an automated vino dispenser. We sat astatine an indoor array to bask appetizers of meats and cheeses arsenic my boy played pinch his sticker book.

For dinner, we ventured a fewer blocks complete to Out of the Fire, simply because it had a shady porch, and successful the summer, I emotion to beryllium outside.

My hubby and I stock everything, truthful we divided the Prince Edward Island mussels pinch spicy tomato-caper broth and a classical Caesar crockery topped pinch hard-boiled ovum yolk.

For my son, the culinary item was a travel to Bonheur, a café pinch hand-painted wallpaper, cushioned seating, and abundant crystal pick and pastry selections. It reminded maine of a spot you'd sojourn successful Disney World.

My boy sewage chocolate crystal cream pinch sprinkles, my hubby ordered the chocolate-cream pie, and I sewage coffee-toffee crunch crystal cream.

There are tons of opportunities to walk clip connected the water

Located astatine the headwaters of the Tred Avon River, Easton is simply a awesome spot to sojourn if you want to walk clip connected the water. Plus, location are rivers and creeks surrounding the town, truthful you're ne'er acold from the action successful immoderate direction.

Home to the Maryland bluish crab, rockfish, oysters, and clams, sportfishing excursions wrong Talbot County are rather celebrated and extensive.

But if sportfishing isn't your thing, location are opportunities to rent a kayak aliases paddleboard pinch companies for illustration Easton Cycle and Sport.

I dream to return to Easton for galore years to come

Overall, Easton has the ambiance of a high-end, elegant destination for illustration the Hamptons, but pinch a laid-back energy.

Although we've seen a batch of what makes the municipality truthful special, location are tons of things that are still connected my bucket database for early visits. For example, I'd emotion to walk clip astatine the Prager Family Center for the Arts, which offers events, concerts, and writer conversations.

There's besides a horse-drawn carriage thrust to circuit the area successful a fun, unsocial measurement that I cognize my boy will love.

This charming municipality is simply a spot I genuinely bask exploring pinch my family, and I dream to return to for galore years to come.