The overcast sky shed a muted gleam through the trees of the Shad Landing State Park, causing the atmosphere along Corker's Creek to be all the more eerie. Lining the banks were many cypress trees, their gnarled black roots – the cypress knees – jutting up from among the shallows of the water. It felt as though we were engulfed in the bony fingers of wooden giants hiding in the swamp. Fresh pine-like scent filled the damp air as birdsong echoed throughout the forest canopy.

Shad Landing provides a great opportunity for individuals or families to be outside and enjoy nature, while at the same time being near major attractions like Ocean City, Crisfield and Assateague. They are a full service park, which means their grounds include hiking trails, creek-side marina where boats can be docked or rented, campgrounds (or cabins, if you prefer), and a pool. As far as boating sites go, Shad Landing has very low boat traffic, giving visitors a chance to enjoy the pristine sights of Corker's Creek without disturbance. The Trail of Change provides access to the cypress swamp, the only swamp of its kind in Maryland.

At the nature center, kids can have the opportunity to explore independently, whether they want to watch birds and amphibians flocking to the feeders outside the watching window, or get a closer peek at the numerous live specimens of snakes, lizards, frogs, and turtles on display.

With the public's growing fear of kidnapping and disappearance of children, today's world has become so safety conscious that kids have less and less opportunity to roam around outdoors without worry. Often-times, it seems the safest place for kids is to be sitting in front of the wii, not too from the watchful eye of mom or dad. This is why Shad Landing State Park has established their fast growing program Park Quest. Designed like a competitive reality TV show (like Survivor), this program invites families to form teams and test themselves against tasks assigned by the park, usually involving finding a location, recovering data, or overcoming some obstacle within the park.

Many of the previous participants have been people who weren't familiar or experienced at all with nature, but based on their feedback they were thankful to have the opportunity. Ranger Gary Adelhardt calls Park Quest a positive "reality check" with nature. "At first, the parents had to drag their kids out of the house to do it," says Adelhardt, "now, the kids are dragging the parents out." This is yet another great activity adding to the many possibilities available at Shad Landing.

Written by Erik Yount. Video by Errol Webber and Erik Yount.