Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art 4.0 (reviews)

Nestled next to Shumaker Pond in Salisbury, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art features the most comprehensive collection of wildfowl carving in the entire world! This unique, indigenous North American art form is celebrated at this charming museum, where you can explore the history of this culturally important art from from antique working decoys, to internationally acclaimed contemporary sculpture and painting.

The museum features both permanent and changing exhibitions, so there is always a variety of art for you to explore. Within the permanent collection, make a stop at the World Championship Gallery, which is the largest in the museum. Here you can see many masterpieces from the annual Ward World Championship Carving Competition - it's always amazing how lifelike the carvings are!

The Decoy Study Gallery identifies the major migratory flyways, and showcases the diverse decoy carving traditions of North America, and a workshop featuring the carvings of the Ward Brothers themselves!

Then you have the changing exhibits, with up to eight rotating exhibits each year. These highlight up and coming local artists with each exhibit covering a different theme. It might be gaining a deeper understanding of the Chesapeake, or highlighting the work of the volunteers who actually work in the museum.

For those creative kids in the family, they might just love a visit to the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, where it feels like you are surrounded by actual wildlife - the carvings are THAT realistic!