The Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism and the National Park Service have partnered to train Chesapeake Bay guides, watermen and women, or land and water-based tour providers to create or enhance engaging and informative tours for their customers. Participants learn about Chesapeake Bay nature, heritage, and ecology, and find ways to help the Bay. Participants improve their presentation skills and discover how to make their tours fun and relevant for their customers, while attracting more guests to their tours. 

Upon completion of the training and preparation of a Chesapeake Bay-themed tour, participants receive official recognition and promotion of their tour business or organization as a certified Chesapeake Bay Storyteller. Tour businesses receive a $400 stipend per participant to help defray costs of attendance, travel and meals. Participants must attend all online and in-person training sessions and offer their tour for a minimum of 2 years following the training. The Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism provides free marketing for Storyteller tours, including web content, social media and email blasts, printed materials, news and travel media pitches and familiarization tours and more. 

Training Dates and Locations:

No training dates are scheduled at this time. Please check back for future training session offerings.