Although Queen Anne's County was founded in 1706, Kent Island was established as a trading post in 1631. As more people settled there, the county was formed and named for the reigning Queen of England. The county seat is Centreville and the county courthouse there is the oldest 18th-century courthouse still in use in Maryland. A statue of Queen Anne stands in front of the courthouse.

Today, Kent Island is the gateway to the Eastern Shore for travelers driving east from Annapolis on the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge - or Chesapeake Bay Bridge, as it is better known. In the town of Stevensville, on Kent Island, is the 1902 Queen Anne's Railroad Station. Across from the island, in Grasonville, the Wildfowl Trust of North America/Horsehead Wetlands Center will give you glimpses of deer, red fox, river otter, geese and many species of ducks. Boating, fishing and hunting also are popular activities in Queen Anne's County.

The boundary between Queen Anne's and Talbot counties runs through Wye Mills, where the mill ground flour for George Washington's army. Nearby, in Talbot County, are the 450-year-old Wye Oak and the 1721 Wye Church.