Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [83]
Dining
Trick Dog Café. The building may be new, but the name is from Irvington’s past. The legend goes that after the 1917 fire someone found a statue of a dog in the basement of the opera house, sooty and black. He took it home, gave it to his son, saying it was a trick dog because it would always sit and stay. The menu uses plenty of seafood, local produce and has an eclectic flair. The bar serves chocolate martinis and 25 single malt scotches. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, with brunch on Sunday. (Tidewater Drive, tel. 804-438-1055)
The Tides Inn (see below) serves award-winning, regionally inspired cuisine in five restaurants, all of which are open to the public as well as to inn guests. Jackets are required after 5:30 pm in the formal dining room. The adjacent Chesapeake Club is more casual, and offers the same menu and panoramic view of Carters Creek, as well as live piano music. The service is five-star, and the dessert chef should be canonized (reservations are required for both dining rooms). The Binnacle is a casual, seasonal restaurant across the creek at The Tides Marina. For lunch, Commodore’s serves light fare by the main pool, and Cap’n B’s dishes up New Orleans-style atmosphere at the Golden Eagle Golf Club (480 King Carter Drive, tel. 800-843-3746, www.tidesinn.com).
Lodging
The Tides Inn is one of the country’s top resorts, tucked away on this scenic Virginia peninsula. The 2002 renovation resulted in larger rooms, redecorated with a British Colonial theme. The Inn has 106 rooms. There are two pools, one salt and one fresh water. After a game of tennis or croquet on the lawn, or a round of golf on one of the two courses, indulge in a treatment at the waterfront spa where all treatment rooms have water views. The 127-foot historic yacht Miss Ann departs from the marina for sunset cruises and trips on the bay. The yacht was christened in 1926 and used by the Navy in World War II. The original Tides owner acquired her in 1955, and named her after his wife. (480 King Carter Drive, tel. 800-843-3746, www.tidesinn.com, $$$$)
Pet-friendly: The Hope & Glory Inn reopened in 1996 after an extensive renovation by Peggy Patteson and Bill Westbrook. It had been The King Carter Inn for years, but was originally built in 1890 as the Chesapeake Academy for boys and girls. The Victorian structure still has two front doors, one for boys and one for girls. The classrooms are now the lobby, with folk art and checkerboard floors. An outdoor “bathroom” has a claw-foot tub and sink in a privacy enclosure, and the unique moon garden is at peak fragrance and bloom in the evening. The innkeepers take guests on their two vintage yachts, lend out bikes, offer bocce ball or croquet, and can arrange a massage or a kayak trip. The town tennis courts are next door and there are three golf courses nearby. Children and pets are welcome in the four guest cottages. (King Carter Drive, tel. 800-497-8228 or 804-438-6053, www.hopeandglory.com, $$$)
Information
Village Improvement Association and Irvington Chamber of Commerce, tel. 804-438-6287.
Town of Irvington, tel. 804-438-6230.
Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce, tel. 804-435-6092, www.lancasterva.com.
Events
Irvington’s big events of the year are the Fourth of July parade and the Christmas boat parade. Contact the Irvington Chamber of Commerce, tel. 804-438-6287.
Urbanna
Urbanna has ridden the boom-and-bust cycle that is a familiar story in many Virginia coastal towns. Founded as a Colonial tobacco port, it became a steamboat resort and, within the last century, an oyster-processing center. It was during one bust period that it lost the honor of being the seat of Middlesex County’s, but despite that, it has held