Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [99]
Cedar Gables is a waterfront refuge in a modern cedar-sided home on the waterfront. Screened-in pool with hot tub, dock outside for fishing and crabbing. (Hopkins Lane, tel. 888-491-2944, www.cedargable.com, $$$)
The Channel Bass Inn is an 1892 hotel turned B&B that serves afternoon tea (6228 Church Street, tel. 800-249-0818, www.channelbass-inn.com, $$). Toast sunsets from the waterfront sun deck at The Year of the Horse Inn. (3583 Main Street, tel. 800-680-0090, www.esva.net/~rhebert)
Two couples operate twin Victorian B&Bs, complete with gingerbread trim and wrap-around porches, both within walking distance of Chincoteague’s shops and restaurants. The Watson House Bed & Breakfast is a fabulously restored late-1800s home. (4240 Main Street, tel. 800-336-6787, www.watsonhouse.com, $$)
The owners built the Inn at Poplar Corner to accommodate the overflow. They also have rental cottages and a townhouse with a pool and a view of the Assateague Lighthouse. (4248 Main Street, tel. 800-336-6787, www.poplarcorner.com, $$)
A stay at the Island Manor House comes with a great bedtime story. In 1848 two young men pooled their money to build a large “T”-shaped house on Main Street. One was a doctor, the other the town’s postmaster. The postmaster fell in love with a guest visiting from Baltimore, and they married. When her sister came to visit, the doctor fell in love with her, and they married. Trouble was, the sisters didn’t like living together, so the house was split and one half moved next door. The current owners reunited the house with a large garden room. (4160 Main Street, tel. 800-852-1505, www.islandmanor.com, $$)
Two motels are just before the entrance to the wildlife refuge, which is within walking distance: Driftwood Lodge (7105 Maddox Blvd., tel. 800-553-6117, $$) and the Refuge Inn (7058 Maddox Blvd., tel. 888-257-0039, $$).
Pets: They’re not allowed on the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, not even in the car. Nevertheless, some lodgings do accept them:
Pet-friendly: The Garden and the Sea Inn & Restaurant is a few miles from Chincoteague in New Church, but worth the drive if you have a pet and want to stay in a beautiful Victorian home on the Pocomoke River. (tel. 800-824-0672, www.gardenandseainn.com, $$)
Motels accepting pets include The Blue Heron Inn (7020 Maddox Blvd., tel. 800-615-6343, $); and the Lighthouse Inn (4218 Main Street, tel. 757-336-5091, $$).
Camping: There are four private campgrounds on the island, some on the water. Visit www.chincoteaguechamber.com for details. They are: Inlet View (tel. 757-336-5126, www.happysnails.com/inletview); Maddox Family Campground (tel. 757-336-3111); Pine Grove (tel. 757-336-5200, www.pinegrovecampground.com); and Tom’s Cove Family Campground (tel. 757-336-6498, www.tomscovepark.com).
Events
Annual Pony Swim and Penning, held the last Wednesday and Thursday in July. (tel. 757-787-2460)
Annual Seafood Festival, held the first Wednesday in May at Tom’s Cove Park. (tel. 757-787-2460)
Information
Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, tel. 757-336-6161, www.chincoteaguechamber.com.
TRIVIA: While the rest of Virginia’s Eastern Shore voted to join the Confederacy in 1861, the people of Chincoteague Island voted 132 to 2 to stay with the Union to preserve sea trade with the North.
Tangier Island
There’s not a whole lot to do on Tangier Island, but that’s its biggest appeal. Imagine spending an entire weekend on an island without cars, much less traffic. You can escape the telephone and e-mail, and there is no schedule and few decisions to make. Only a few places offer lodging and food, and there are only two ways to get here – by boat or small plane.
Oh, sure, Tangier Island has its distractions. You can tour the three-mile-long island by borrowed bike or rented golf cart, or cruise around it on a sightseeing trip. There are about a half-dozen gift shops, a 2½-mile beach to walk on and, if the watermen aren’t too busy, they’ll show you their crabbing operations. Explore some of