Photography By Ryan Hulvat
Quiet country roads. Meandering streams. Sprawling farms and historic buildings. The Northern Neck of Virginia, a finger-shaped slice of land surrounded by the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers to its north and south and the Chesapeake Bay to its east, is in many ways similar to the Eastern Shore. The pace is slow, people take time to talk, family histories run deep. But despite being only two-and-a-half hours from Annapolis (three hours from Baltimore and two from Washington), it remains uncharted territory for many. Autumn, when the leaves turn gold and red and the chrysanthemums bloom, makes a perfect time to get to know this peaceful and historic sanctuary, the birthplace of George Washington, James Monroe, and Robert E. Lee. You could spend days exploring every crooked creek and farm road on the Neck. To help you get started, we’ve picked some highlights of what to see and do.
IRVINGTON
Kilmarnock may be the Northern Neck’s commercial hub, but Irvington is its tourist center. The tiny town of 673 has attracted visitors looking for a taste of the simple (but good) life since the nineteenth century, when steamers arrived from Baltimore ferrying Methodists to camp meetings held nearby. The 1940s saw the opening of the Tides Inn, a popular getaway. These days, with the emergence of a row of upscale boutiques, an ultra-hip restaurant, and the promise of a new winery, Irvington has become a legitimate tourist magnet.
The Tides Inn
Since its opening in 1947, The Tides has been a favorite destination for Washington and Richmond’s blue-blazer-and-khakis crowd. In 2001, Sedona Resorts, a small hotel company specializing in boutique properties, purchased the family-run inn, closed it for six months, and completed $12 million worth of renovations. The Tides Inn that emerged is an all-new property from its kitchen counters to its bath towels, but it still retains what made it so appealing in the first place: an extremely relaxing setting on the shores of Carters Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock. When not unwinding on the small beach or by the pool, guests can choose from four on-site restaurants, take a few swings at the adjacent Golden Eagle Golf Course, get pampered at the inn’s spa, or ride the Miss Ann, a high-polish 127-foot yacht, built in 1927. 800-TIDES-GO, http://www.tidesinn.com.
Hope and Glory Inn
Co-owned by the ever creative Bill Westbrook, this whimsical B&B will appeal to anyone with a sense of style — and a sense of humor. Set in a circa-1890 schoolhouse, the renovated structure is a shabby-chic masterpiece, a place where antiques and folk art meld to create an atmosphere of homey sophistication. The inn has seven rooms, each with private bath, and also four private cottages in an English garden behind the house. Romance is the name of the game here. Guests are encouraged to try the outdoor shower or bathe in the claw.foot bathtub, perfect for late-night soaks under the moon. Sound risqué? As one of the many quotations that appear throughout the garden says, “Say yes to something you usually say no to.” 65 Tavern Rd., 800-497-8228, http://www.hopeandglory.com
Trick Dog Café
What’s a restaurant like this doing in Irvington? With its urban chic design and sophisticated menu to match, this lone dog looks as if it was lifted from the streets of SoHo. Like a frisky pup, this is a place that likes to have fun. The restaurant isn’t “open” or “closed” but “sleeping” or “playing.” The dishes, emblazoned with dog bone logos, invite you to “sit and stay.” The interior is all red velvet and bulbous red lamps out of Alice’s Wonderland. Dull conversation? Feel free to doodle with the crayons on the table. The grown-up menu features cutting-edge concoctions like grilled quail with basmati rice cake in a red wine glaze or seared skate wing with Yukon gold potato wafers. Do visit the bathroom for an earful of taped commentary from British dog trials. Good show. Open for dinner and Sunday brunch. Entrees range from $17 to $25. 4357 Irvington Rd., 804-438-1055, http://www.trickdogcafe.com.
Historic Christ Church
Robert “King” Carter, one of colonial Virginia’s most prominent citizens, erected this church for his family and community at his own expense. Completed in 1735, the church was designed to rival anything built in England and quickly became the center of social and religious life on the Northern Neck. The congregation sat in unusual, high-backed, wainscoted box pews beneath an even more unusual triple-deck pulpit. (A clerk made announcements from the first level; the minister read the service from the center and delivered his sermon from the top level.) An adjacent museum describes the building of the church and the life of Robert Carter, whose 26,000 known descendants include three signers of the Declaration of Independence, two U.S. presidents (William Henry and Benjamin Harrison), a Supreme Court Justice, eight Virginia governors, and Robert E. Lee. 804-438-6855, http://www.christchurch1735.com.
REEDVILLE
In 1874, Elijah Reed moved his menhaden fishing business from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay, basing operations along Cockrell’s Creek. His business — and other fishing industries — flourished, creating a miniature boomtown in the process. The pretty Victorians along the town’s main street attest to the success of early seafood magnates. If and when a proposed ferry route from Reedville to Crisfield happens, the town, now a sleepy watermen’s hamlet, could boom once again.
Reedville Fishermen’s Museum
Learn about Reedville’s glory days and the legendary menhaden catches that fueled its prosperity in this small but complete museum composed of several historic buildings, including the circa-1875 William Walker House. It’s the oldest domicile in town, supposedly built in one day while Mr. Walker was out oystering. Moored in the creek behind the museum are several traditional Chesapeake workboats, including the Elva C., a 49-foot pound netter built in 1922. 504 Main St., 804-453-6529, http://www.rfmuseum.com.
The Gables
Captain James C. Fisher, made rich from menhaden, took eight years to build this Victorian manse, mainly out of brick used as ship’s ballast. A mast from Captain Fisher’s beloved schooner, the John B. Adams, rises through the top two stories. When it was completed in 1914, it was one of the grandest houses in town. Today, guests can stay in one of two rooms in the mansion or in the adjacent circa-1880 coach house, which once held Capt. Fisher’s horses and later his chauffeur-driven Pearce-Arrow. Rooms range from $89 to $155 per night. 859 Main Street, 804-453-5209, http://www.thegablesbb.com.
Crazy Crab
Set right on the Reedville Marina, the Crazy Crab could find itself the center of attention if and when ferry service arrives. For now, this restaurant offers nice views of Cockrell’s Creek and the Wicomico River, fresh local seafood, and hard shells in season. Marina facilities are available for those arriving by boat. 902 Main Street, 804-453-6789.
Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern
For diners who like a side dish of history with their meals, this Heathsville restaurant and tavern, about fourteen miles from Reedville, should fill the bill. John Hughlett built the original two-room tavern, now on the National Register of Historic Places, more than 200 years ago and later John Rice expanded the building into a hotel. In 1990, one of Rice’s descendants donated the building to the local historical society and now it’s owned by a local foundation that is overseeing its restoration and preservation. The tavern itself, with its solid wooden tables and chairs, looks much as it did in the 1790s when travelers stopped by for a pint of ale. At press time, the restaurant was still looking for a new chef to take over and develop a new menu, but count on regional specialties and hearty fare to re-fuel weary travelers. 73 Monument Place, Heathsville, 804-580-7900.
KINSALE
Kinsale once bustled with a steady stream of steamboats making their way from Baltimore or along the Potomac from Washington. Now, it’s a quiet village centered on a town green, lined by historic buildings. Ships still sail in and out of its port, but now it’s mainly pleasure cruisers or barges loaded with goods produced by the town’s busy granary.
Kinsale Museum
Housed in an eighteenth-century pub, this tiny museum houses exhibits and artifacts dealing with life in the seaport town during its late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century steamboat heyday. You can also learn about the Battle of Kinsale on July 14, 1813, when superior British forces overwhelmed and burned the U.S. Navy schooner Asp on Kinsale Creek. 449 Kinsale Rd., 804-472-3001.
Good Eats Café
Visitors come from Washington and Richmond just to eat at this casual but gourmet restaurant housed in a 1930s roadhouse just outside Kinsale. Chefs/ owners Stephen Andersen and Sally Rumsey specialize in fresh, regional cuisine: rockfish topped with backfin crabmeat or seared tuna in pickled ginger and wasabi butter. Open Thursday through Sunday for dinner only. Cople Highway and Oldhams Rd., 804-472-4385.
COLONIAL BEACH & VICINITY
In the 1950s, when gambling in town was legal, Colonial Beach buzzed with the activity of a miniature Las Vegas. Casinos, dance halls, and amusement piers filled with revelers throughout the night. The party lasted just ten years, ending with the outlawing of slot machines. These days, most traces of the town’s wild heyday are gone, and a quiet peace dominates, interrupted only by the whirl of residents cruising the narrow streets in golf carts. Colonial Beach does have several shops and good restaurants specializing in seafood, Blue Heron Pub (1787 Castlewood Dr.) and Still Waters Grille (1016 Monroe Bay Ave.), and remains a good base from which to explore upper Neck attractions.
The Museum at Colonial Beach
See what Colonial Beach was like as a gambling town in the 1950s, as well as its early roots as a riverside escape for Washingtonians and Richmondites. Three rooms cover 400 years of history, from John Smith to the present day. Also, learn about the town’s most famous native son, James Monroe. 128 Hawthorn St., 804-224-5800.
Bell House B&B
Alexander Graham Bell summered in this graceful Victorian on the Potomac River. It was built in 1883 by Col. J.O. P. Burnside, son of Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside. (The colonel lost the house to the U.S. government in a lawsuit over pay irregularities in the Union Army accounts. Bell’s father bought it soon after.) The Bell House has four rooms, each with period antiques and private bath. (The privy out back is original but not operational!) Owners Phil and Anne Bolin also offer dinner cruises on their 43-foot motorboat, Apolonia. 821 Irving Ave., 804-224-7000, http://www.thebellhouse.com.
Ingleside Plantation Vineyards
Drive up the dirt road, past the picturesque grapevines and a small horse stable to the pretty courtyard with the picnic tables and fountain. You’ve arrived at Ingleside Plantation Vineyards, the Neck’s best-known winery. A former plantation in the Flemer family for more than a hundred years, the winery itself is housed in the plantation’s old dairy barn. There you can sample several of Ingleside’s fifteen varieties, notable for having won more Governor’s Cup medals than any other Virginia winery. A nicely stocked gift shop and small museum of regional history round out the experience. Open daily for tastings. Oak Grove, 804-224-8687, http://www.ipwine.com.
Westmoreland Berry Farm
Sure, this pick-your-own berry farm and fruit market has fresh strawberries, cherries, peaches, red and black raspberries in summer, and apples and pumpkins in the fall. But what separate this farm from the average pick-your-own emporium are its goats. Walking twenty feet in the air. The goats reside in a pen beside the driveway, but when the urge strikes, they climb a ramp that leads to a three-inch-thick wooden walkway straddling the farmer’s market driveway. Kids will love running up cups of corn kernels to the goats via a pulley system. The 800-acre farm also has a nature preserve with trails beside a tidewater marsh. Oak Grove, 804-224-9171, http://www.westmorelandberryfarm.com
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
After a 1779 fire, all that’s left of the original home where Washington was born in 1732 is its brick foundation. A memorial house, built in 1930 and open for tours, interprets what the house might have looked like. The surrounding 550-acre scenic property, which runs along Popes Creek, now serves as a living history museum and farm and makes a fine place for strolls or a picnic. George’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather are buried in the family cemetery nearby. 1732 Popes Creek Rd., Oak Grove, 804-224-1732, http://www.nps.gov/gewa
The Inn at Montross
There’s been a place for customers to unwind and replenish on this spot since 1683. Portions of the current structure date to 1790, when it operated as Spence’s Tavern. The present-day five-room inn is owned by Scott Massidda and Cindy Brigman, who met at a Georgia cooking school, married, and renovated the property in 1997. The two chefs serve up impressive meals in the inn’s rustic dining room. Black sesame seared tuna, wild boar tenderloin, and Mediterranean crab and scallops might be on the short but sophisticated menu. The inn also hosts popular five-to-seven-course wine dinners spring through fall. Reservations necessary. Rooms start at $110 per night; with dinner for two, $170. 21 Polk St., Montross, 804-493-0573, http://www.innatmontross.com.
