Chincoteague And Assateague Islands VA Tourism: Cruises

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A Cruise to Tangier Island

The genteel town of Onancock, off U.S. 13 south of Chincoteague, is the departure point for cruises to quaint Tangier Island and its picturesque village of 650 souls out in the Chesapeake Bay. There are few cars on Tangier's narrow lanes, appropriate on this unspoiled island, discovered by Capt. John Smith in 1608 and permanently settled in 1686. In fact, the local accent hearkens back to the Elizabethan English of their ancestors. Out here, when someone says "Hoi toide onda soun soide tonoit," they mean there's high tide on the sound side tonight.

This is no glitzy resort. Entertainment consists of poking around the island, seeing some wildlife with RB's Island Nature Cruises (tel. 757/891-2240), and watching the mail boat arrive at 1:15pm -- Tangier's biggest daily event. That's not say that tourism hasn't made some inroads in recent years. Local citizens now await the ferries to take you on 15-minute island tour by oversized golf cart. It's worth the $3 fare to get an overview of the island. You can rent golf carts and bikes at the wharf, although most of the island is within a 20-minute walk of the dock.

The island also has three restaurants, although you'll want to join the other day-trippers at Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House (tel. 757/891-2331), where $15.50 will buy an all-you-can-eat (except crab cakes) lunch from mid-April to mid-October. You can stay overnight at Mrs. Crockett's for $90 double, including breakfast and dinner. MasterCard and Visa cards accepted.

Other overnight options include Shirley's Bay View Inn (tel. 757/891-2396; www.tangierisland.net), where owner Shirley Pruitt rents two bedrooms upstairs in her 1904 Victorian home and nine small cottages in motel-style structures flanking her backyard. Shirley charges $75 to $95 double but does not accept credit cards. Or you can opt for the Sunset Inn Bed & Breakfast (tel. 757/891-2535; www.tangierislandsunset.com), where host Grace Brown offers rooms in the main house plus cottages and an apartment. She charges $80 double, including breakfast, and she accepts MasterCard and Visa.

If you elect to stay over, remember that not all units here have a private bathroom, so if that's your preference, make sure to ask for one when you reserve.

Weather permitting, the Tangier Island Ferry (tel. 757/891-2240) leaves Onancock from May 15 to October 15, daily at 10am, returning at 3:30pm. Round-trip fare is $22 for adults, $11 for children 6 to 11, and free for children 5 and under. Reservations are not accepted. You can also get here from Reedville on the Northern Neck.

Plan to look around Onancock while you're here. The Hopkins & Bro. General Store was built in 1842 on Onancock's Town Dock and has been fixed up into the Eastern Shore's largest bait-and-tackle shop. Many retirees and others have settled in Onancock, bringing with them other good restaurants, boutiques and craft shops (search along Market St., the main drag). If you like old houses, visit Kerr Place (tel. 757/787-8012), a stately Federal mansion built in 1799.

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Chincoteague And Assateague Islands VA Tourism: Cruises

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