“Every once in a while, people need to be in the presence of things that are really far away.” – Ian Frazier

It’s time to unplug, stop the noise and vanish into the peace and seclusion of a scenic destination where we don’t have to fight for a slip or fend off the noise of eternal Spring Break. Let’s go to Northumberland County, Virginia.

Sometimes we get on the boat to go somewhere action-packed and fill our days with an exhausting, break-neck schedule of activities. Now is not that time and this isn’t the place for high-octane schedules. This is where you dock the boat, drop the hook that has bait on it, grab a cocktail and soak in the total absence of social noise of the digital age.

Smith Point Light holds the story of this area’s resilience. In 1802 Thomas Jefferson appointed a lighthouse keeper to manage the lighthouse at Smith Point (the latest version is seen above). Erosion threatened the lighthouse, and in 1808 it was replaced with a lighthouse further inland. It was replaced in 1828 with a third lighthouse. During the Civil War, it was destroyed. A new lighthouse was finally built in 1896 and lasted until 1936. The Smith Point Light was automated in 1971. In 2005, the lighthouse was sold to a private owner.

Arriving By Boat

Northumberland County has 509 miles of shoreline including tributaries of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Some of our favorite marinas are located near Reedville, including Smith Point Marina near the mouth of the Little Wicomico River, Fairport Marina, Buzzard’s Point, and Reedville Marina which offers The Crazy Crab Restaurant on Cockrell's Creek. On the edge of Cockrell's Creek stands the historic brick Morris-Fisher "Stack" where one of Reedville's nineteen fish factories once operated.

Here is an excellent interactive map of places to eat and stay.

We enjoy the Coan River Marina, Lottsburg, just up from the mouth of the Potomac, Olverson's Lodge Creek Marina Inc., Lewisetta Marina in Lottsburg and Ingram Bay Marina in Heathsville.

If you want to dock & dine check out the Crazy Crab Restaurant & Marina in Reedville or Horn Harbor Restaurant at the Blue Compass Marina for a friendly and casual spot that offers delicious fresh seafood. Northumberland County boasts several kayak facilities that are available for those water-borne adventurers of the non-motorized variety: Glebe Point, on the Great Wicomico River, Rowes Landing on the Coan River, and Lodge Landing on the Yeocomico River.

Blessing of the Fleet

Following in an ancient tradition performed in fishing communities across the globe, residents of the Northern Neck performs their own Blessing of the Fleet ceremony in Reedville. The ceremony marks the beginning of the fishing season on the Chesapeake Bay. 

The event is sponsored by St. Mary's Episcopal church and Omega Protein and rallies a large crowd of participants to help pray for a safe and bountiful fishing season.

A Taste of the Simple Life – The Strawberry Festival

We try and make a special trip during the St. Stephen's Strawberry Festival in Heathsville. The free, one-day festival in May is a Northern Neck tradition for the Memorial Day weekend and is consistently rated one of the area's best festivals. The spectacular lineup of festivities draws 5,000 attendees and includes craft exhibitors and vendors selling handmade goods, a church plant sale with hundreds of native plants at low prices, a bake sale, live music on the bandstand, kid’s activities, face painting, a raffle and bargains galore at the St. Stephens Thrift Shop.

Each year, church volunteers bake 1,200 homemade strawberry shortcakes and sell 1,000 quarts of fresh, local strawberries. Strawberries aren’t the only thing on the menu. There will be food trucks as well as homemade sweets from the popular church bake sale.

Heathsville is Home to History

Today, the designated historic district of Heathsville stands just as it was laid out according to a plan prepared in 1798 by the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Behind the courthouse is Rice’s Hotel, the core of which is the 18th-century courthouse tavern, another place to get a bite to eat. Rice's Hotel/Hughlett's Tavern serves lunch Thursday through Saturday and has a retail artisan shop featuring locally made accessories, an art gallery and working artist studios. In addition to a seasonal monthly farmer's market, Rice's Hotel/Hughlett's Tavern is home to traditional trades guilds including blacksmithing, carpentry, spinning & weaving, quilting, and culinary.

Reedville, the Fisherman's Friend

Reedville is another designated historic district, a fisherman’s town on the Northern Neck of Virginia (between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers). Reedville is home to a thriving menhaden commercial fishing industry. Several sport fishing charters are available for recreational fishermen. Reedville Fishermen’s Museum is dedicated to commercial fishermen in this Virginia community and the Chesapeake Bay. It’s home to three Chesapeake Bay historic vessels, including a skipjack, a deck boat and deadrise. The museum also has one of the three replicas of the John Smith sailing barge, in which Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay region in the voyages of 1608-9.

Tour Boats to Tangier Island

The Tangier Island Cruise leaves from Buzzard's Point Marina near Reedville and operates seasonally May through mid-October. Nearby lodging is available at Ma Margaret's Bed & Breakfast or Bay Motel.

Extend your stay to explore, unwind and reset your stress level to zero. Enjoy your break from the hustle and bustle. See you there…