Tangier Island Day Trip

Last Saturday, a group of us went to Tangier Island for the day. Well, not for the whole day, really, but for a visit. This is a place I've always wanted to visit, and I'm so glad I did!

Here's the day in pictures...

View Larger Map

Tangier Island is literally in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. The only way to get there is by boat or plane. There are several ferries that go, and that's the way we opted for the day.

We caught the ferry in Reedville. Of course, it took us 2+ hours to get there. But once there, the ferry ride promised to be about 1.5 hours to the island.

This is our friend Larry. He told us he gets motion sickness, and was looking a little green. We hadn't left the dock yet!

On the way out, we passed a lot of ruins in the creek of previous fishing companies. This one had an Osprey nest on top, and we could see the babies sticking their heads up.

You could tell this area was a thriving fishing area. The captain said these boats were full of fish waiting to be unloaded.

One of the many fishing vessels we passed during the day.

This sign is at the mouth of the creek.

From the bay, our first glimpse of Tangier.

This sign is one of the first you see when you get off the ferry and onto the main road.

This is the majority of the group that we were with today.

While on the beach, we saw half a dozen planes landing on the island.

And that half a dozen all landed in the frame of about 15 minutes. Definitely a busy airport!

At one of our stops, a local woman came out and chatted with us about the island. She was so sweet and pleasant, and actually seemed glad that we were visiting. Thanks Ms. Pruitt!

While riding through town, we passed the library. The Muddy Toes Library.

Yes, it was a shed. It wasn't open, so we didn't venture in to see the selection.

Then we had lunch at Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake house. Family style, with all you can eat crabcakes and TONS of side dishes.

We definitely put a hurting on the food. And everything was delicious. Especially the crabcakes AND the corn pudding! Some of the best I've ever had!

We had only a short time to wander around before the ferry left again, but I did see this neat mural on the west side of town. Definitely depicts their way of life here.

Then, the ferry was waiting to take us back.

We figured that we were in the car for 4+ hours, on the ferry for 3+ hours, and only on the island for 2+ hours. May have to go back and visit one of the Inn's or B&B's for an overnight stay.

And what did we learn about the island? There are about 650 permanent residents. Their main way of life is fishing, crabbing, and tourism. They are the soft-shelled crab capitol of the world. They only have a couple of vehicles on the island and the main modes of transportation are golf cart and bikes. They have a bit of an accent that's hard to place, but it's definitely their own.

Their island is sinking AND the bay is rising. So the island is disappearing. How long will it be around???

I'm so glad I finally got out there. Having heard about this place my entire life. It's certainly worth a visit!

AMW