If it’s “off the beaten path” you’re looking for, consider a day trip or an overnight stay on the tiny island of Tinge, Virginia, located in the Chesapeake Bay. Tingi Island is three miles long, has a population of about 600 and some well-maintained restaurants and taverns. In June 2011, my sister, my daughter and I took a day trip from northern Virginia to the lovely town of Tinge Island.
The only way to Tingia or Smith Island (nearby) is to travel by boat or small boat. The most common (and economical) way is by boat. Shuttle services from Crisfield, MD, Onancoke, VA and Reedsville, VA daily during the tourist season, which runs from May through October. Round trip tickets run from $25 (one adult for a day trip) to $40 overnight. Children’s tickets sell for $14 for day trips and $20 for overnight trips.
Reedsville is an attractive destination in itself. In the early 1900s the country boasted the highest per capita income, due to its lucrative fishing industry. As you sail the Wicomico River, you will pass through Reedsville, where Gables, from ca. 1914 brick mansion house built on the shore of the Prince Maritime. It is a popular inn, open to overnight guests. After passing the Gables, other points of interest include a huge cooking fish factory with a tall brick chimney and a lighthouse-decorated welcome.
Once in the open water bay, it is about another hour to the small island of Tingi and close to Smith Island. The Chesapeake breeze from Reedville is equipped with snacks, drinks and occasional commentary from the driver explaining points in the history and customs of the sea and Tinge Island. It is an hour and a half from the dock.
After centuries of use as an apparent fishing station by the Pocomoke Indians, John Smith (of Pocahontas fame!) landed. Dying and Smith Island in about 1608, claiming them for England. The island is thought to have been settled by the Crockett family in the 1680s. The island was soon populated with a few families who live there today. The surnames Crockett, Pruitt, Thomas, Marshall, Ortus, Dise and Charnock make up almost the whole island and have had it for three centuries. Some of the older inhabitants of Tinge have a unique dialect which is thought to represent the latest Elizabethan English. The Tingi islanders make their living from the sea, chiefly fishing and fishing. The crab cakes at are to die for and definitely not to be missed! The three of us spent about $40 on lunch at Lorraine Restaurant, and it was worth every penny.
It is a peaceful island environment. It is very much like stepping into Anne of Green Gables Avonlea. The main modes of transportation are foot, bicycles and golf carts, the place is quiet. Narrow river streets past quaint brightly-painted houses, a post office school, the Swain Methodist Church which seems to be one community centers and museums. When I signed the guest book at the museum , I caught the owner’s attention because his last name is Thomas and his maiden name is Pruitt. So I told him, we came because of genealogical connections, but we will come back again sometime because the private area is so beautiful and peaceful. a museum containing a collection of Chicago history. The open waters of the Bay are strongly felt here, with long records of islanders lost at sea over the years and a heavy list of native Tingi who they served in the country’s military. The present dilemma is also hinted at in the history of the island: there are far fewer fishermen, or “watermen” as they call themselves, today than ever before. The cancer industry took a huge hit from pollution and the resulting drop in cancer population numbers. Nevertheless, huge crab cakes attract restaurants to the island, and piles of crab cages in many docks on the island testify to the active life in the water.
What is Tingi to do? Well, once you’ve stuffed yourself with crab cakes, learned all you can at the museum, and wandered around the city, the answer is: not much. For my family and I, who just fine. The feeling of having every peaceful escape was priceless. Our walk through the church cemetery gave us a sense of connection as we read the surnames on stone after stone. The sun mingled with the cries of the divers in the water. We slowly felt remorse as we hurried back to our transportation to catch the draft on our way back to Reedsville.
sources:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Tangier-Island-and-the-Way-of-the-Watermen.html?c=y&page;=1
Wikipedia
History of Tingitana (Books from the island)
