Two Days in Cape Charles

After getting secure and finally settled in our slip, we decided to seek out a local place for dinner. The harbor master recommended Kelly’s Gingernut Pub which just happened to be the first place we saw when arriving on Mason Street, which is the main drag of Cape Charles. Housed in a restored bank building, this is a fantastic place for dinner. We were seated in the vault room which was cozy and fun. Captain Mark looked appalled when I decided to be adventurous and ordered Cream of Crab soup and a Goat Cheese Salad as my entrée. Both items were fantastic but the crab chowder was the best that I have ever had. Cape Charles is a working fishing community and I am sure that the crabs were fresh that day.


When deciding where to stay in Cape Charles we opted for the town marina over the fancier Bay Creek Marina. We knew that the town marina was home to many of the working fishing boats and we wanted to see firsthand the daily workings of the local fisherman. It was extremely interesting to watch as the men (and a few women) worked fixing the lines/nets, unload the daily catch and then ready their boats for the next day. One “crabber” allowed me to look inside his bushel basket of crabs before he loaded it into his refrigerated truck for delivery to area restaurants.



We also learned that the best spot for breakfast was the local drugstore that had a genuine lunch counter. We missed breakfast but we did get there just in time for lunch. True to its reputation, we had lunch counter food as good as it gets - tuna salad for me.

We especially enjoyed the glitter ball – it added just the right touch!



Cape Charles was founded on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in 1884 as a planned community by railroad and ferry interests. It was formed by dredging a new harbor out of a large fresh-water lagoon (which was formed by a meteor) between King’s and Old Plantation creeks in lower Northampton County. The community thrived as a railroad, ferry and fishing community through World War II with its mission of ferrying troops and supplies. At the Town’s peak period of development in the early 1900s, as many as 300 rail cars per day were transported through the Town’s harbor. In 1958, the last passenger train left Cape Charles. The railroad is still in operation for commercial and industrial purposes, as it has been continuously since 1884.



With the decline of the railroad industry following World War II and the increase of local truck shipping resulting from the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 1964, the town experienced an economic downturn.





The town has in recent years changed its economic focus to become one of the best kept secrets in Virginia. It is a charming community that has become a destination and would be a delightful place for retirement along the Chesapeake shore. Captain Mark and I spent two afternoons exploring the streets which are lined with old homes that are in various stages of renovation.




Friday evening Mark attended a piano concert performed by Stephen Dulce at The Palace Theater. He found it to be a nice concert sponsored and supported by an active local community theater group.