This little coastline town is one of our favorites. Situated on the Rappahannock River (or how the locals pronounce it - rivah) it is home to over 550 residents. As we pulled into Urbanna Town Marina, Diane, the dock master met us at our slip to help with the lines. She set the stage with her cheery personality and her "must see, must do" lists.
Views from our slip and the marina office.
Fellow boaters are always willing to help another boater out because we have all "been there". Be it grabbing the lines (or railings) going into a slip, holding the lines and tossing them in as we leave a slip or sharing valuable knowledge and/or experiences in boating and waterways.
Always Stories. Take Tom from Montana who was on our dock. He and his wife sold their cattle business less than a year ago and bought a boat. He has been successful in every endeavor. His wife calls him an asperger. I digress. When Tom was young, a gentleman selling fuel came knocking on their door. He told the gentleman they didn't need any. The salesman then proceeded to tell Tom about seeing an airplane in the area that would soar, swoop down and disappear, soar, swoop down, disappear. Tom said the plane belonged to his Uncle who lived up the road and the salesman headed out. Once at the Uncle's house the salesman repeated the story of the soaring and disappearing plane. The Uncle confirmed that the plane belonged to him and his kids must be out flying at which point the 9 and 5 year old entered the room! Turns out the kids were duck hunting. They would land the plane on the river bank to pick up rocks then soar back up and try to peg the ducks. My youth was so boring....
History above and pics below.
This structure built in 1776 "is one of the oldest surviving mercantile structures in American associated with the sale of tobacco. Before the emergence of the Scottish factors, tobacco and other crops where shipped directly from the large plantations to England in exchange for goods on the return voyage. The Scots established stores where tobacco was exchanged immediately for cash and credit with which to purchase imported goods for sale." The building now serves as Urbanna's Visitor Center.
Steps to where?
A gate to the past.
The Marble House. "This is one of many notable Victorian era buildings that attest to the prosperity Urbanna enjoyed as an oyster processing center in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Lord Byron Van Wagenen, schooner captain whose family owned an oyster house and a pickle factory, built The Marble House at the turn of the century. It gets its name from the use of marble that steamboats carried here from Baltimore to adorn its porches, steps and basement."
A weathered barn.
"Christopher Robinson, who built Hewick in 1678, was a member of the Governor’s Council, Secretary of State of the colony and an original trustee of the College of William & Mary. Robinson was among the most influential men in colonial Virginia."
The Hewick estate is at the end of this beautiful tree lined driveway.
Something Different Country Store sits 2 miles out of town. Everyone said it's a must see experience and to go there hungry. So I did both. I hopped on one of the marina bikes and rode out into the country on an empty stomach.
They offer upscale wines and cheese, a diverse selection of beers, homemade sides, soups and desserts, barbecued and smoked meats, decadent ice cream, amongst other eatery delights. I left the store with Virginia peanuts (the best peanuts around) and a pint of smoked turkey and country ham salad which was quite tasty. Ooh, I'm starting to salivate. The next day Bill ran into the owner, Dan, coming out of their new downtown location which should be ready for business by the end of August.
Quite an upscale restaurant for such a small town. They are trying to lure travelers back.
If we were in Italy this area would be called, Piazza Ostra!
The windows were imported from Belgium.
Nice mix of slate tiles and wood doors.
We had a nummy meal out back. Sharing the deck with us was a group of 8 women ranging in age from 72 to 45. I stopped by their table and they thought I was going to scold them for being loud. Au contraire, told them their laughter was infectious and the experience gave us another reason we've enjoyed their quaint town. Also shared with them that no one could be louder than my family or my SWA group's lunch gatherings. Turns out they gather once a month for dinner and this dinner was extra special because they were celebrating one of the girls birthdays.
Another must see and do experience. Marshall's Drug is where you go for a main course of local news/gossip and a side dish of breakfast.
Here in a soda shop setting, the men sit on one side and the women on the other. Very friendly and open folks. "Open" being the operative word. Well, I told them their secrets were safe with me, and my best friend Molly of course and what would Susie think if I didn't tell her. Mums the word all!
As we were leaving the store I was sure we would bump into Opie, Barney Fife or Sheriff Andy Taylor.
One of the locals told me they have a spading program for stray cats. That's good to know because the cat on the left should NOT breed. Just sayin'.
Rain, rain go away Bill and Kathy want to play. We were to head out today but because of the foul weather we decided is was best to leave the next morning. There was a slight window during the day where it had stopped raining at which point we were oscillating whether to head out for a walk or stay put. Diane, the dock master, imparted some wisdom on us. Her daddy always said, "you ain't made of sugar so you ain't gonna melt". We scooted into town.
