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Chincoteague is famous for its annual pony auction, but you can see the stars of the show anytime at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

photo from Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce

Mutt is a chunky, 14-year-old, English setter who sleeps, eats and plays at Nottingham Ridge Bed & Breakfast near Cape Charles. The 25-year-old home sits on 100 acres of family-owned farmland just a few miles west of Route 13, the north-to-south highway that bisects the Eastern Shore.

Bed and breakfasts are a great way to see the shore because they epitomize the area's friendly, homey feel. Nottingham's spacious five-bedroom brick house looks more like a small country estate than a typical bed and breakfast. Its rustic interior features numerous antiques and reproductions that were handpicked by the home's bright-faced, motherly owner, Bonnie Nottingham.

The grounds, however, set Nottingham Ridge apart. Several tall pines and a cadre of well-manicured bushes adorn the front yard. The back yard is Mutt's domain, and he waits there until visitors arrive. But if you start down the narrow footpath at the rear of the yard, the old fellow gladly shrugs off his arthritis, pulls himself up on his paws and rushes in front of you. He wouldn't miss a chance to escort you through the trees and high grass to his own personal playground -- the Chesapeake Bay.

While not as picturesque as Virginia's most popular shorelines, Nottingham's private beach is raw and beautiful. Go ahead, put your towel down anywhere. As far as the eye can see, there are miles and miles of empty beachfront. It's ideal for swimming, gathering shells or doing nothing at all.

If you tire of the beach and your canine companion, Nottingham Ridge is a great outpost for visiting other attractions on the southern part of the peninsula. Weather permitting, Bonnie can arrange for a small boat to transport you to the nearby barrier islands. If the waves are too high for boating, take some time to explore the region by car. Like in many areas on the Eastern Shore, majestic Victorian farmhouses, acres of crops and miles of wooded pines dot the roads surrounding Nottingham Ridge. This rural charm mixes wonderfully with the peninsula's maritime character.

Just 15 minutes up the road is the peaceful, old railroad town of Cape Charles, rich in Victorian and turn-of-the-century architecture. Cape Charles was incorporated in 1886, two years after the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad extended its line southward through the Delmarva Peninsula. In 1989, the town was designated as a Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register and in 1991, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cape Charles, population 1,400, envisions itself as a burgeoning tourism hub. Besides grand plans for resort development, the town already offers a public beach, several bed and breakfasts and a small marina. One romantic way to spend an evening is a sunset cruise aboard the 45-foot schooner Delight. The ship, billed as the only schooner on the Eastern Shore, sails from Cape Charles harbor from spring to fall. It holds a maximum of six passengers, so the trip is truly intimate. Bring a good bottle of wine or another favorite beverage and enjoy two peaceful hours on the water.

The miniscule community of Melfa, just 40 minutes north of Cape Charles, is home to one of the Eastern Shore's most captivating attractions. Except for the bronze geese and the fountain out front, the exterior of Turner Sculpture doesn't look much different than the cookie-cutter shops and convenience stores along Route 13. But inside the gallery are hundreds of lifelike sculptures. While you're sure to fall in love with at least one of the bronzes, don't reach for your wallet. You'll need plastic or, in some cases, a second mortgage. Most pieces cost several hundred dollars or more. A touching sculpture of a little girl feeding a lamb costs $25,000, while a life-size whitetail buck costs $32,000.

Artist William Turner, an Eastern Shore native, and his son, David, create the limited edition bronzes on site. The Turners are masters at getting every detail right, whether sculpting native Eastern Shore wildlife, aquatic scenes or slices of Americana.

If you are planning to spend the night in the central region of the Eastern Shore, nearby Onancock is your best bet. With several antique shops and small galleries, the Victorian downtown has an artsy yet historic flavor. If you're going to shop, time your trip well. While some have Sunday hours, most stores are only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

One of Onancock's better accommodations is the 76 Market Street Bed & Breakfast. This inn is light on expensive decor and heavy on down-home comfort. Marge and Mike Carpenter, the inn's owners, give you full run of the place, whether you want to listen to music in their living room or sip drinks on the back deck.

The Victorian inn is also just four blocks from the town dock -- a great place to talk with the locals and to sit by the water.

From the waterfront, be sure to catch the cruise to Tangier Island. The Capt. Eulice, a 90-passenger tour boat, leaves promptly at 10 a.m. from June 1 through Sept. 15, except on Sunday. It takes an hour and a half to reach the tiny village, and keep in mind that you only have two hours before the return trip. That leaves you with a tough choice: Eat at one of the island's restaurants, which leaves little time for anything else. Or spend as much time as possible exploring the island, but miss out on what is reputedly some of the best seafood in the state.

Tangier Island is about 12 miles off the mainland, but it's light-years from modern society. Capt. John Smith discovered the island of roughly two and a half square miles in 1608. Later in the century, a group of adventurers from Cornwall, England, settled Tangier. Despite the intrusion of television, some of the approximate 700 residents still speak with an Elizabethan accent. Looking down Tangier's narrow alleyways, you'll probably see only a few automobiles. Rather than drive, people walk, ride bicycles or use the vehicle of choice -- a golf cart.

While many islanders still make their living by fishing, tourism is certainly the most conspicuous industry. Locals sell golf-cart tours, T-shirts and the like. In your search for the most appropriate souvenir, don't overlook the homemade seafood recipes that many residents sell on the honor system.

Back on the Eastern Shore, it's another 45 minutes up Route 13 to Chincoteague, the region's biggest tourist destination and Virginia's northernmost Eastern Shore community. Every year, the pony penning and auction, normally held the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, draws about 50,000 people to Chincoteague. But don't wait for the crowds to arrive. It's quite a spectacle to watch the ponies being driven across the small channel separating Assateague and Chincoteague. But the stars of the event call the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge home, and they can be seen in this more natural setting almost anytime.

The refuge, like many other places on the Eastern Shore, is a bird watcher's paradise. A keen eye can spot the laughing gull, the black-crowned night heron and the snowy egret, among others. The best way to explore Chincoteague and Assateague is by bicycle, which allows you to cover more territory and -- when you need a closer look -- affords the luxury of walking. There are numerous places to rent bikes in Chincoteague, and some of the bed and breakfasts provide guests with free use of bicycles.

Because the wildlife is protected, you may discover that the animals are less than timid. Don't be surprised to find yourself only a few yards from an endangered fox squirrel or a sika deer -- an Asiatic elk released on Assateague in the 1920s.

The adjacent Assateague National Seashore on the Atlantic Ocean may be the state's most attractive beach. While you may encounter a healthy crowd here, you won't be sitting in the laps of other tourists. Tom's Cove, a small inlet near the beach, is ideal for shellfishing and windsurfing.

Accommodations in Chincoteague are much like the attractions -- diverse and plentiful. If romance is paramount, try The Inn at Poplar Corner or its older sister, the Watson House Bed and Breakfast. These enormous Victorians feature wrap-around verandas and incredibly ornate facades.

While the Inn at Poplar Corner is extravagant, the people who own place, Tom and Jacque Derrickson, are down-to-earth. Tom still works the fishing boats that operate out of the bay. Jacque is busy raising their two young children and running the inn. Despite constantly running errands and escorting the children to Little League games, they make sure their guests are happy and will stop to recommend a good restaurant or just to say hello.

The Derricksons are representative of the peninsula's greatest unspoiled attraction -- its people. While every community on the Eastern Shore has a unique feel and different attractions, the people all seem to have shared traits. They are hard workers with a strong sense of community and history. Above all, they seem long on character, they're unpretentious and they'll take those extra steps to help you have a good time -- kind of like a purebred dog named Mutt.

© April 1999, Media General Business Publications Inc.,
publisher of Virginia Business Magazine