Tangier: a Virginia island that's like no other

Top, golf carts are the preferred method of getting around. Bottonm, the Methodist parsonage.

(Story and photos by Richard P. Carpenter)

The first thing you notice on Virginia's Tangier Island are the accents. They are none like you've heard before, largely Elizabethan with a dollop of Virginian as well.

There's a reason for those unique accents. The island was settled in 1686 by people from Cornwall, England, and their isolation from the mainland of Virginia and Maryland, a dozen or so miles away, has kept that method of talking relatively intact.

Tangier, though, would be fascinating to visit even without those accents. Some 600 residents inhabit this 900-acre island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and, not surprisingly, most make their livings by fishing and crabbing. There are two churches, one Methodist and the other non-denominational, two schools and one policeman, whose official car is a PT Cruiser. (Good thing the island has virtually no crime. People get around the island by golf cart, motorcycles, bicycles and cars but there are only about 20 of the latter. Seven artesian wells provide the water supply.

The same family names keep cropping up, Crockett, Pruitt and Parks among them. "No, we're not all related," said one resident. They all know each other, though. How could they not in an island this small. They are susceptible to "outside" influences, though. They watch television largely by satellite and get on the Internet, mostly by dial-up. Residents have their own boat to take them to and from the mainland. No liquor can be bought or sold on Tangier Island, but there is no law against bringing a supply back during those mainland visits.

Tangier Island is accessible by commercial boats from Onancock and Reedville, Va., and Crisfield, Md. The ride takes a little over an hour, and residents are welcome indeed. For those who want to stay longer, there are three bed-and-breakfasts. One of them, Hilda Crockett's served a lunch so hearty -- there were crabcakes, clam fritters, ham and corn pudding -- that I felt no need to have dinner that evening.

For more information on the island, click here and here.

Travel tip

During flights, especially long ones, passengers' feet tend to swell. Consider wearing Crocs or other loose-fitting shoes, then changing to more traditional footwear after landing.

Family savings in St. Thomas

Summertime is savings time in the Caribbean. For instance, the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas,has an an all-inclusive SunValue Island Getaway package available through Aug. 24. The price starts at $387 per room, per night, for two adults staying four nights or more, but here comes the good part: That price includes unlimited food and beverages, entertainment, non-motorized water activities and half-day access to the supervised Kids Club. Children under 12 who share a room with their parents stay, play and eat (from the children’s menu) at no additional charge. The cost for children ages 13 to 17 who stay in the same room with their parents is $95 per child per night. And for those concerned about the new passport rules, those documents are not required for US citizens who visit the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For that offer, click here or call 877-999-3223 and mention code PKGAIP. For resort information and other offers, visit http://www.wyndhamsugarbay.com/.

Monday's trivia answer

Sitka, Alaska, is the largest municipality in the United States by area, with a total area of 4,811.5 square miles. Of that amount, 1,937.6 square miles, or 40.27 percent, is water.

Let your dad heed the call of the wild

Looking for a memorable Father's Day gift? The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta is offering its first annual "men's only" weekend, July 3-5. The package features two nightsat the lodge, which is in the Canadian Rockies; a men's barbecue; two breakfasts and one lunch; a poker night; transfers to and from Jasper; unlimited onsite recreational rentals, including canoes, kayaks, and bikes; and a choice of one of the following: a whitewater rafting excursion,
guided fly fishing, or golf at the lodge. The cost is $1,244 based on double occupancy.

Call 800-441-1414. To learna bput the lodge, visit www.fairmont.com/jasper.

Worth quoting

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.

-- Robert Louis Stevenson