Oct 18

Written by: chris
10/18/2016 

Virginia’s Oyster Trail

Join me as I travel to the Atlantic seaboard of the state of Virginia, to explore the new Virginia Oyster Trail. It will be a journey through Virginia's different oyster regions, as well as an experience of the unique culture of watermen in the Chesapeake Bay and the history of this birthplace of America.

The Commonwealth of Virginia – already well known as a top wine travel destination, is now becoming the oyster capital of the East Coast and it’s the largest producer of fresh, farm-raised oysters in the US. The diverse flavour of Virginia oysters – from the saltiest in the waters of Chincoteague on Virginia’s Eastern Shore to the sweet taste of Rappahannock River oysters and the rebirth of Lynnhaven oysters in Virginia Beach – all give visitors a lot to love about oyster travel in Virginia.

The Virginia Oyster Trail itself was launched just last November (2015) by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. The trail offers visitors a way to enjoy the glorious Atlantic coastline of the state and so I will also be discovering outdoor adventure, crafts and culture, southern cuisine, history and so much more in this fascinating region of Virginia.

I flew with Porter from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport direct to Washington Dulles in just over 60 minutes. A quick airport car rental later and I am on my way southwards, around Washington, via Fredericksburg to the eastern coast of Virginia. It takes me three hours to arrive on the estuaries of Chesapeake Bay that are the defining geography of eastern Virginia.

This is going to be a voyage of discovery for me because I am an oyster novitiate and oysters – not surprisingly – are the thread that links the many unique and charming communities I will be passing through on this trip. And my first stop is at the place where the recent resurgence in Virginia’s oysters arguably began:  Rappahannock Oyster Company

Rappahannock Oyster Company

I am on the Rappahannock River which flows into Chesapeake Bay and I’m well and truly on Virginia’s Oyster Trail as I am at the Rappahannock Oyster Farm with the owners, Travis and Ryan Croxton. Their story goes back to 2001, when they set out to revive their family’s oyster company. The Chesapeake Bay had just recorded its lowest oyster harvest in history. Nearly all of the oysters being processed in the Bay were being trucked in from the Gulf of Mexico. But for a few enterprising individuals, the industry was headed for utter collapse. So their mission seemed clear: to resurrect the native Bay oyster and put it back on the map. Just a little over a decade later, Virginia is seeing harvest tallies not witnessed in a generation, and she now leads the entire East Coast in oyster production.

I ask them how exactly they ‘farm’ for oysters? “We choose farm locations that best support growth (firm bottom, good flow, nutrient dense) and then over time improve those conditions. We elevate the oysters off the bottom, where the food quality and quantity is greatly improved, and place them in cages (with ‘feet’ that lift them 6 inches off the seafloor) that can easily be extracted from the water with a simple hydraulic lift. By getting them off the bottom, grasses can then grow around and under the cages, supplying oxygen and reconstituting the seafloor. And harvesting the oysters can be an extremely delicate procedure. The cages become mini-reefs and are home to countless organisms so it’s important that these can flow easily out of the side of the cage as we draw it from the water”, Ryan says.

This is where it all started for us”, adds Travis. The Rappahannock River remains a remarkably pristine waterway, with vast stretches seemingly unchanged since European settlement – 61% of its watershed is still forested, 35% is in cropland, leaving a mere 4% designated ‘urban.’ What makes the location so unique for oysters is its tie to the freshwaters of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our farm is situated near the mouth of the Rappahannock, where the full force of the river meets the Chesapeake Bay. The influence of the mineral rich freshwaters is unmistakable and accounts for the oyster’s trademark ‘sweetness.’ The low salinity (a mere 15ppt) gives you a hint of the sea while allowing the complexity of the animal shine through. Since flavour depends less on what you eat, but rather what you eat ate, it’s critical to have a healthy, diverse system in which to grow. The lower salinities not only afford you more diversity, but a lower dose of salt so that you can truly taste that diversity.”

Farmers, chefs…and even politicians have played a part in bringing back the Virginia oysters to the fore again… It’s due to an inspiring collective of farmers, chefs, patrons, activists, and yes, even politicians who've put purpose ahead of profit. The Chesapeake once again enjoys its place among the great oyster regions of the world - this time, on a foundation of sustainability.

Travis and Ryan showed me the tanks of ‘seed’ oysters and their various growth stages before they are placed in the cages and sunk in the right spots in the bay. They also treated me to my first Virginia oysters at their restaurant/tasting room, Merroir, which is just an oyster shell’s throw from their farm. Here I graduated quickly and succulently from ‘angels on horseback’ (baked oyster with local ham) to fresh raw Rappahannock oysters straight from the bay. What a great start to my oyster apprenticeship!

 www.rroysters.com

Deborah Pratt - Champion Oyster Shucker

It’s not every day that I get to talk with a World Champion, but that’s my treat today here on Virginia’s Oyster Trail as I meet with Deborah Pratt, the Champion Oyster Shucker of these parts. Deborah is a warm, softly spoken lady whose friendly smile is all enveloping. I ask her how she became a champion shucker. “I began my quest for oyster shucking fame when I was a child sitting on the doorstep with my younger sister, Clementine Macon. The novelty of an oyster and how one goes about quickly getting it open became a lifelong obsession. I entered a local competition, won it…and everything happened from there. I have travelled the world on oysters – including trips to Galway, Ireland for the World Championships.”

I wanted to know the secret of her technique to quickly and efficiently prise open these safes of the sea. "If you go into the oyster at 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9, you will always get in. From there it's just about how fast you get in, and how little damage you do to the fragile sea life within.”

Deborah couldn’t resist giving me a demonstration, so she strode into the kitchen of the Merroir restaurant, charmed the Chef, and set about dismantling his fresh oysters. I could see why she is a champion. As I drove away, Deborah was still wreaking havoc on the mollusk population of the Rappahannock River

The Dog and Oyster Vineyard

I have just passed between two giant 40 foot corkscrews to meet up with Dudley Patterson, owner of the Dog and Oyster Vineyard and Chef Bryan Byrd. So naturally, my first question was about those corkscrews and the name of the vineyard.

“Local regulations forbid large signs, so we thought the world’s largest corkscrews might appropriately indicate that the winery is here!” he chuckled. “The quirky name was created to honour the rescue dogs that reside in the vineyard and keep the grapes safe from deer and other animals - and of course, to champion the oyster, one of the Chesapeake Bay region’s greatest assets”.

I ask about the wines that the vineyard produces. “We currently offer five wines for tasting and purchasing. They are all made from 100% estate grown grapes, specially crafted to fit the weather they are served in and pair exceptionally well with the number one product of the area, which is of course the oyster. There are four varieties of grapes; Chardonel and Vidal Blanc make our white wines while Chambourcin and Merlot are our reds. The area is very much like Bordeaux with sandy soil and a nearby estuary, Chesapeake Bay. And it is just as lovely as southwest France!”

The Dog and Oyster is famous for its pairings of wine and local oysters, and Chef Bryan Byrd is on hand to demonstrate just how well these two local products combine together. Five exquisite pairings: oysters fried, roasted and raw with whites, rose and reds. Each setting off the other perfectly. My favourite is the Dog and Oyster Pearl white wine with mini fried oyster tacos with sriracha key lime slaw and green onion in a flour tortilla.

 As the sun dips down over the vines, Dudley’s grandson Hunter introduces me to the cute rescue dogs that patrol the vineyards and I realize I am already falling under the spell of Virginia’s oysters…

www.dogandoyster.com

The Tides Inn

Driving through the pretty countryside of the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia I have arrived at The Tides Inn. It’s a timeless Virginia resort on the Northern Neck, a peninsula edged by the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers before they join in Chesapeake Bay. The Inn has sweeping waterfront views over the Rappahannock and it’s just down the road from The Dog and Oyster Vineyard. I arrive in time to catch the afterglow of a magnificent sunset over the estuary, to be followed by a memorable al fresco dinner on the lawn-side terrace overlooking the moon’s reflections in the waters below.

The next morning I talk with the General Manager of this iconic hotel, Gordon Slatford and ask him about the history of the place. “The Ashburn Farm was an expansive, waterfront farm that had been in the Ashburn family for over 150 years before being purchased in 1946, by E.A. Stephens, a New Orleans businessman. A year later, the Tides Inn opened to the public. It soon established itself as the premier resort in the Mid-Atlantic region. After three generations of the Stephens family’s stewardship, the inn was purchased by Enchantment Group in 2001. This where the official launch of the Oyster Trail took place last year and so The Tides Inn is very involved in the trail.”

This involvement extends to the Inn’s cuisine. Gordon introduces me to his Executive Chef, TV Flynn who tells me about the fine art of Oyster Roasting.  His creation of the ‘Angry Oyster’ has become famous and people travel here just to experience this concoction of fresh Rappahannock oysters, lightly roasted and tossed in a butter-based hot sauce, laid on a bed of marinated cabbage slaw and served with traditional watermelon rind relish.

Gordon also speaks of his Virginia Oyster Academy Program. “It’s a Bay to Table experience through a morning excursion with an authentic, working Virginia waterman, lunch and a culinary demonstration by an experienced, gourmet, seafood chef. Guests learn about the native oyster's past and present challenge for survival, the delicate ecosystem and aquaculture advancements in the Bay and its surrounding tributaries. Then they discover culinary tips to enhance their oyster eating experience”.

For travellers who want some R & R after experiencing the Oyster Trail, The Tides Inn has plenty to offer. There’s golf, tennis, biking, frisbee golf, sailing, fishing, jet ski, cruising, tennis, spa, paddle boating, yoga, mixology classes – and of course there’s an Angry Oyster that’s just waiting for you here beside the Rappahannock River.

www.tidesinn.com

Barrier Island Center

As I travel this beautiful coastline there are lots of opportunities to learn about - and interact with – the local oyster culture. Along the trail there are historic sites and museums to provide interpretation. It is wonderful countryside to wander where you please and of an evening there are also many locally-owned lodgings in the Virginia Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore and Coastal Virginia regions to meet the needs of travellers. These include cozy bed & breakfasts, campsites, cabins, historic inns and boutique hotels.

The Virginia Oyster Trail mirrors the diversity of Virginia’s waterways and I want to find out about this intriguing coastline and the communities. In particular I want to find out more about the famous “Watermens Culture” of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Across the Chesapeake Bay from the river estuaries is a very different part of the Oyster Trail, a land of wild ocean surf, keen winds and the Barrier Islands. 

These are a chain of 23 uninhabited barrier islands along the seaside of Virginia's Eastern Shore as well as a swath of marshland and lagoons, which constitute one of the longest undeveloped stretches of shoreline on the East Coast of the U.S. In fact, they are a global treasure: they are the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier islands in the global temperate zone and The United Nations has designated the islands as an International Biosphere Reserve. The estuaries behind them are also a perfect environment for tasty oysters. So I am going to visit the place that brings all this to life: the Barrier Islands Center.

It’s a three hour drive from Upper Chesapeake Bay across the hugely impressive Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Here the Barrier Islands Center preserves and perpetuates the unique culture and history of Virginia’s Barrier Islands. The Center has been created within an old almshouse and Museum Director, Monika Bridgforth, graciously tours me through the Center.

It is certainly a museum and one that shelters yesterday’s culture of the islanders and watermen.  But it is also a farm that follows today’s best practices to cultivate the land, as well as a creative educator, grounding visitors in history and the arts while savouring a taste of country life. It’s also a place of stories, safeguarding the wisdom of the past for the sake of the Eastern Shore’s future.  Unlike most other museums, this is also a place to relax and smell the salt tang on the wind…

Monika tells me about the links to the oyster, from the locals gathering the food source from the lagoons behind the islands to the Center’s hosting of one of the best Oyster Roasts in Virginia. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the bounty and beauty of this region. Local oyster houses manage the roasting and steaming of oysters and clams and a silent auction showcases a broad spectrum of local talent. Next year’s date is Saturday, February 25th 2017”. Sounds like a good time to be on the Oyster Trail!

www.barrierislandscenter.org  

Chatham Vineyards

There is no doubting that oysters and wine go together particularly well – and there are certainly some first class wineries on Virginia’s Eastern Shore! Just 10 minutes down the road from The Barrier Islands Center, on the Chesapeake Bay side of the peninsula, is a fine example. Chatham Vineyards is owned and operated by the Wehner family at historic Chatham Farm which has been a working farm for four centuries. Jon Wehner is a second-generation winegrower here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and I join him beside the vines to tell me about Chatham Vineyards.

“This land at Chatham, which overlooks Church Creek off Chesapeake Bay, was patented in 1640. The Federal-period brick house, Chatham, was built in 1818 by Major Scarborough Pitts and named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and friend of the American Revolution. The historic outbuildings, barns and two century homes have recently been renovated in recent years. The winery was constructed in 2005 and we have a retail tasting room here for visitors. It all started for me when I was on the Beltway around DC in yet another endless traffic jam and I realized that there was more to life than commuting into the City each day…”

I am so pleased that Jon heard the call of his Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot! I taste them all with him and like them all. Particularly his 2015 Oak Chardonnay, barrel fermented sur lees and aged in both French and Virginia oak for nine months.  Lovely balance and a mouth full of flavour – I can’t resist buying a couple to take back for family Thanksgiving.

www.chathamvineyards.net

Virginia Beach

A hop, skip and jump southwards, an hour back across the airy Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (did you know that this is the world’s longest bridge and tunnel combination?) I have arrived in Virginia Beach, the holiday hub of Virginia’s Atlantic Coast region. I meet up with Virginia Beach tourism director, Kelli Norman.

Kelli is really ‘Living the Life’ here in Virginia Beach. “Whether you are strolling one of America’s best boardwalks in the Resort Area, catching crabs off Chesapeake Beach, or sampling the seafood cuisine in our huge range of restaurants, Virginia Beach pretty much has something for everyone”, she says. And she’s right. In less than 24 hours in Virginia Beach, I have great oyster dishes at dinner at Tautogs (www.tautogs.com), oysters for breakfast at Bay Local (www.baylocalvb.com), and a positive seafood extravaganza for lunch at Dockside Restaurant (www.docksideva.com). The latter included a basket of Blue Crab for which Kelli provided entry instructions – almost as challenging as oyster shucking!

www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com

Having consumed the harvest of the local waters, Kelli now introduces me to Captain Esa of Tula Adventures who takes us on a boat cruise of the inland waterways around Virginia Beach. Our trip takes us to Broad Bay and Lynnhaven Inlet where we see the beds of some of the very finest Virginia oysters. From wine and oysters to the brine and oysters! The scenery is a crazy mix of splendid millionaire homes and the natural wonders of First Landing State Park. Our Captain tells us tales of pirates, privateers, blockade runners, witches and ancient tribes. She even manages to find a pod of local dolphins playing a game of chase in the bay. 

www.tulasports.com 

Historic Jamestown

This is America's birthplace. Nowhere else in the country has such a small area played such a pivotal role in the course of the history of the United States. It’s called Virginia’s Historic Triangle and it’s right beside the Oyster Trail. The nation's roots were planted in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. The flames of the American Revolution were fanned at the colonial capital of Williamsburg. And America finally won its independence from Britain at Yorktown.

To begin my immersion in this rich history I travel first to where the English started in 1607, to see the first settlement of Jamestown. I am excited to be here, partly because ten years ago I interviewed the discoverer of this important site on my radio show on the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.  Dr. Bill Kelso is still here, living and working on site and he graciously guided me around this hallowed ground before we chatted in his office together with his colleague Dr. Jim Horn. As we strolled the excavations beside the James River, Bill was constantly approached for autographs and a few words from other visitors – he has achieved Rock Star status as an archaeologist!

“As early as 1837, eyewitness accounts claimed that the fort built in 1607 by Captain John Smith and the first English settlers was submerged in the James River. Erosion on the western shore was so bad that a concrete seawall was built in 1900, and that fed the “lost fort” story,” Jim related.

Dr. William Kelso visited Jamestown in 1963 while a graduate student at the College of William and Mary in nearby Williamsburg. He heard about the lost fort and the 20 acres of the island eroded by the river current. But he was skeptical. He had a theory that the standing 17th-century brick church tower was built near the centre of the original fort.. He began excavations in 1994, at a place between the church tower and the James River. Within three archaeological seasons, the Jamestown Rediscovery team had uncovered enough evidence to prove the remains of James Fort existed on dry land near the church tower. Now a dozen staff members excavate, interpret, preserve, conserve, and research the site's findings. The team has mapped thousands of archaeological features such as post holes, ditches, wells, foundations, graves, and pits. More than 2 million unearthed artifacts require the curation and conservation environment provided by the state-of-the-art, on-site Rediscovery Research Center.

Bill describes some of the magic of the place for modern visitors: “You may witness the moment of discovery as an archaeologist pulls from the ground an artifact that has not been seen in 400 years. You can stand on the very spot where Pocahontas once stood. There’s even a direct connection to the Oyster Trail here, as it was the availability of oysters as a local food source that in part enabled most of the pioneers to survive the starvation times.”

So: this is the first place in which the colonists managed to survive. For my last attraction on the Trail, I am headed to Colonial Williamsburg, where that first seed grew and flourished.

www.historicjamestowne.org

Colonial Williamsburg

Just 20 minutes up the road, I have arrived at Colonial Williamsburg for another, all-enveloping historical experience. And I do mean experience! Because Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum where you become a citizen of the Revolutionary City, engage with the local community and experience firsthand the daily struggles of wartime. So it’s only fitting that I should be sitting with Character Actor Dan Moore in what appears to be a distant century…

My conversation with Dan takes place in an impressive paneled room. I ask Dan where and when I am. “You are in the Governor’s Palace in 18th century Williamsburg, capital of Colonial Virginia. It is the eve of the Revolution and you can participate in both historical events and in the daily lives of the inhabitants of Williamsburg. Outside these walls as we speak, a rabble of locals is gathering to demand the return of gunpowder that the Earl of Dunmore, the last Royal Governor of Virginia, has secreted away in the harbour” Dan invites me to experience this alternate world.

And so I do. I meet the townspeople, tradespeople, shopkeepers, political figures, women, and the enslaved who call Williamsburg home—and learn of their hopes, struggles, and fears in these uncertain times. I drink in Chowning’s Tavern. I learn how to make barrels at the Coopers and furniture at the Cabinetmaker. I tour the Governor’s Palace and hear the stories of the last Governor’s fight and flight. In the evening I follow torch bearers through the dark streets to the tune of a fife and drum. I sleep in Williamsburg Lodge on site and wake to the misty lanes and alleyways. It’s a heady historical brew and a fitting grand finale to my journey along Virginia’s Oyster Trail.

www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

Planning Your Trip on the Oyster Trail

I am reluctant to quit Virginia’s Oyster Trail, but all good things have to come to an end. To plan your own trip here, start with the state tourism website at www.virginia.org  and in particular, www.virginia.org/Oysters .

I flew down to Virginia on one of Porter’s convenient daily flights from Toronto to Washington Dulles airport. Porter offers up to five daily flights from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Washington (Dulles) during the high season. Connections are available from Montreal and Ottawa.  I enjoyed their ‘flying refined’ experience, which includes leather seats, complimentary wine and beer, and access to their very civilized airport lounge. I can see why they’ve been voted the Best Regional Airline in North America. To book, check out www.flyporter.com 

Also consider timing your visit to coincide with one of the local festivals held along the trail. Oysters are so celebrated in this part of Virginia that there are several festivals centred on oysters specifically.

Each October the northern end of Virginia’s Eastern Shore celebrates the saltiest of oysters at the Chincoteague Oyster Festival. Oysters and seafood abound as do family games, live entertainment and small town charm.

Each November, the lovely town of Urbanna, found on the Rappahannock River, throws the country’s largest and longest-running oyster festival called the Urbanna Oyster Festival. The town’s streets are filled with oyster booths, seafood dishes, music and crafts. The festival highlight is the oyster shucking contest which draws spectators from around the world.

There are also many pages of planning information on the www.ChrisRobinsonTravelShow.com website. 

Let me leave you with this evocative quote from Ernest Hemingway: “As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”

Accommodations
 

I would recommend the accommodations I experienced on this trip:

The Tides Inn

480 King Carter Drive, Irvington, VA 22480  T: 804-438-4451

www.tidesinn.com
 

Hope and Glory Inn

65 Tavern Rd, Irvington, VA 22480  T: 804-438-6053

www.hopeandglory.com
 

Ocean Beach Club

3401 Atlantic Ave. Virginia Beach, VA 23451  T: (757) 213-0601

www.vacationrentalsvabeach.com

Williamsburg Lodge

310 South England Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185  T: (757) 220-7976

www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/stay/williamsburg-lodge

Thanks

The Virginians we met along the way on this trip were wonderfully warm and hospitable. Thanks to my knowledgeable interviewees for the Travel Show: Ryan and Travis Croxton – Owners of the Rappahannock Oyster Company; Deborah Pratt – Oyster Shucking Champion; Dudley Patterson – Owner of the Dog and Oyster Vineyard; Chef Bryan Byrd – Byrd’s Seafood Company; Gordon Slatford – General Manager, The Tides Inn; TV Flynn – Chef at The Tides Inn; Monika Bridgforth - Museum Director, Barrier Island Center; Jon Wehner – Owner, Chatham Vineyards; Kelli Norman – Director of Tourism, Virginia Beach CVB; Captain Esa – Tula Adventures, Virginia Beach; Dr Bill Kelso and Dr Jim Horn – Historic Jamestown; Dan Moore – Costumed Interpreter and Site Supervisor of the Governor’s Palace, Colonial Williamsburg; Christi Braginton – International Media Relations Manager, Virginia Tourism Corporation.

And special thanks to Christi Braginton and Sana Keller who made my journey possible.

Copyright ©2016 Chris Robinson