Meeting the Tangiermen

This past weekend the roomies (my parents) and I took a trip to Tangier Island, upon the suggestion of my mother (quite frankly when she asked I had no idea where it was or that it existed... so of course I agreed right away)

It was a 2 hour from from the house to Buzzard's Point Marina in Northern Neck where we caught the trusty ferry for a 1hour 40 minute "cruise" to the island. I guess now I can no longer say I have yet to go on a cruise... We caught a bit of rain on the journey and a bit of lightning and thunder in the distance but made it safely to the island.

When we arrived at the island, I found out that people live on this island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay... a whopping 500 people call tiny Tangier their home. That's right, somehow people found a way to make this fishy smelling marshland their home, not my cup of tea but to each their own! We even got to interact with some of the locals as they jam packed themselves onto the ferry to return to the mainland from Tangier's homecoming weekend (an annual event where residents who have moved off the island return to visit family and friends- an estimated 160 returned for the weekend this year)

We took a guided tour via golf cart of the entire island- that took 15 minutes. We then sat down to crabcakes and other seafood delicacies at the Fisherman's Corner for lunch, stopped in at the Tangier Island Museum, walked around a bit more, and headed back to the mainland.

Some fun facts I learned: their were 70 students total on the island last year, 2 or 3 graduates (who are all off to college this year!), crabbing is their main economic activity, the island is shrinking due to erosion and rising sea levels, everyone rides a golf cart on the island and parks their car on the Maryland side of the mainland, and so much more! Book your cruise today :) http://www.tangiercruise.com/BuzzardPoint/