September Rivah Visitor's Guide - The Rappahannock Record

y Tom Chillemi
Gloucester Point is one of those places
most people go through on their way
to somewhere else. However, there are
plenty of reasons to pull off Route 17 and
make Gloucester Point a destination.
For centuries this narrow piece of
land in the York River has been a crossing
point. Just 15 miles as the crow flies
from Jamestown, the Gloucester Point
area was visited by Captain John Smith,
not as an explorer, but as a prisoner of
Chief Powhatan. The meeting took place
upriver where legend has it that Pocahontas
saved Capt. Smith from execution.
Gloucester Point is across the river
from Yorktown, where the British surrendered
to end the American Revolutionary
War.
Located on the north side of Route 17
is Tyndall’s Point Park, the site of a fort as
early as 1661. It was used for battle works
in the Revolutionary War.
The first shots of the Civil War fired
in Virginia occurred at Gloucester Point
on May 5, 1861. The Second Company
of the Richmond Howitzers exchanged
cannon fire with the USS Yankee and
chased off the Union ship.
To get to Tyndall’s Point Park from
southbound Route 17: turn right at the
last stoplight before the Coleman Bridge
on Lafayette Heights Road. Turn left on
River View Street. Turn left onto Vernon
Street. The park will be on your right.
Hit the beach
There’s more than history at Gloucester
Point Beach Park, there’s a long sandy
beach, two boat launching ramps, and a
fishing pier where no saltwater fishing
license is required.
The park has a large, shady and grassy
area with picnic tables and a shelter. The
swimming area and sandy beach are
perfect for sunbathing, wading, building
sand castles, swimming and beach fun.
The handicapped accessible beach
house, which is open seasonally on weekends
through Labor Day, has a concession
stand, restrooms and outdoor showers.
A picnic shelter can be rented for half
and full days. Reservations are required.
Call 804-693-2355.
Several picnic areas with charcoal
grills are located throughout the park.
There is no fee to use these sites, which
are available on a first come-first served
basis.
There is ample parking, even for boat
trailers.
Science
Visitors can walk up the hill to the Vir-
Gloucester Point Beach Park is just off Route 17 at the Coleman Bridge.
ginia Institute of Marine Science
(VIMS). The VIMS visitors’
center is open weekdays
from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. for self-guided
tours of displays,
including a small
Don’t Miss...
aquarium with
local fish and a
gift shop.
During the
summer, publicguided
tours are
held on Fridays
from 10:30 a.m. to
noon. There also are
monthly “After Hours” lectures
and “Discovery Labs” at VIMS.
The annual Marine Science Day is held
in May, and returning next year is the
new Science Under Sail partnership with
Yorktown Sailing Charters and their 105-
foot schooner “Alliance.”
Learn more at www.vims.edu/public.
The bridge
The beach is next to the Coleman
Bridge. Built in 1952, it is the longest
double swing span bridge in America
■ Virginia Institute of
Marine Science (VIMS).
■ Tyndall’s Point Park
(450-foot-wide navigable span) and
second longest in the world.
In 1995, the bridge was
dismantled and widened
to four lanes in
just nine days.
If you’re at
Gloucester Point
Beach Park at the
right time, you
may see the bridge
open to give oceangoing
military ships
access to the Yorktown
Naval Weapons Station,
just upriver. (Bridge openings
are broadcast on WXGM
99.1 FM.)
Back on Route 17 there are plenty of
places to eat.
One out-of-the-way place is Tony and
Melina’s Pizzeria, whose authentic Italian
dishes include more than pizza.
Boaters can dock at the River’s Inn and
Crab Deck at Gloucester Yacht Haven on
Sarah’s Creek.
So, if you’re coming or going to the
Rivah, take a break at Gloucester Point.
Find some solitude in historic Tyndall’s Point Park at Gloucester Point.
See Rivah Counties information beginning on page 57.
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