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Gloucester Courthouse on the village green (above) dates to 1766 and is one of a number of 18th-century buildings that remain
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ALITTLE GEM of a getaway day trip from home--that's what I found last weekend in Gloucester. At almost an even 100 miles each way, the drive to Gloucester from Fredericksburg may seem a bit far for one day, in which case I'd suggest making it an overnighter at one of the county's bed-and-breakfasts.
Actually, the drive down rural, four-lane U.S. 17 is easy. A friend and I left home at 8 a.m. and were back 12 hours later, including a relaxed dinner there.
Relaxed is what this outing was all about: a few hours at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Gloucester Point, a stop at the melancholy ruins of one of Colonial Virginia's handsomest estates, and several hours exploring the exquisitely preserved historic village of Gloucester itself.
I'll skip VIMS for now since it's to be the subject of a column of its own soon. Suffice to say this major educational and research facility on the York River is alone worth the drive down if you're interested in this kind of thing, and there is a visitors center.
Colonial Virginia and the fledgling United States had their beginnings in this region, close to the better-known Colonial Williamsburg and the Yorktown battlefield. But Gloucester, easily bypassed on the road to those other historic hot spots, is more than worth a trip for itself.
The heart of historic Gloucester today is its picturesque Courthouse Circle, a miniature, walled campus of mostly original brick structures that formed the core of the county in the mid-18th century.
A good starting point might be the county history museum, just outside the Circle on Main Street and itself a historic structure of note. It was originally built in 1766 (some sources say 1770) as a tavern and inn on what was once the main route from Williamsburg to Alexandria. If the museum is closed, as it was when we stopped there, you can still pick up brochures to guide your visit.
When we had finished exploring historic Gloucester, I thought it might be fun to wander some of the residential side streets, a habit of mine when visiting unfamiliar towns. It was time well spent, as folks here have an obvious pride in their homes as well as their community. (One very attractive bungalow, a warmly welcoming place with large screened porches, was for sale, asking price $170,000).
There are any number of 18th-century buildings in Gloucester County, which was chartered in 1651 and originally included what is now Mathews County to the north. Situated between the York River and the Mobjack and Chesapeake bays, Gloucester, with more than 100 miles of shoreline and at least a dozen boat-launch sites, affords many means for access to Virginia's waters. In fact, I'd like very much to get back down there soon with a couple of sea kayaks on my car. There must be countless waterways to explore in this bayside county.
I must mention one more historic structure in the county, a place I did not see but very much wish I had. It is known as Ware Church, located about two miles east of the town of Gloucester on State Route 14. Although it is often described as a simple design, it must be one of the earliest extant houses of worship on the East Coast, with construction begun in 1690.
Gloucester is known to many for its annual Daffodil Festival, held the first Saturday in April. Indeed, if you find daffodils irresistible and just can't stay away from vast throngs of visitors (and traffic), that's probably the best time to go. I stumbled into the festival quite by accident last year--which is why I came back to visit in August!
No visit to the county would be complete without a visit to the ruins of Rosewell, an 18th-century grand estate on the banks of the York River. Built by Mann Page and his sons from 1725 through about 1741, it epitomized the grand Colonial plantation house. As these things often go, however, the estate fell into disrepair in the mid-19th century and burned in 1916. The Rosewell Foundation has arrested the continued decline of what remains and has a new visitors center nearby providing valuable background prior to a visit.
One odd footnote to my visit to the ruins, however: On the day of my visit the humidity, pegged at 100 percent, brought out hordes of mosquitoes. So take bug spray along with that camera and wide-angle lens.
After so much peeking and poking around Gloucester, we began seeking opportunities for appetite fulfillment late in the afternoon. There were plenty of places to choose from, ranging from the usual chain dining spots to several pricier places. We wanted seafood on the less expensive side. We passed up two places, one at Gloucester, the other at Gloucester Point, where the food is said to be outstanding but the prices definitely not cheap. Instead, we opted for Cheryl's Shack and Raw Bar on Main Street: fun, affordable, the waitress was a hoot, the oysters good and the crème brûlee to die for.
For more information on Gloucester, town and county, call 866/VISITUS or go to the Web site at visitgloucesterva.info.
Take my experiences merely as a starting point in discovering this varied Virginia county. Build your own adventure!
PAUL SULLIVAN, a former reporter with The Free Lance-Star, is a freelance writer living in Spotsylvania County. Contact him by mail at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va., 22401; by fax at 373-8455; or by e-mail to PBSullivan2@cs.com.
