Sitting in the lobby of the Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant sharing a glass of wine with my new friends, I am not just charmed by Onancock, a small town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I am also snagged, hooked, netted like a fish into a happy school of others in this authentic harbor town. Like so many visitors before me, I think Onancock could be home.
Start with the hotel/restaurant: just eight guest rooms of understated elegance accented in custom detail by owners Gary Cochran and Charlotte Heath, who is also an artist. The restaurant is simple but sophisticated and showcases local food like freshly caught monkfish and oysters from nearby Paramour Island. When Heath and Cochran moved here from Pittsburgh in 2003, they created a buzz at the Corner Bakery—the 50-year-old home of the sweet potato biscuit—where the “born heres,” vernacular for locals, took bets on how long the “come heres” would last. Cochran knew they’d made it when the locals began giving out directions using the hotel as a landmark.
Outside the Charlotte is a cluster of galleries, restaurants and shops, a playhouse, a movie theater and the House of Deals, a hardware store with everything from tiki torches to rain gear to canning jars, plus, depending on the season, oysters and fresh produce. Several picturesque bed-and-breakfasts are within walking distance of this tiny commercial district, and neighborhoods of neatly kept Victorians spread out toward the three-branched Onancock Creek. The clang of rigging against masts marks the Wharf, where the old Hopkins Brothers general store once greeted schooners and steamships on their way to and from Baltimore, Yorktown and other Eastern ports. Now the location is home to Mallards on The Wharf restaurant, where owner “Johnny Mo” Morrison divides his time between turning out crab cakes in the kitchen and strumming his guitar.
A walking tour reveals a large historic district, with no fewer than seven historic churches and a town square that dates to 1681. Captain John Smith sailed by just after naming Jamestown in 1608; long before that, the Algonquians named Onancock, which means “foggy place,” for its signature misty mornings.
What makes this place different from other quaint water towns is a cosmopolitan twist that both honors its historical integrity and keeps it fresh but without a hint of pretense. Many of Onancock’s big-city transplants have embraced small town life but tailored it to include good art, foreign films, poetry readings and the occasional local winery tour. Locals have happily joined in.
“I think one of the big attractions is the people,” says Lisa La Montagne, who moved here four years ago to open an upscale B&B, The Inn at Onancock. La Montagne counts herself among those who have reinvented themselves in Onancock. Before that, she worked at a nonprofit near her former home in Herndon, Va.; her husband, Kris, was with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Now Kris serves on the town council, Lisa sits on the tourism commission, and they both welcome visitors to their five luxurious guest rooms.
Fellow B&B owners Thom and Linda Nolan of The Spinning Wheel got off the corporate treadmill in Los Angeles, where he was in aerospace and she was a commercial real estate banker. They run a homey, family-style inn with their two teenagers, Katie and Chris, and a three-legged lab named Chudleigh. In addition to the hoteliers, there’s Chris Porco, the first female bond trader in her Wall Street firm, who moved to Onancock more than 20 years ago. She sells organic and natural foods at her shop, Herbal Instincts. Phyllis Ward, an award-winning documentary producer from Washington, D.C., is a co-owner of Gallery Onancock. Olga and Ales Gregor of Flamenco’s European Restaurant are Czech Republic transplants; and Miquel Bizzotto is an Italian-by-way of-Argentina restaurateur who also makes and sells art-quality leather bags that have been featured in Smithsonian craft shows.
Joani Donohoe, who grew up in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, purchased the town’s abandoned power plant in 2004, cleared away decades of vines and debris and opened her shop, garden ART on King Street. This creatively rustic enterprise sells seasonal plants and garden supplies, plus decor like tableware and vases alongside local art. Some customers visiting from the Bethesda area may recognize Donohoe from her 18 years at American Plant Food in Bethesda, but don’t expect her to move back to the city.
Onancock might not have urban art and culture, but the town does boast seven galleries and regular visits from ballet companies and symphony orchestras. “This is the most cosmopolitan town on the shore,” Donohoe says. Besides, she adds, “I have true friendships here. I really have made a home.”
“I’ve never encountered such a sense of community,” says La Montagne.
The morning after what felt like an intimate party at the Charlotte, I stroll down to the waterfront before breakfast. On the streets leading up to the water, as residents greet me warmly, I consider the couple of houses with “for sale” signs in the yard. Because of the number of creeks, there’s plenty of waterfront here, and prices are still low by Bethesda standards, with listings from the $100,000s. Few homes on the market are priced above $400,000.
Johnny Morrison—aka Johnny Mo, 33—says he never would have been able to afford his own restaurant back home. Seven years ago, the Rockville native bought three acres and a turnkey restaurant “for less than I would have paid for a town house in Gaithersburg” and shortly thereafter ran three restaurants in the area. He eventually closed the first restaurant, but he and his family maintain a café in nearby Accomac, as well as the thriving Mallards on the Wharf.
Morrison can’t say enough about Onancock. “Everybody knows your name,” he says. “If you put Cheers and Little House on the Prairie together, it’s just that perfect little thing happening that’s so inviting and welcoming.”
With all these “come heres” singing Onancock’s praises, you might wonder how the “born heres” feel. Over drinks at Flamenco’s, two locals say this when asked what they’d tell outsiders about the town: “Tell them we’re full,” and, conversely, “The more the merrier.” Willie Crockett, a 70-year-old artist from nearby Tangier Island, likes to say, “There are ‘come heres’ and ‘sent heres,’ ” but mostly, he says, “We’ve lucked out with the people we get.”
Andrea Mason, who runs Walter and Walton’s Emporium on Market Street, an antique/art shop, grew up on the Eastern Shore and gives credit to some of the newcomers for the town’s renaissance. “Some of my best friends are ‘come heres,’” she says.
Stay (and Dine)
The Spinning Wheel Bed & Breakfast
Homey and family-oriented, modest-sized accommodations in a home a short walk from restaurants and shops. Hearty breakfast, antique furnishings and, yes, a spinning wheel.
31 North St.
757-787-7311/Toll free 888-787-0337
www.1890spinningwheel.com
$80-$120
Children over 8.
One pet-friendly room.
Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant
A gathering place for locals in the heart of the commercial area. Built in 1907, renovations include elegant custom flourishes built by owner Gary Cochran and embellished by his wife and co-owner Charlotte Heath, who has an art gallery next door.
7 North St.
757-787-7400
www.thecharlottehotel.com
$110-$180
Children over 10.
No pets.
The Inn at Onancock
Luxurious: high ceilings, tasteful antiques, feather-topped beds, spa-style baths and gas fireplaces in two of the guest rooms. Hostess Lisa La Montagne is a member of the tourism commission as well as a professionally trained chef.
30 North St.
866-792-7466
www.innatonancock.com
$185-$205
Children over 10.
No pets.
Colonial Manor Inn
Built in 1882, a continuously operating inn since the 1930s. Stories behind every knickknack from well-traveled mother-daughter owners. Chickens in the yard provide eggs for breakfast. Six rooms.
84 Market St.
757-787-3521
www.colonialmanorinn.com
$99-129
Children of all ages.
Pets allowed in some rooms.
The Inn & Garden Cafe
A popular spot for weddings and special occasions, built around 1880 and renovated in 2004. Fifty seat restaurant with modern American menu based on local ingredients. Hosts Paul and Sandra Fox pride themselves on their southern hospitality. Four guest suites.
145 Market St.
757-787-8850
www.theinnandgardencafe.com
$95-$130
Children of all ages.
No pets.
Eat
Bizzotto’s Gallery-Caffe
Bright, open, with an inviting bar and a small gallery of fine leatherwork by chef/owner Miquel Bizzotto, one of the first artists to settle in town. Finely prepared lunch and dinner, from veal picatta finished with white wine and capers, to crab cakes with roasted sweet potatoes and chipotle aioli.
41 Market St.
757-787-3103
www.bizzottosgallerycaffe.com
Mallards on the Wharf
Big on seafood like sushi-grade tuna, crab-stuffed grouper and sea scallops, Mallards also has chicken, beef and lamb, salads and sandwiches at lunch. Eat outdoors in summer; live music Fridays often include owner Johnny Mo.
2 Market St.
757-787-8558
www.mallardsllc.com
Flamenco European Restaurant
Pages-long menu featuring lots of rich, creamy sauces and a goulash that’s a favorite among regulars. A small nightclub attached to the restaurant hosts live music or a free jukebox and stays open late for locals who make it the last stop on the way home.
4 North St.
757-787-7780
www.Flamencorestaurant.com
The Wine Bar Behind the Racks
Hidden at the back of the North Street Market, a gourmet shop well worth a visit itself, is a diminutive restaurant set around a bar of distressed copper. Open Fridays and Saturdays with just 22 seats; reservations recommended. Menu recently included panko crusted sea scallops, and osso buco with pasta and broccoli. Proprietor is Steve Lotharius, former vice president of McCormick & Company—another person who has reinvented himself in Onancock.
5 North St.
757-787-8805
The Blarney Stone Pub
All things Irish, including local and imported musicians and dancers. Twelve beers on tap, with a menu that includes Irish specialties like bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie along with salads, sandwiches and bar food.
10 North St.
757-302-0300
www.blarneystonepubonancock.com
What to Do on the Water
Kayaking
Tours of Onancock Creek with residents Bill and Mary Burnham of South East Expeditions feature sea captains’ homes and marshes teeming with birds. Have a picnic complete with wine or a day on one of the barrier islands. Rentals through South East Expeditions, based in nearby Cape Charles. For tours, Bill and Mary Burnham, 757-787-2933 www.sekayak.com.
Biking
The flat terrain around Onancock is popular with serious cyclists and weekend pedalers alike. Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore organizes the Between the Waters Bike Tour ride annually, www.cbes.org. For more local jaunts, rent town bikes at garden ART, 44 King St.
Boating
Bring your own boat and launch from the town ramp to explore barrier islands scattered beyond the creeks in the Bay. Beach: The closest ocean beach is Assateague. Bay beaches at Kiptopeke State Park and Cape Charles.
History
Ker Place
Dating back to 1800, this formal Federal-style brick mansion features historically furnished rooms, costumes, portraits and other museum exhibits.
Open March- December, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
69 Market St.
757-787-8012
www.kerplace.org
Gallery Hopping
Gallery Onancock, owned by three local women and specializing in the work of local artists (8 North St., www.galleryonancock.com); Willie Crockett’s for evocative landscapes of the shore (39 Market St., www.williecrockett.com); Jack Richardson landscapes and still lifes, changing guest artists (24 King St.); Charlotte Heath’s botanicals at the Next Door Gallery (9 North St.) Others include Bizzotto’s (41 Market St.); Dragonfly Gallery (in the Onancock School building on College Avenue); Tom Thumb Workshops (59 Market St.); and the Red Queen Gallery (6 Crockett Ave., www.redqueengallery.com). Don’t forget garden ART, where Joani Donohoe carries her favorite artists along with garden supplies and homewares (44 King St., www.gardenartonking.com). www.onancock.org/galleries.html
Walking Tour
Town map with descriptions of 34 historic buildings available at Ker Place, 69 Market St., 757- 787-8012.
Getting There
About a 3-1/2 hour drive. Across Route 50, then south on Route 13, across the Maryland/Virginia state border, then right on Route 179. For general information, www.onancock.org or www.esva.com/onancock.htm.
Virginia Dodd Myers lives in Takoma Park.
