- [Narrator] Supported by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission.

Make memories to last a lifetime on Virginia's natural coast.

Learn more at visitesva.com.

You'll love our nature and Virginia is for Shore lovers.

- [Narrator] Support comes from Blue Heron Realty, offering prime waterfront homes and building lots in Cape Charles, in Virginia's beautiful Eastern shore.

Visit us online at BlueHeronVA.com, to get our new catalog so you can start making your coastal dream come true.

- [Narrator] Virginia is the nation's third largest seafood producer and the largest on American's Atlantic coast.

Watermen in the state work hard to provide you with the freshest and most delicious products Virginia waters have to offer.

Visit VirginiaSeafood.org to learn more about delicious Virginia seafood.

- [Narrator] The Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William&Mary, providing science that impacts the Chesapeake Bay and the world.

Dedicated to sustaining and restoring our waters, marine life and coastal communities.

More at vims.edu.

(upbeat music) - Hey everybody, I'm Dave Parker with Virginia Found.

Virginia's Eastern Shore consists of just two counties, but it's 70 miles from one end to the other.

Since it's hard to cover all the restaurants and activities of 70 miles in one weekend, this is our second trip to the Eastern Shore.

Today we are heading to the Northern section, specifically up around Chincoteague and Onancock.

We'll show you up close, the herding of wild ponies.

We'll also look at an oyster and clam laboratory and if you're heading to the Shore, it's always great to be able to get out on the water.

Of course we'll eat some great seafood, always one of my favorites.

Then, we'll take you to one of the most unique places in America, Tangier Island.

Our home base for most of this weekend, will be around Chincoteague.

It's about three hours from DC, two hours from Hampton Roads, while NASA has a facility nearby in Wallops Island.

And there's plenty of restaurants, family activities and wildlife.

Chincoteague is code word for, ponies.

Oh yeah, it is all about the ponies here.

From memorials to passed ponies, to slogans, to crowds.

Ponies are the poster child for this part of the Eastern Shore.

For more than 90 years, the Saltwater Cowboys comprised mostly of Chincoteague's Volunteer Fire Department.

Although others travel hundreds of miles to help out, have herded the ponies out of the salt water marshes.

Then, on the last Wednesday, before the last Thursday of every July, the ponies swim across Assateague Channel to nearby Chincoteague Island, for the pony parade and full auction.

It's a really big deal, like 50000 people, kind of a big deal.

I found myself on Assateague Island on a Saturday morning in July, four days before that big swim.

This is when the Saltwater Cowboys herd the ponies into pens prior to the swim.

It was a morning that could only be described as a character builder, where the mosquitoes were as plentiful as the heat.

I can't even begin to describe how hot it is.

It's like Africa hot out here.

And we have no idea how much longer it's gonna be before the Saltwater Cowboys show up with the ponies.

Really need to hurry up.

It's important to not understate how excited some people are about the ponies.

They plan their vacations around this.

In the group I was with, there were pony tattoos and endless conversations about certain ponies.

- So let's say you're looking at, I don't know, let's just do Riptide and so you click.

- While there were signs that the ponies had been close at some point, it seemed like time stood still in the summer morning swelter before, the magic happened, (acoustic music) - [Dave] The heat, the bugs, it was totally worth it.

Pro tip, get some bug spray, ankle height shoes, some type of lightweight, breathable clothing, a decent camera and go see the ponies for yourself.

Other people's pictures just don't do them justice.

(accoustic music) (upbeat music) As the most populated city on Virginia's Eastern Shore, you'll find more lodging choices in Chincoteague than anywhere else on the Shore.

Hotels, bed and breakfast, vacation rental homes, campgrounds and more options at the online marketplaces, are all available.

But keep in mind, the pony swim weekend books months in advance.

- [Male] Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Hey.

- Well, if you can't cool your outsides, you can try to cool your insides.

And I found the perfect place, Island Creamery in Chincoteague, is routinely voted one of the top 10 ice cream shops in the whole country.

That makes two such places on the Eastern Shore, if you saw our trip to Cape Charles.

It was just decadent.

I'm gonna be honest, I'd much rather be eating this and talking about it inside because it's nice and cool in there but it's packed.

And sometimes this is kind of weird around a lot of people but this is one scoop.

I can't imagine what two scoops is, that'd be like a pint of ice cream.

I got peach, look at that right there.

That is a big chunk of peach right there.

And on a hot day, you know that's gonna be good.

- No, our hatchery is shut down.

We're done spawning for the year.

And what we have going on now is just remnants.

- And now for something completely different.

My small obsession with fresh oysters and clams, took me to Tom's Cove Aqua Farm in Chincoteague.

- [Tom] These are the big ones.

- [Dave] An Aqua farm is where baby oysters and clams are raised to a certain size in a nursery, then placed in pens and open water until they get to another certain size and then sold.

When I say baby oysters and clams, I mean this, little bivalve specs.

This is the laboratory for owner, Tommy Clark.

It's where he looks at algae samples, test water, make sure the baby oysters and clams are swimming in the right kind of water.

And looks at cool stuff under a microscope.

- So Tom's been doing this for almost 20 years now, right?

- Right, I started around 1998 and each year it just seems to be a little bit different.

There's nothing consistent about the hatchery business.

It could be the temperature.

It could be the amount of rain we received.

It could be a tropical storm.

It could be many variables.

- [Dave] Outside is where you begin to see what things look like when you one day get to eat them.

Is there an ideal age for an adult clam?

- When you can sell it.

(Dave laughs) - Usually it's about two years old.

- [Dave] And what do these clams look like after two years?

(water splashes) - So there, we have market size clams.

- [Dave] What can be a slow, variable process outside of the hatchery, is a fast, methodical machine inside.

In the water, one morning in Chincoteague and in New York City the next.

Some of the world's best oysters and clams are found right here, in this part of Virginia.

- [Tom] You just saw them this morning.

- [Dave] That's right.

Now, wouldn't it be a shame to be around all these clams and oysters and not eat some, well that was Tommy's thinking too, which is why he also owns Don's Seafood Restaurant in Chincoteague.

That means customers get to eat the fruits of the sea that were picked just a few miles away.

I was excited to be one of those customers.

When you see someone tapping clams together, it's to make sure they're good.

Solid means good, hollow, bad.

Tommy was kind enough to serve up the triple of clams, baked with roasted butter and asiago cheese.

If you wannna try this at home, Tommy bakes them for eight minutes at 350 to 400 degrees.

He also offered a plate of steamed clams.

Just steam them till they open.

And what ended up being my favorite, raw clams on the half shell, on a cooling bed of ice, a little cocktail sauce, a little lemon, a lot of goodness.

Oh, that is great.

- That can be your part and I'll take this one, this can be mine, I do a quality control.

it's very important.

(Dave laughs) Part of the restaurant business.

- Right.

Always good to sample the merchandise, right.

- Yes it is.

Man you can taste that salt from this side of the Eastern Shore, which I like.

- Kinda reminds you, just taken a fresh ocean dip.

- That's exactly right.

It is hard to beat a, just a fresh, raw clam or oyster and I know that the oysters get so much of the attention but I tell you man, this is really delicious.

- Clams deserve their due also.

- I'm giving them their due right now.

(Tom laughs) - It's not just clams and oysters that bring seafood fans to the Eastern Shore.

- [Male] That's the best one you got yet.

- [Child] He's not going to escape.

- That's a number two Jimmy there.

Yeah, that's Jimmy, he got Jimmy now.

- [Dave] I was invited to a family crab picking, near Onancock, which is just south of Chincoteague.

This was traditional crabbing with chicken legs and wings tied to a string, slowly pulled up and.

- [Male] Missed him again.

- [Dave] Slowly pulled up and.

Slowly pulled up and, gotcha.

- We have periwinkle.

- [Female] Great job.

- [Dave] Seeing the smiles of the kids, being outdoors, catching their own food, just having a great time, reminded me of my own childhood.

And what a lot of kids unfortunately never get exposed to.

Of course, after you catch the crabs, you have to clean them.

- [Male] When we got a little bit of rusty belly, means they're full of meat.

- Speaking of rusty, it had been a while since I had done this.

But this was the final product.

You're talking about some good eating.

It's from Pittsburgh, to something the opposite of Pittsburgh.

Here with Jim, he's moved here with his wife.

Now, your wife is from this area, right?

- From Onancock, Virginia, yeah.

- And now the two of you are moving back to the Eastern Shore.

- Back to the Eastern Shore, yeah.

We lived in California the last five years.

- Right.

- And we've been away from the East Coast for almost 20 years.

And we decided to move across country from California back here, to this small town.

- Right.

- Probably about an even smaller town than here, about 500 people.

And it's just amazing.

We feel like it's as good as it gets.

- And you've got two kids.

That was the part I was gonna ask you about.

- Yeah, yeah, two small kids, seven and six.

And we feel like it's a great place to raise the kids, on the water, the wildlife.

You know, we moved from Sacramento, which is a 100 miles an hour, to here, about five miles an hour.

It's been great so far.

- And I've never seen anybody in Pittsburgh catch crabs with chicken necks and then eat them that night.

- No, no, never, that doesn't happen there, you might catch some carp.

(both laugh) - [Narrator] You can't have seafood on the Eastern Shore without boats.

Since boats are a key part of life on the Shore, I decided to take a sunset sail with Onancock Sailing Adventures.

What you'll get on a lot of these types of tours or adventures, is not just a scenic experience but a little history thrown in as well.

- Onancock, Virginia was established in 1680.

The population is about 1375 people, give or take what day it is.

- [Dave] If what you're looking for is the chance to unwind like the ropes on a sail, to feel the breeze, smell the salt and maybe, just for a few hours, get an idea of what it might be like to live here, this is the outing for you.

(upbeat music) Fortunately, Captain Tom's boat, The Gratitude, docks right next to this place, Mallard's restaurant in Onancock.

It had been several hours since that crab picking, so this was perfect timing.

On the table this evening, I've found an appetizer of a chicken liver pâté, served with crostini's.

A couple of sweet potato biscuits with pulled pork, Sriracha on top, barbecue sauce on the bottom and finally, okay, so Johnny Mo, the chef here, he says this is what a lot of people come here for, the crab cake.

Very little filler, crab is harvested locally.

Because it has very little filler, they said it's held together with love and kind of a neat twist, they actually serve this with a little wasabi sauce.

I gotta tell you, I've had crab cake sandwiches with of course, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, never with wasabi.

That is a really neat punch to that flavor.

That's good.

Really good.

By the way, some of the folks in the restaurant were just as excited about living in Onancock, as I was about dinner.

- This is one of the nicest towns in Virginia, Onancock Virginia.

- [Interviewer] Why?

- Because of low taxes, beautiful homes, instant bank mortgages, you name it, this is the place to live.

- I like to take a little downtime and hang out in the office, whatever time it is.

And play a little bit here.

- [Dave] The owner and head chef at Mallard's, is Johnny Mo.

- I mentioned in there, I'd had a crab cake before, lots of crab cakes before, with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce, never had one with wasabi.

Where did you come up with that idea?

- Yeah, well, you know, the whole Asian fusion kind of thing.

- Yeah.

- Has been popular for a while a nd we just decided to put that little bit of spice in with the crab cake 'cause Old Bay tastes like Old Bay and tartar hits like tartar but.

- Right.

- We like to be, you know, what everyone's familiar with but then jump outside that box, just a little bit.

- Gotcha.

I haven't yet mentioned where I'm staying this weekend.

It's in the small community of Bloxom, which is about 20 miles south of Chincoteague.

There wasn't another house within about a half a mile of where I was.

But not having anyone around, gives you a view like this.

There were far more people at breakfast.

It was recommended by a few folks that I stop by Janet's General Store & Cafe, in Onancock.

Outside of Janet's it says, breakfast, lunch and wi-fi.

In this part of Virginia, wi-fi is as important as anything else.

Come on.

Inside you'll find country style decor and a relaxed atmosphere that immediately puts you at home.

And it's always a nice touch when the owner makes a point to visit with the customers.

If you're an omelet type of person, the Greek omelet was awesome.

Packed with spinach, tomato and feta, With a side of home fries and toast.

There's no wonder the locals recommend Janet's and the online reviews are fantastic.

There are some places in the United States you must visit at least once in your life.

This one is not actually on the Eastern Shore but it is near it.

Tangier Island is a dot in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.

There are a few different ferries that run twice per day from both the Virginia and Maryland sides.

It's about a one hour trip from Onancock.

$20 one way, 25 for the round trip.

It's hard to describe how unique Tangier is.

The population sits around 700, as of 2019.

Many of the families here have roots that go back generations.

It's why you'll end up hearing the same several last names, over and over during a visit.

The culture here has been built by working the water, self-reliance and a prominent, proud foundation and adherence to their belief in God.

There are no bars here.

In fact, no alcohol is served on the island.

And in short you'll find none of the temptations you'll find elsewhere.

Oh and then there's the accent.

- I used to be on a smaller island.

I mean, some islands, you know, now when everybody's not too, you know but, we're all friends.

- Yeah.

- We're all together here on the island.

We help each other out.

- Right.

- If he needs help and people needs helping.

It's nice.

I like it.

- [Dave] The Tangier Chariot awaits.

Hey.

- Hi, wow, nice, nice.

- [Dave] Nice to meet you.

- Michelle.

- [Dave] Hi Michelle.

My tour guide for my afternoon at Tangier, was Michelle.

She was born here, raised here, proud to call Tangier home.

What's your favorite part of living here?

- The freedom, our kids can go out and play all day long without their mothers and fathers with them.

And they just enjoy the freedom, riding their bikes, going to the beach, stuff like that.

And we never have to worry about safety.

It's awesome.

- [Dave] Here are the common questions.

What if someone gets sick?

Well, there's no hospital but a doctor flies in once per week to see patients at the health service center.

There's a helicopter from the mainland, on call 24 hours a day, in case of an emergency.

There's also a volunteer fire department.

Mail is delivered by ferry.

What about burying people?

The deceased are buried only three feet down because the water level is only five feet down.

Where all the cars?

- [Michelle] They get 50 or 60.

- [Dave] There are only a few.

The golf cart is not so much the vehicle of choice but of necessity.

By the way, this is a two way street you're looking at.

But the most important question, where do islanders often get their first kiss?

Michelle, what's unique about this one place where we're standing right now?

- Well, it's called the Heisten Bridge and usually this is where everybody on the island has their first date.

- Really?

- Really.

(Michelle laughs) - It's also the highest point.

- [Michelle] Also the highest.

- On the island.

- [Michelle] One of them.

- One, about this tall.

If you're visiting the island and looking for some beach time, you'll find few like it on the East Coast.

First thing I noticed about this beach here on Tangier, isn't how white the sand is or how beautiful the view is, the first thing I noticed, is I'm the only one on the beach and it's a beautiful Sunday, the sun is out, it's the height of the season, I got the whole place to myself.

Now beyond the curiosity factor, it's the reputation of the seafood that brings many to Tangier.

This is Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House.

This was Hilda by the way.

The staples here are clam fritters, crab cakes, homemade rolls and corn pudding.

The owner is Denny Crockett, who shares one of those few prevalent last names on the island.

What is this that you gave me?

- Clam fritter.

- Okay, what's in the clam fritter?

- Clams, mostly all clams and some batter to hold it together.

- Which is why it tastes 100% like clams.

- Yeah, it does.

- And not filler.

And that is delicious.

And of course, it's fresh.

- Yes.

- Everything here is fresh.

- These claims come from the seaside of Virginia, off Eastern Shore, Willis Wharf.

- That is really good.

Really, really good.

I don't know that I've had a clam fritter before but you've ruined it for every other clam fritter I'll ever have.

- Oh, yeah.

We get that a lot.

- The clam fritter, was glorious.

So I had high hopes for the crab cake.

I know this is gonna be good 'cause as soon as Denny moved it, it started to fall apart, which indicates what?

- Mainly crab meat.

- All right.

- So everybody has been talking about these famous crab cakes and now I know why.

(Denny laughs) It's just so juicy.

All you can taste is the crab.

And you've got some mustard in there.

- Yeah.

- And the seasonings.

But at the root of that, is just.

- Crab meat.

- Fresh.

- That's the secret.

- Just fresh crab meat.

- Yeah.

Plenty of it.

- [Dave] All of this gastric goodness is hauled in by the island's watermen, including the town's mayor, James Eskridge.

Everyone just calls him, Ooker, which has something to do with a pet rooster.

Ooker, like most of the watermen here, splits his time between being on the water, being at home and being at the office, his shanty.

He shares it with his cats that he saved years ago.

He found them clinging to a piece of debris after a storm.

Some of them even go crabbing with him.

He also rescued this abandoned gull.

- Come on, come get it.

- [Dave] And these gulls actually fly to him when he calls them.

Being on Ooker's shanty was a little like being a tourist at an aquarium.

In fact, it was on Ooker's shanty, that for the first time, I saw a crab shed it's shell, making it the much sought after, soft shell crab.

- [Ooker] You can see how much larger it is already.

- [Dave] Once crabs shed their shells, a waterman has only a few hours to get them out of the water and into a refrigerator or they'll start growing a new shell.

But seafood is just a part of what it means to live on Tangier.

- You know, I have children that live on the mainland and they don't even know who their neighbors are.

And over here we know everybody.

We know their pets.

We know everything, you know, maybe too much.

Maybe we know too much about them, sometimes.

But, you know if somebody's in trouble, they pull together and help out or help their family.

And so it it's good.

It's good.

It's what it should be.

- As a lifelong Virginia resident, Virginia's Eastern Shore is one of my favorite places to be.

Between the food, the people, the beautiful outdoors, it is a must see destination.

For Virginia Found, I'm Dave Parker.

- [Narrator] Supported by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission, to make memories to last a lifetime on Virginia's natural coast.

Learn more at visitesva.com.

You'll love our nature.

And Virginia is for Shore lovers.

- [Narrator] Support comes from Blue Heron Realty, offering prime waterfront homes and building lots in Cape Charles, in Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore.

Visit us online at BlueHeronVA.com, to get our new catalog.

So you can start making your coastal dream come true.

- [Narrator] Virginia is the nation's third largest seafood producer and the largest on American's Atlantic Coast.

Watermen in the state, work hard to provide you with the freshest and most delicious products Virginia waters have to offer.

Visit VirginiaSeafood.org to learn more about delicious Virginia seafood.

- [Narrator] The Virginia Institute of Marine science at William&Mary, providing science that impacts the Chesapeake Bay and the world.

Dedicated to sustaining and restoring our waters, marine life and coastal communities.

More, at vims.edu.