- [Male Narrator] Visit Gloucester County, the place for history, for beauty, for fun.

Learn more at visitgloucesterva.org or check us out on Instagram or Facebook at Visit Gloucester VA. - [Female Narrator] Support comes from Virginia's River Realm.

Enjoy the wonder of a perfect oyster, the promise of a secret cove, and the pleasure of sharing a table with friends, a place where you can catch your breath, calm your mind, and live your dreams.

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

Waterman 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.

- [Female Narrator] The Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William and 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.

(bright rock music) - [Dave] Hi, everyone.

I'm Dave Parker with "Virginia Found."

When you travel throughout Virginia, you are always near the beginnings of our nation's history.

It is certainly, the case with where we are today and that is in Yorktown.

But also in this part of Virginia, you are constantly surrounded by the Waterman culture and the delicious food that comes along with it.

We have a lot of ground to cover today.

We'll take advantage of 21st century technology to toward the 18th century.

You'll hear from some of the reenactors here who helped to bring history alive.

We'll also set sail on the historic York River.

We'll then take you across that river to neighboring Gloucester for local drinks, award-winning barbecue, and see something and see something at a Jubilee you've likely, never seen before.

"Virginia Found" is in Yorktown and Gloucester.

Let's go.

Before we get in to all of the historical reenactments happening in Yorktown, (car engine revving) we thought we'd start in the present in Gloucester.

(yoga mat thuds) - By mixing together something that is supposed to clear the mind, yoga with something that does the opposite, beer.

This is That Damn Mary brewing.

Saturday mornings here start with yoga and end with beer.

Instead of hot yoga, I guess it's hops yoga.

(Mary laughing) - [Mary] Oh, I didn't expect you there.

- [Dave] This is the woman behind the hops, Mary it's really easy to like Mary, because her personality is as intoxicating as the product.

- [Mary] Make sure to get you some dude.

- [Dave] So right now Mary is dry hopping and beer and it smells like unicorn tears, it's fantastic.

- Even though it was still well before noon, Mary had lined up a sample of every beer in the place, rise and shine.

- So we have to taste all of these beers, not have to be get to.

- You know it - It should be downward falling dog.

(Dave and Mary laugh) So what are we going to taste first?

- So the operative word is like, taste that way, You'd have to drink them all.

Bless your heart.

- I understand.

But yeah, we're gonna do one of the first beers that we actually produced onsite, and it's a habanero bazell pale ale.

- So it's got habanero peppers, bazell and you're telling me that you guys like physically, - Yeah, it's called smack - Smack down the bazell - it's called smack it like it's hot cause we did.

We literally smacked a bunch of bazell, 18 pounds of it.

In fact, by the time it was all said and done, get a little heat on the back of your throat another sip with it - Oh man that is so flavorful.

- Oh thanks.

- And I can really taste the bazell there at the beginning.

You get the heat at the, at the end.

- That's awesome.

Delicious.

- Even for 11 o'clock in the morning - it's five o'clock day somewhere - especially because it's 11 o'clock in the morning.

It makes it taste twice as good.

- And that is great.

- [Dave] And so it went for 13 tastings of brewers, dozen from beers named Functcluster, to Arm Candy, Ditch Digger, and Easy Money.

It made it hard to say namaste Now I can tell you all about the flavor profiles and all that stuff, but all you need to know is that if you're into beer and during Gloucester, Virginia, not going to that Damn Merry Brewing is like not trying the cheese in Wisconsin.

- MJ, thank you so much, - Thanks so much for coming in buddy.

so much for coming it's really kind of you - and thank you for the quality beverages.

- Anytime you come on back, I'll hook you up again.

- It's that Damn Mary, check her out.

- [Dave] The drive part of our crew then took us across this bridge.

The George P. Coleman bridge.

crossing the York river from Gloucester to Yorktown.

The Coleman is a double swing span bridge, which is amazing to see when open it's the largest of its kind in the U.S. once on the other side in historic Yorktown, it was time for lunch at water street grill.

If you have the chance, try the seating outside for the great views of the river.

- If you grew up in the south, you end up eating a lot of coleslaw, but I don't think I've ever had any wasabi coleslaw, which they have on the bottom of this oyster po'boy, also emptied most of the tartar sauce container on top of this, it's one of these things where the meal is much bigger than your mouth.

Good meal for napkins, it's really good.

Anytime you can get oysters, in this part of the country, take advantage of it.

And I love that little touch of heat from the wasabi.

It's really well done.

- [Dave] While most of the sites seeing in historic Yorktown is obviously above ground.

Much of it couldn't have been possible without the York river.

In fact, a lot of that history has been found in the river.

- Well, I'm not sure how you come from the Hills of Kentucky to become a diver here on the York river, but that's what John did.

Hey John, what's your official title?

- [John] My official title is acting state underwater archeologists with the Virginia department of historic resources.

- The York river is behind is how important was that during the revolutionary war?

- This river was incredibly important.

The geography here was critical to the outcome of the battle of Yorktown.

- Okay.

Corn Wallace, the British commander chose this area because the river here is naturally very deep and it allowed an anchorage for the big deep water deep draft warships from up in New York to come down and join Cornwallis and reinforced this position.

- How many, how many ships, artifacts, whatever have been found in the York river?

- Well, we have a historical information that indicates that at least 26 vessels from the model of Yorktown should be out here.

And we've just found number 11.

- Oh, okay.

- Just this past week.

- Is quite a few to go.

- Yes - In terms of diving in this river, is it conducive to dive to diving is a difficult, what do you think?

- You'll never see anything like this on national geographic.

The conditions out here are terrible.

It's zero visibility.

Most of the time, very strong currents.

And then the summer stinging nettles, just to make things worse.

- Great - So we have to use special techniques to work here.

- All right.

How do you really feel about diving out there, John?

- Rather be someplace else, but this is where the history is - [Dave] I just happened to be in Yorktown during the, before the siege weekend.

It's an event that simulates Yorktown in late September of 1781 just before American and French forces in circled the British three weeks later in October of 1781, the British surrendered visitors on this weekend will find the streets filled, not just with reenactors and their historical interpretations, but tours of colonial buildings, art fair, and some are retro music (woman and man singing) - And with it being early fall in Virginia, the weather is usually still nice, but what will stand out the most to you will be these people.

- I feel horribly underdressed.

I'm here with Lynn bull.

Lynn, where are you originally from?

- [Lynn] Well, I live in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

My dad was in the Navy, so we were all over the place growing up.

- All right, So you are a reenactor.

Is that the right word?

- Yes yes.

- Why are you into this?

What got you started into this?

- My father took me to Gettysburg when I was in third grade and as he used to put it there's been downhill ever since.

- I gotcha.

Now the outfit that you have on today and say just a magnificent jacket robe, what is this called - It's called the Banyan.

it's basically a 18th century bathrobe.

And we've had a hard day here in Yorktown drilling and.

Looking for patriots that might be smuggling things out So at the end of the day, just kind of unwind, take off your wig, take off your wool coat, put on your Banyan and just relax - [Dave] Not every reenactor though is portraying a particular person.

- Who is your person?

What do you do?

- So I'm not really a person.

So I know you see a lot of, a lot of the reenacting worlds, this idea that everybody's a person.

- Right.

- But really we're trying to people the past, right?

So I'm not pretending to be someone, but kind of placing myself in the past.

- People in the past.

I haven't heard that one yet.

- Yeah.

Right.

I think we forget that people in the past were people they're our ancestors, right?

They're not people on a stage, not people on the screen, but they're our story right?

Our people.

- This is a sergeant's sword, but it is styled a lot, like an officer's small sword.

- [Dave] The investment, that these reenactors put into their own research and money and time is just, well, it's just fascinating.

- I portray the wife of an enlisted man, which would have been the most common woman that you would have seen following the army originally.

- Am from Scotland, Glasgow.

That's what I grew up.

I was trained there.

And after the unpleasantness of the 1745, I immigrated to America - Every soldier wasn't didn't spring from his mother's womb, as a soldier, they all have lives.

They all had professions.

I've created a fictitious backstory for Ms. Sen missin being your trip dialect for myself.

- It's getting to share my love of history with other people in an educational manner.

- As far back as I can remember, I've been totally involved in history related items, history related things.

Family would go on vacation and I want to stop at museums.

I want to see historic sites.

It's just been something that I've been interested in and focused on from as far back as I can remember, like I said, four or five years old up until present day, - I do this for what it helps me understand.

The past was like many reenactors.

Do it for what we call the time machine moment where your level of pain, fatigue, thirst, hunger, heat, all coalesces into a moment when the modern day melts away and you were there in the moment.

And that moment can last a fleeting second.

But those rare instance are the ones that connect me to the past and to history and would keep me coming back and doing this over and over again.

- [Dave] A couple of quick mentions while we're walking down American history lane, The American revolution museum at Yorktown is just outside the downtown historic area.

It's a sprawling comprehensive experience with exhibits, both inside and out.

There's also the Yorktown battlefield museum and no visit here would be complete without a closeup view of the towering majestic Yorktown victory monument.

If you'd like to either be introduced to or expand your knowledge on this pivotal time in us history, these are great places to include in your visit here.

As far as lodging in historic Yorktown, there are three bed and breakfast, a hotel, and two cottages with a large number of accommodations available in the surrounding area.

- You really just have to choose trust this thing, and it takes everybody a different amount of time.

Some people pick it up really quick.

I wasn't one of those early adopters, so I have a lot of patience with people that, that don't.

- [Dave] The headline for this next segment is when centuries collide Since we'll be touring historic Yorktown on a Segway, I had never ridden one, but with just a few minutes practice, it was as routine as a colonial soldier loading a musket.

- I think I got it.

Let's go tour Yorktown.

Let's go find out - [Dave] Randy Pryor, with Patriot tourism provisions was both my teacher and tour guide.

- Since seaways are amazing little off-road vehicles, they are perfect for being able to explore all the streets and paths of the colonial area.

And for those who don't want to, or physically can't spend a large part of their day walking, it's a great option, better yet.

It allows you to see some spots you may not have otherwise.

- Sometimes the best kind of stories are little known and little visited and here's one from historic Yorktown.

Randy take it away.

- alright.

So this place that we're at is been here in Virginia for a long time and it's William Rogers pottery factory.

- And he.

- Looks like this - He is known as the poor Potter.

Well, it turns out he was anything but the poor Potter.

And if you come down here and check it out, you're going to see one of the biggest killings they ever found in the colony and find out that this thing was essentially the first assembly line on the continent.

So William Rogers with anything but a poor Potter, but you got to come here to figure out why.

- [Dave] In addition to Randy, showing me around some of the historic buildings and also along the river, we got off the seaways for another seldom told history lesson.

- Hey see this field?

Back in the 1920s.

This actually used to be a golf course.

And there was a stock market crash.

People stopped playing golf as much national park service, took it over and saved history.

So instead of the stock market, making history in 1929, when it comes to Yorktown, it kind of saved it.

- So I've never been a big fan of the walking tours.

And actually, you know, a lot of people can't do the walking tours because of maybe some type of physical disability.

And that's where the Segway comes in, man.

I love that.

And it is very intuitive.

So if you've ever looked at that, I don't know.

I don't know if I can do that.

You can do it.

Check out Randy.

Randy had a great time and thanks for showing me some of those private spots here in Yorktown.

- And it was my pleasure, Dave, thanks for not crashing.

- If people want to find Patriot tours, what's the best way to do that.

- Www.patriottoursva.com We've got a schedule, safety videos, check it out.

Cause it's easier than you might imagine.

- [Dave] There's a section of historic Yorktown.

We haven't touched on yet.

And that's the Riverwalk landing.

As the name implies, it's sort of a boardwalk along the river and also beach event Organizers make sure that visitors have plenty of music in the background.

(band singing) Which seems to suit both human and non-human alike.

The Riverwalk Landings is where you'll also find a 105 foot gaff rigged ship.

The Alliance, it sails three times daily from Riverwalk landing peer from April to November, It's $39 per adult, $27 for children, 12 and under with no children's discount for their sunset cruise.

If getting out on the water on a beautiful ship for a few hours, hearing a little about the history of the area, - it was a four miles an hour If you want to travel somewhere and you could do any kind of a trip and average four miles an hour, you were doing pretty well.

- [Dave] All while getting some great content for your Facebook or Instagram is something you had in mind.

The Alliance is a great way to enjoy a few hours in this part of Virginia (upbeat music) - [Dave] For our last day in Yorktown, in Gloucester, it was back across the Coleman to the Gloucester side, to find those who were spending part of their day on a boat or a pier since water is what defines this part of Virginia taking full advantage of it means having access to a boat, something other than the schooner Alliance, for those who do have a boat Gloucester point landing is the main recreational put in that's near the bridge for those without the nearby fishing pier is the next best option.

It didn't look like many were going to be having fresh fish for lunch.

Fortunately, there's an award-winning backup plan, just a few miles down the road.

- Yesterday.

What happens in Yorktown?

I asked a couple of the locals, so what's a great place to eat.

And they said, well, make sure you head over the bridge to Gloucester and try Scoots Barbecue, voted best barbecue in Virginia.

That's pretty good recommendation.

- Hi, welcome to Scoots.

- Wings, brisket, pork, chicken ribs, sausage, turkey, oh my and given where we are in the state, there's even fresh local seafood.

I mean when's the last time you saw that at a barbecue place.

If you're wondering about the unique name, scoots was the nickname of one of the owner's grandfathers.

So the restaurant is a nod of remembrance to him.

- It's the barbecue man, the man of scoots, Gary Ward.

Gary, thank you so much for having me.

- [Gary] I appreciate it.

Glad to have you.

- So I am not an aficionado, of barbecue.

I know you've got entire cooking shows dedicated to that, - Right?

- If there's like the top two or three things about serving a good barbecue, - Right.

Which is probably different than cooking it with serving a good barbecue.

What are those top couple of things?

- Yeah, well, you know, it all starts with the quality of the product.

you got to get a good, a good piece of meat, whether it's for ribs, chicken brisket.

So we try to start at a really high level of, of product once you get there.

You know, it's a matter of getting the right seasonings.

We make our own rub.

We tend to use a rub.

That's got a little extra brown sugar in it.

We found that our clientele likes things a little bit sweeter.

Plus it gives it a really nice bar.

After you get into that, you know, the temperature and time you, when we smoke our stuff, we'd do it at 225 degrees with Hickory and Oakwood, let it run for about 14 hours.

- Cause at that temperature.

That's gotta be over a long period of time and gotta be - And gotta be constant.

And that is the trick.

And then beyond that, it's just, you know, I tell people all the time, it's just, it's like caring.

You know, you've got to really care about the product.

- [Dave] All of that caring tastes delicious.

First thing you'll notice about their pulled pork sandwich is how juicy it is.

Not a hint of dryness.

If brisket is more your style, that was also fantastic for sides.

I had the collards coleslaw and I admit it.

I also tried the onion rings and corn bread.

It was a great meal.

And it's no wonder that people all over this area agree With your belly full You might want to head to a place where you can do some walking around a short 15 minute drive north.

We'll take you to downtown Gloucester.

It's small.

So you can walk from end to end in about 10 minutes, but there's plenty of shops to explore.

And since Virginia is for craft beer lovers, there is a micro brewery on main street, Gloucester brewing company, locally owned locally, locally brewed as a reminder of where you are in the state, you'll get to taste beers named Smooth Sailing and Shucking Good.

At one end of the downtown area, you'll find the Gloucester county courthouse square historic district, which includes a gift shop and buildings dating back to the late 17 hundreds.

For those of you who would like to spend part of your time in this area, camping, there are a few options, including a thousand trails location, about 20 minutes north of downtown Gloucester, while thousand trails used to be membership only you can now enjoy single use stays.

Not only is it on the water, this is a great place for the whole family.

(relaxing guitar music) While I love to travel.

I also fully realize there are many places I've never seen in my own hometown.

There are also many places I've never even heard of like Guinea.

It's a group of communities in Gloucester county.

Although it's long been considered an area somewhat separate from the county.

The character of this place is defined by centuries of working the water.

If you're in Guinea, your first stop should be at bucks store museum, which is now run by the Guinea heritage association.

It's basically the area's history within four walls.

It's a nice little walk down memory lane.

I just happened to be in town for the 40th Guinea Jubilee advertised as honoring our past celebrating our future.

The whole thing is really about celebrating the Waterman culture here.

(clapping) Which is why one of the events is crab pot pulling.

- The idea is to take the flap open.

Dump out the crabs, re bait the crab pot, throw it back down on the ground.

- Now what's a good time?

- Good time?

Well today it's been I think the days closest one was 28 seconds, so that's the fastest issue' I've seen it as fast as 24 25 seconds, that's, that's pulling them every day.

(clock ticking) (cheering) - 38 seconds - [Dave] Of course, somebody has to make the crab pots which is a talent in its self.

- [Dave] How long does it take to make a crab pot?

- I used to turn one in in 30 minutes, but that's when I was younger.

- [Dave] So now you're about 35 minutes?

While you'll find some of the standard Jubilee food, since we're in Guinea, you'll also find fresh, local seafood you know, the kind that people are willing to drive miles to enjoy.

- Alright we just found out something very important, do you make your clam chowder with canned clams or do you hand shuck them.

- All fresh shucked clams.

- There you go.

- [Dave] The Guinea Jubilee is usually held the last weekend in September and is worth working into your travel schedule.

- Just as a reminder that there is history all around us in this part of Virginia, this was the jail in Gloucester in 1873.

Well we certainly showed you very different areas today but, only separated by one bridge, we've got the historic area around Yorktown, and then of course, we have the more rural and waterman culture of Gloucester there's plenty to keep you busy, not just for a day, but for an entire weekend, have a great trip, I'm Dave Parker for Virginia found visit Gloucester county, the place for history, for beauty, for fun, learn more at visitglouscesterva.org or check us out on Instagram or Facebook, at visitgloucester.va - Support comes from Virginia's river realm, enjoy the wonder of a perfect oyster, the promise of a secret cove, and the pleasure of sharing a table with friends, a place where you can catch your breath, calm your mind and live your dreams.

- Virginia is the nations third largest seafood producer and the largest on America's atlantic coast, waterman 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.

- The Virginia institute of Marine science at William & Mary providing science that impacts the Cheasapeake Bay, and the world.

Dedicated to sustaining and restoring our waters, marine life, and coastal communities, more at vims.edu