Pelican Island

In September 2019, we visited Smith Island, located on the Chesapeake Bay and on the border of Maryland and Virginia territorial waters. The island’s very charming and a gem. It’s made up of three communities – Ewell, Rhodes Point, and Tylerton. We loved bicycling through Rhodes Point, talking with the towns people, and taking in the picturesque atmosphere. Of the three, Tylerton can be reached only by boat.

Coming to Smith Island itself was by a ferry from the mainland. There are no airports or bridges. A man named Terry runs the daily service, and he’ll man the ferry through the bay and will dock at Ewell. We loved it. To quote my wife, “it was like traveling back through time to the good old days.” The island’s known for its Smith Island cake, a seven-layer yellow cake with chocolate frosting spread between the layers. They also make other flavors such as coconut, pineapple, lemon, orange, peanut butter, and even pumpkin.

The first thing you’ll notice was how old fashioned, pleasing, and simple the island was laid. There are no highways. Just a few paved roads that take your breath away at each step like a piece of residential suburbs with green yards, acres of marshes, and the bay.

The most the island contained was a church, one grocery store, a bakery, the restaurant, a museum, and a post office. Nothing else. For example, you won’t find theaters, shopping outlets, fast food shops, video stores, hardware, or entertainment venues. To get around, you either walk, ride a bicycle, or drive the golf cart. The folks are very nice, friendly, and easy going.

We stayed at the Smith Island Inn. Our room was called Eleanor’s Escape. It was a cozy bedroom with three windows. Off to the right side was the pathway leading to the bathroom. It felt like home. The place was quaintly decorated. The other rooms at the inn were Geraldine’s Getaway and Mary Ruth’s Retreat. We learned from our host that women and men will make clothes, cook, fish, or crab to work for a living. The lush fields of tall grass and the water surround you as you bicycle on the road. It will take you about an hour to cover the entire island. The one grocery store and restaurant close at 4pm, so that leaves the rest of the evening for everyone to stay at home, visit the island neighbors, or enjoy the night.

There are no atm’s or banks on the island. No alcohol or cigarettes are sold. You can arrange for wildlife and water tours though. There are about four different ones ranging from staying on the boat to chartering a fishing trip with fish cleaning stations and freezing. Tim Marshall brought you to the uninhabited parts of the island. You can tour the wildlife refuge, marsh, and beach excursions. You can view the eagles, blue herons, ergots, and pelicans. You can arrange a boat trip to visit Tylerton, that has only one market.

Barry Bruce’s Waterman’s Tour was the one we chose. He took us to Pelican Island and to the other community, Tylerton. He was very knowledgeable and had given us a taste of his life at Smith Island. He grew up in Tylerton most of his life. His livelihood was in catching crabs and selling them. He showed us how he caught them with the dragging net, washed them at the watering plant, and packed them to be sold.

I took of video of Pelican Island. The clip was amazing but being there to watch the sheer number of pelicans flying about was mind blowing. There were thousands upon thousands. Enjoy!