Welcome to Gloucester Point
by Tom Chillemi
Gloucester Point is one of those places most people go through on their way to somewhere else. However, there are plenty of reasons to pull off Route 17 and make Gloucester Point a destination.
For centuries this narrow piece of land in the York River has been a crossing point. Just 15 miles as the crow flies from Jamestown, the Gloucester Point area was visited by Captain John Smith, not as an explorer, but as a prisoner of Chief Powhatan. The meeting took place upriver where legend has it that Pocahontas saved Capt. Smith from execution.
Gloucester Point is across the river from Yorktown, where the British surrendered to end the American Revolutionary War.
Located on the north side of Route 17 is Tyndall’s Point Park, the site of a fort as early as 1661. It was used for battle works in the Revolutionary War.
The first shots of the Civil War fired in Virginia occurred at Gloucester Point on May 5, 1861. The Second Company of the Richmond Howitzers exchanged cannon fire with the USS Yankee and chased off the Union ship.
To get to Tyndall’s Point Park from southbound Route 17: turn right at the last stoplight before the Coleman Bridge on Lafayette Heights Road. Turn left on River View Street. Turn left onto Vernon Street. The park will be on your right.
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| Gloucester Point Beach Park is just off Route 17 at the Coleman Bridge. |
The park has a large, shady and grassy area with picnic tables and a shelter. The swimming area and sandy beach are perfect for sunbathing, wading, building sand castles, swimming and beach fun.
The handicapped accessible beach house, which is open seasonally on weekends through Labor Day, has a concession stand, restrooms and outdoor showers.
A picnic shelter can be rented for half and full days. Reservations are required. Call 804-693-2355.
Several picnic areas with charcoal grills are located throughout the park. There is no fee to use these sites, which are available on a first come-first served basis.
There is ample parking, even for boat trailers.
During the summer, public-guided tours are held on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. There also are monthly “After Hours” lectures and “Discovery Labs” at VIMS. The annual Marine Science Day is held in May, and returning next year is the new Science Under Sail partnership with Yorktown Sailing Charters and their 105-foot schooner “Alliance.”
Learn more at http://www.vims.edu/public.
If you’re at Gloucester Point Beach Park at the right time, you may see the bridge open to give ocean-going military ships access to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, just upriver. (Bridge openings are broadcast on WXGM 99.1 FM.)
Back on Route 17 there are plenty of places to eat.
One out-of-the-way place is Tony and Melina’s Pizzeria, whose authentic Italian dishes include more than pizza.
Boaters can dock at the River’s Inn and Crab Deck at Gloucester Yacht Haven on Sarah’s Creek.
So, if you’re coming or going to the Rivah, take a break at Gloucester Point.
