Welcome to White Stone
by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
Motorists entering or exiting southern Lancaster County can’t miss the town of White Stone.
Settled in 1731 and incorporated in 1953, White Stone is a bustling town of 352 residents and 60 businesses covering a square-mile.
The Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge, built in 1957, connects Route 3 from the Middle Peninsula to the southern half of the Northern Neck. It’s a two-mile span crossing 100 feet above the Rappahannock River with a view of the Chesapeake Bay in the distance. Less than a mile past the bridge is White Stone, a gateway town to Lancaster and Northumberland counties. Anyone coming from or going into Lancaster County by way of the bridge has to pass through the town, proudly known as the Southern Gateway to the Northern Neck of Virginia.
But instead of passing through, stop and stay awhile. White Stone offers a day’s worth of activities, including shopping, dining and entertainment.
Dine at Willaby’s at the foot the bridge, or pick up one of Jim McDaniel’s famous burgers at the River Market or get a lunch-to-go from Rocket Billy’s and picnic at the Village Green, a memorial garden in the middle of town.
Ladies will love all the shopping that White Stone has to offer. There’s consignment bargains at Maggie’s and Mosaic Consignment & Gifts, home fashions at Interior Innovations, clothes, handbags and accessories and gift items at the Box Boutique and River Birch Gifts. Emily Donofrio’s FARM offers everything from paper straws to clothes, dishes and furniture.
Antique hunters can find a treasure or two at Trimbles’ Tavern Antiques or L&C Owens Antiques.
Be sure to visit White Stone Pharmacy, one of few remaining locally-owned drugstores in the Northern Neck.
Crafty folks and quilters will enjoy a visit to White Stone’s newest business, Blue Crab Quilting Company.
If it’s pampering the ladies crave, there are Beach Babes Tanning and Positive Image salons for tanning, manicures, pedicures, facials and massage.
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| From left, visitors Karyn, Zac and Amanda Carkin of Leesburg enjoy some hand-dipped ice cream at The Country Cottage on a hot summer afternoon. (Photo by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi) |
On a hot summer afternoon visitors can cool off with some Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream or savor some melt-in-your-mouth hand-dipped fudge at the Country Cottage Ice Cream Shop and Fudge Factory.
Then end the day with dinner at The Sandpiper restaurant and a specialty drink at Seven, a sinful martini bar and restaurant, before heading over to The Playhouse for some home-grown entertainment. The Lancaster Players is a volunteer-run non-profit organization dedicated to providing community theater with local talent.
The Players’ origin dates from 1970 when a group of mothers sought to fill a void in their children’s time outside of school. The puppet shows and children’s plays gave way to plays for the entire family and in its second decade of existence, the Lancaster Players found a home in the former White Stone firehouse. The next production is scheduled for mid-October.
On August 27, the White Stone Business Association with the Memory Lane Car Club will host its Cruise-In car show on the corner of Rapppahannock and Chesapeake drives from 4-6 p.m.
The business association has been hosting the car shows on the fourth Saturday of every month for several months.
After several lean years, the business association is enjoying a resurgence with increased membership and monthly meetings.
In the works for fall is an Octoberfest celebration on October 22.
“It’ll be a fall festival with an Octoberfest theme,” said association president Carrie Barrack. “We plan to have live music and lots of contests, including a scarecrow making contest and pumpkin painting. We also hope to have a chili cookoff between the fire departments and the rescue squads. We haven’t gotten all the details worked out but we’re excited about it.”
Octoberfest also will include food, beverages and arts and crafts vendors.
The business association also sponsors the White Stone Winter Wonderland in December with a tree lighting, visit from Santa and refreshments.
Also in December, the White Stone Volunteer Fire Department hosts breakfast with Santa.
The fire department’s big fundraiser, however, happens every spring with one of the most popular and best attended events in Lancaster County. Carvers, artists, sculptors and shoppers crowd the fire department grounds every March for the annual Rappahannock River Waterfowl Show. Held for the last 32 years, the two-day event draws well over 3,000 people.
