Things to do / Travel Guide
What makes the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region so wonderful - inlets, tidal waters, jagged shorelines, and isolated barrier islands - also makes regional transportation a weighty subject. Spend a couple of days or weeks in the region and you will find yourself driving over bridges into tunnels, or ferrying, trolleying, and bussing to the sites. Though it is possible to get around without a car, and indeed, sometimes one can only reach certain places by ferry, it is highly advisable to have a set of wheels at your disposal to discover those hard-to-reach places that make eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland a treasure trove of travel secrets.
Eastern Virginia and Maryland Trains and Driving Directions
During the summer months, the Delmarva Peninsula's beach shuttles and trolleys can help you get where you need and want to go. During the rest of year, however, you'll probably need a car. Road travel between the Delmarva Peninsula's towns and attractions is easy and convenient, and generally the roads are very easy to negotiate.
Many bus routes run up and down the Delaware portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, linking Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to Ocean City, Maryland. The Jolly Trolley of Rehoboth Beach is a beach shuttle that runs along the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk and down the coast to Dewey Beach every day from early in the morning until after midnight, Memorial Day-Labor Day. In the summers, Ocean City offers a Boardwalk Tram that runs seven days a week from morning to night. The Boardwalk Tram travels a 30-minute loop route along the boardwalk and to the Ocean City pier.
The main artery of the Delmarva Peninsula is U.S. Highway 13, which runs from the Virginia Beach-Norfolk area across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to Cape Charles, Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula. The highway then continues up the peninsula running through Salisbury, Maryland and into northern Delaware. Chincoteague Island in Virginia, and Assateague Island, Maryland, can also be reached via offshoots of U.S. Highway 13. Delaware State Road 1 (Coastal Highway) stretches the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula, connecting the towns of Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, and Fenwick Island. The road continues over the Delaware-Maryland state line, becoming Maryland State Road 528, which travels into Ocean City.
Summer travelers take note: the roads around the beach scene on the Delmarva Peninsula, particularly around Ocean City, can get extremely clogged in the summer months. It's therefore worth taking advantage of the local “park and ride” programs that will let you pay to park your car and then ride a shuttle to the nearby Delmarva Peninsula beach of your choice.
If you wish to arrive to the Delmarva Peninsula by train, Amtrak has a station in Salisbury, Maryland, on Cypress Street. Most routes to Salisbury from towns outside the Delmarva Peninsula run through Wilmington, Delaware.
Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Ferry Routes
To get to Tangier Island, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay, your best bet is a ferry. Ferries depart once or twice a day, seven days a week from Onancock (year-round) and Reedsville (from Memorial Day-October) in eastern Virginia, and Crisfield, Maryland (year-round), the ride taking under an hour. Once on Tangier Island, the main mode of transport is bike or golf cart.
Cape May Ferry to Delaware and Virginia
The fastest and most pleasant way to get from the Southern New Jersey Shore to the beaches of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia is by the Cape May – Lewes Ferry. The 17-mile cruise across the Delaware Bay takes an hour and a half. The drive would take over three and a half hours.
Maryland and Virginia Trains, Bus and Driving
Generally speaking, getting around eastern Virginia is easiest by car. You can zip in and out of small towns, travel around the cities, check out the oft-forgotten nooks and crannies, and drive up and down the coast at your leisure. The exception to this rule is the Historic Area of Williamsburg. You should park at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center and then walk, bike, or bus to the attraction of choice.
In eastern Virginia's Richmond, you can rely on a public bus system that services the metropolitan area. On the weekends, from June-September, catch the Richmond Cultural Center Shuttle; for about $1 you can ride and re-board as you tour the many popular attractions and happening places in the area (Carytown included). Norfolk's free shuttle, the Norfolk Electric Transit, makes about 16 stops downtown. Nonetheless many travelers find travel by taxi to be the most efficient and convenient form of public transportation in the city. From May-October, Virginia Beach's VB Wave Trolley runs several routes: the Atlantic Avenue Route travels the full length of Atlantic Avenue as well as to the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier; the Museum Express trolley serves several local attractions, as well as the Holiday Trav-L-Park Campground and KOA Campground; and the Shoppers Express Route take travelers to several local shopping areas and malls.
Like many things in Williamsburg, Virginia, the transportation situation is also unique. Because entrance to the Historic Area is prohibited to cars from 8 a.m.-10 p.m., the best way to get around Williamsburg is by public bus (or on foot). Buses run every hour from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. (10 p.m. in the summer) to major attractions, motels, chain restaurants, as well as to Busch Gardens. Note that if you've parked your car at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, the bus will stop right by that area.
In eastern Virginia I-95 travels a north-south path through Richmond. I-64 connects Norfolk with Richmond, with Colonial Williamsburg at the midpoint. U.S. Highway 17 starts at the North Carolina-Virginia border and snakes a north-south path along the coast, passing just west of Tappahannock.
If you wish to travel by train within eastern Virginia, Amtrak has stations in Richmond, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Newport News, and Virginia Beach. You can hop on a portion of Amtrak's Regional Line which stops in Richmond, (both the Staples Mill Road and Main Street stations), and continues on to Williamsburg and Newport News, Virginia.
Maryland and Virginia Beach Ferry Routes
The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry can get you to the historical attractions of the Historic Triangle (Yorktown-Williamsburg-Jamestown). The free ferry service has four different vessels, each of which transports you (and your car) from Scotland Wharf, in Scotland, Virginia, to Glass House Point, in Jamestown, Virginia. The ferry leaves every hour and operates year-round.
Further north, several Maryland and Virginia ferries cross the Chesapeake Bay to the west shore of the Delmarva peninsula.
Further south, Hampton Roads Transit runs a paddlewheel ferry across the James River to downtown Norfolk. Its fun for visitors and commuters use it to bypass rush hour traffic. It's a nice excursion from Virginia Beach.
Getting Around the North Carolina Shore
A car really helps travelers get the most they can out of the North Carolina shore, which doesn't have the best public transport service outside of Wilmington. This especially holds true for travelers who wish to visit the Outer Banks areas. U.S. Highway 17 is the principal inland route in the North Carolina shore - it connects Wilmington in the south to Norfolk, Virginia, in the north. To get to North Carolina's Outer Banks, take U.S. Highway 158 from the north (near the Virginia border) to Bodie Island. The road connects with State Road 12, the main road of the Outer Banks communities. Other ways to reach the Outer Banks from the mainland are via U.S. Highway 64 or U.S. Highway 264.
Public transportation is generally spotty on the North Carolina shore. In Wilmington, however, there is a well-run public bus service. In addition, the Cape Fear Transit Authority offers a free Downtown Trolley seven days a week, year-round, stopping at many places downtown.
North Carolina Ferries to the Outer Banks
North Carolina shore ferries are the best (and sometimes the only) way to get between the mainland coastal towns and the Outer Banks. North Carolina's Department of Transportation provides seven different ferry routes in this area. Many of the ferries are free for passengers, bikers, and people traveling with their cars or vehicles. Paid ferries generally cost around $1 for passengers, under $5 for passengers traveling with their bicycles, around $10 for travelers with motorcycles, and anywhere from $15-$45 for passengers traveling with their vehicles (the price depends on the size of the vehicle).
North Carolina ferry routes include:
- Currituck-Knotts Island Ferry - This free ferry runs year-round with approximately six departures daily; the crossing time is 45 minutes.
- Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry - This free ferry runs year-round, with departures every hour, from 5 a.m.-midnight; the crossing time is 40 minutes.
- Cedar Island-Ocracoke Ferry - This ferry runs year-round; there are nine daily departures in the summer, six daily departures in the spring and fall, and five daily departures in the winter. A per-passenger, per-bike, and/or per-vehicle fee is charged; the crossing time is around two and a half hours.
- Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry - This ferry runs year-round with departures every 45 minutes, from 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. A per-passenger, per-bike, and/or per-vehicle fee is charged; the crossing time is around 30 minutes.
- Ocracoke-Swan Quarter Ferry - This ferry runs year-round with two daily departures. A per-passenger, per-bike, and/or per-vehicle fee is charged; the crossing time is around two and a half hours.
- Bayview-Aurora Ferry - This free ferry runs year-round with departures every one and a half hours from 5:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m.; the crossing time is approximately 30 minutes.
- Cherry Branch-Minnesott Ferry - This free ferry runs year-round with departures every 20 minutes; the crossing time is around 20 minutes.
The following represent approximate distances and driving times from Norfolk, Virginia to other places and areas in the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region:
Distance to Delmarva Peninsula
Driving distance from Norfolk, Virginia to:
- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware: 180 miles, 3.5 hours
- Dewey Beach, Delaware: 165 miles, 3.5 hours
- Salisbury, Maryland: 130 miles, 2.5 hours
- Ocean City, Maryland: 140 miles, almost 3 hours
- Chincoteague Island, Maryland/Virginia: 110 miles, 2 hours
Distance from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, Williamsburg
The following is the driving distance from Norfolk, Virginia to:
- Richmond: 95 miles, 1 hour 40 minutes
- Williamsburg: 45 miles, 1 hour
- Yorktown: 40 miles, 1 hour
- Jamestown: 53 miles, just over 1 hour
- Newport News: 20 miles, 30 minutes
- Virginia Beach: 20 miles, 20 minutes
- Suffolk: 20 miles, 30 minutes
Distance from Norfolk to North Carolina Shore
Driving distance from Norfolk, Virginia to:
- Edenton: 70 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes
- New Bern: 160 miles, 3 hours 15 minutes
- Beaufort: 200 miles, 4 hours 15 minutes
- Wilmington: 290 miles, 4 hours 45 minutes
- Nags Head, Bodie Island: 80 miles, almost 2 hours
- Manteo, Roanoke Island: 90 miles, 2 hours
- Hatteras Island: 145 miles, 3 hours 15 minutes
- Ocracoke Island: 165 miles, 4 hours (includes the 40-minute Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry)
Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, North Carolina's Outer Banks
Getting-Around
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