Things to do / Travel Guide
Whether you are looking for an heirloom antique, hoping to pick up a pair of trendy, vintage togs, or just want a nice, juicy, local peach, eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland likely has just the thing to suit you. And here's something sweet to put in the proverbial pipe: shopping is completely tax-free in the Delaware towns of the Delmarva Peninsula!
Antique Shopping in Eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland
You want old and unique? The eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region will keep your interest piqued. Near the Chesapeake Bay, Gloucester, Virginia has been crowned the “antique capital” of the Tidewater Area. You will also find antique shopping in Williamsburg, and Norfolk is another Virginia antique hot spot. Try Norfolk's Ghent area, along West 21st and Granby Streets. For antiques in Richmond you'll find a couple of oldies-but-goodies along Cary Street in the area of Carytown. North Carolina shore's antique shopping scene is far from stuck in the past, as you will find a selection of antique vendors in Elizabeth City, Edenton, Powell's Point, and Surf City.
Unique Shopping on the Delmarva Peninsula
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, boasts an impressive 200 boutiques and unusual shops. For everything from arts and crafts kitsch to beachwear to sea shells or fine jewelry head to Rehoboth Avenue and Wilmington Avenue. There is nothing like the vastness of the ocean to inspire boundless spending; take a stroll along Ocean City, Maryland's boardwalk and you will find a motley assortment of unique shopping locales. For handmade crafts and an eclectic assortment of gift items, try the Gold Coast Mall on the Coastal Highway.
Unique Shopping in Eastern Virginia
For Richmond's best buys head straight to Carytown, where you will find a mixture of high-fashion and vintage clothing stores, as well as eclectic shops, gourmet food locales, international craft stores, and boutiques. For artsy acquisitions try the stretch of galleries along West Main Street.
In Williamsburg, you can shop for 18th-century-style jewelry, crafts, pottery, and letter-writing goods among other delightful wares at Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area. You can also try the quaint and colonial three-block Merchant's Square, offering more than 40 shops along brick sidewalks.
In Norfolk, a pleasant stroll along the wide range of shops at the waterfront's Waterside Festival Marketplace will likely send you home with a couple of happy purchases. A stone's throw from the beach in Virginia Beach, you will find plenty of interesting boutiques and upscale shops along Atlantic Avenue, First Colonial Road, 31st Street, and Laskin Road.
Unique Shopping on the North Carolina Shore
In Edenton you can find handmade, locally-crafted pottery, baskets, and weavings at small shops in and around the historic district. In Wilmington, try the specialty shops at the Cotton Exchange on Front Street in he city's historic downtown. You'll find an eclectic mix of hip and happening boutiques at Scarborough Faire along Duck Road in Duck, located on Bodie Island in the Outer Banks. Other towns along the Outer Banks with a bit of local shopping intrigue are Corolla (handmade shell candles might light up your day), Point Harbor (handmade hammocks are a local specialty), and Ocracoke (Blackbeard buffs: don't miss Teach's Hole one of the nation's only “piratical piratephernalia” shops).
Fresh Markets and Produce Stalls in Eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland
You want to see an assortment of nature's finest, most colorful, products. You want clean, crisp, local flavors. You want the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region's fresh markets and produce stall. A wide range of markets open from early spring through late fall offer the season's best picking. You can often find locally-grown fruits and vegetables in these marketplaces as well as eggs, meats, cheeses, baked goods, jams, spreads, and locally-handmade crafts. Seafood retailers also set up stands at these local markets, displaying some of the best and freshest of the day's catch.
On the Delmarva Peninsula, Salisbury “Shore Fresh” Farmer's Market in Salisbury, Maryland, has plenty of fresh fruit to delight even the choosiest of consumers. You can also drive along the Coastal Highway to the Ocean City Farmers Market in Ocean City, Maryland.
In eastern Virginia, you may also want to take a peek at the markets located near Chesapeake Bay, including those in the communities of Gloucester, Irvington, Mathews, Oak Grove, and Urbanna. Richmond's seasonal riches are displayed each spring-fall at the 17th Street Farmers Market, open Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Newport News Farmers Market, in Newport News, is an open-air market located on 27th Street and Jefferson Street.
On the North Carolina shore, Knott's Island's selection of juicy, rosy-cheeked peaches will tickle your taste buds. For peaches all summer long, try South End Road or Neck Road. Many other North Carolina and Outer Banks communities offer farmer's markets and produce stands, including Edenton, Elizabeth City, and Wilmington (year-round) on the mainland, and Barco and Corolla in the Outer Banks.
Shopping Malls in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, North Carolina's Outer Banks
Shopping
Coliseum Mall - Hampton, Virginia
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