Reedville Christmas tour offers a unique look

Date published: 12/4/2007

FROM A Christmas tour of beautifully decorated houses--some accessed by boat--to a model train display that includes a Fredericksburg street scene from the 1920s, the Reedville Fishermen's Museum offers a unique holiday opportunity this weekend.

The main event is the "Christmas on Cockrell's Creek House Tour." Visitors can tour a handful of festively decorated homes, some dating back to the menhaden captains who made the town at the tip of the Northern Neck a thriving hub of maritime activities.

To get a feel for the festivities--which include breakfast with Santa Saturday after he arrives at the museum dock on a vintage buy boat--I visited last week with three folks involved with the event.

Getting started

Carol Cole had a broom in her hand as she and a handful of other volunteers worked to clean up the William Walker House last week.

Working upstairs in a house that was refurbished to resemble a typical waterman's home in the 1920s, Cole said she was the one who suggested holding a Christmas tour as a museum fundraiser in 1993.

She said it went well in its first few years, but really began to draw in a larger crowd once members of the local Smith Point Sea Rescue team volunteered their boats to shuttle visitors from house to house.

"That made it sort of unique. There aren't many Christmas tours where you get to visit one or more of the houses by boat," said Cole.

She noted the work of the Chesapeake Bay Garden Club, decorating the five houses open on Main Street and in nearby Fleeton.

Cole said the tour sells 800 or so tickets most years, and gets visitors from Fredericksburg, Northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater.

While many will simply walk from house to house on Main Street, the small boat flotilla will take visitors to the home in Fleeton, and/or give ticket holders a scenic tour of Reedville Harbor.

Cole said the fundraiser, which includes a display of festive holiday tables done by area designers, helps the museum's education and preservation projects.

Christmas and trains

Lovers of model trains and history are drawn throughout the holiday to the museum.

WHEN: Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. WHERE: 504 Main St., Reedville. TICKETS: $20 in advance; $25 on tour days. Includes all houses, museum exhibits, refreshments, model railroad and boat shuttle. TO BUY: Advance tickets can be purchased at museum or charged by phone at 804/453-6529 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays.

Date published: 12/4/2007