By Would you believe me if I told you there’s an island located right here in the United States, that’s so cut-off, so remote that inhabitants speaks an English dialect extinct in every other part of the road since the 1700’s? Would you find this story even less believable if I told you that this island was not located in Alaska, Hawaii, or the remote Maine Coast, but rather smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
Tangier’s Island, Virginia a small town and island that’s less than 1.5 square miles and houses 720(ish) permanent residents. The island is located twelve miles from the mainland is accessible only by boat or plane.
The island is truly located in a time warp with this curious dialect on display and the first internet and cable reaching these people in 2010! Boats leave from Chincoteague VA, and Reedville Maryland, which is probably the best option as it’s 3 hours from south PA.
I don’t know that I’d plan an overnight trip to Tangiers as they don’t really have beaches (in fact, the island is shrinking) and openly frown on drinking (the official website says that if you bring booze, be discreet) but I think it’d be cool to go down for the day just for the sheer novelty. Most boats arrive around 10 and depart by 4. Tangier has no roads and much of the marshy area is connected by small wooden boardwalks so the primary mode of transportation is golf carts. There’s also a newly opened museum and visitor’s center that boasts the island’s only public bathroom, free kayaks to paddle around, and insight into the history.
I would go for the golf carting alone. One of my life goals is to be wealthy enough to own a luxury golf cart and a property big enough to warrant said luxury golf cart. I’m always dreaming big.
PA Weekend Fun 
Really cool.