That’s a good question.
We are a gateway to the Chesapeake Bay shaped by hidden gems totally unique to our small river towns. Enchanting views, creative culinary discoveries, adrenaline sports, boutique hotels, luxurious spas, chic boutiques, outdoor adventures and live music are just a few of our specialties here in the River Realm. Plug in one of our small town destinations into your GPS and you’ll begin a journey you won’t forget.
The Basics
For starters, let’s talk about our towns. Here in Virginia, we have counties and those counties are made of towns. Specifically, the River Realm is comprised of Middlesex County and Lancaster County. Each of them has four towns. Irvington, Lively, Kilmanrock, and White Stone made up Lancaster. Over in Middlesex, the towns include Deltaville, Urbanna, Saluda, and Topping.
The Geography
We’re talking 465 miles of shoreline, baby! One main river flows between these two counties: the Rappahannock River. You can actually follow that river all the way back into the Blue Ridge Mountains. It flows down from Flint Hill and eventually makes it to our special little part of the world. Here it carves through our winding and enchanting landscape, it empties out into the Chesapeake Bay. The unique blend of fresh and salt water makes exceptionally cozy and nurturing home for crabs, oysters, fish, and more.
The Road Here
We are smack dab in the middle of the beautiful east coast. We are within a three or four hour drive from some of our favorite cities.
From the South: From Raleigh, you’ll ride 95 North all the way to Richmond, VA. Here, you’ll hop on 64 East, which will lead you to Route 33. Depending on where you’re headed in the River Realm, it should take 3.5 hours.
From the West: From a city like Lynchburg, you can follow a few roads(US 60, 64 East, or 33 East) and most will route you through Richmond, where you’ll pick up on 64 East if you weren’t riding that already. Then, you’ll ride Route 33 all the way into our area. You’ll veer slightly south to visit the tip of Deltaville or cross the Rappahannock River and head into Lancaster County.
From the North: If you’re a DC Dweller, the fastest way to get to the River Realm is by following the most eastern route, which will flow through Maryland on Route 301 for the majority of your trip. You can get get under 3 hours this way!You’ll hit Lancaster county first, but a quick drive across the river will open up all that Middlesex has to offer.
From the Water
If you’re taking a trip by water, you can visit the River Realm by way of more than 20 marinas. Not only can you park your vessel, marina attendants can help you navigate the area and give your boat some TLC while you’re exploring. When you step off your boat there will be so much to discover here. See a full list of our marinas here.
Where are you visiting from?
We would love to know! Share your travel story on Instagram. Tag @virginiasriverrrealm in your photos and share where you come from, why you visit the area, and what you discovered on your most recent trip!
