Nearby

That is pure small-town charm. So is Edward (“call me Bubba”) Collier’s produce stand, down the road. It is nothing more than a wooden cart with a tattered umbrella that Collier leaves in front of his house, unattended. Placards with prices sit next to tomatoes, cucumbers and squash—along with a money tin and a sign that reads, “Help yourself.”

“That’s the kind of community it is,” says Chief of Police Cliff Bowen. By that he means everybody is accessible; there is little pretense. Last year, Bowen stopped by the high school where his son was rehearsing for the musical Bye, Bye Birdie, but something was amiss. A few bit players had dropped out, one of whom played the role of a police officer. Enter Bowen, who is 6-foot-7-inches tall, stage left. “They begged and pleaded,” he recounts with a laugh, “so I ended up taking a role in the senior play. My son and I actually had a scene where we got to sing together.”

An absence of stuffiness does not mean that Poquoson is bereft of finer pleasures. While the town is largely casual, there are cosmopolitan pockets. The Briar Patch Tea Room, for example, blends British culture and Southern charm into a quaint and cozy atmosphere. The food is prepared with flair. The turkey salad almandine, a house specialty, arrives on fine china, slivers of almond coating a large scoop of turkey salad and grapes atop a bed of lettuce. Patrons can also choose from a vast selection of tea, a few wines, and even St. George’s beer, a local microbrew that won the 2007 title of “Grand Champion” at the United States Beer Tasting Championship.

In 2007, a rezoning decision shut down Poquoson Marina, the city’s largest docks and boat ramp, to pave the way for a redevelopment project that would place condos at the waterfront location. Though the move nudges it a little closer to becoming a residential suburb for neighboring cities, Poquoson will never lose its seaside identity. Every year, the city celebrates its heritage with the annual Seafood Festival, a three-day event on the third weekend in October, featuring national musical acts, historic displays of watermen and all the seafood you can eat. The festival wraps up with workboat races, where dozens of deadrise boats and other working craft vie for the title “King of the Bay.” Spectators cheer from bleachers on a grassy hill overlooking Messick Point.