Finding Your Way to Tangier Island

How to get there: A cruise boat, the Steven Thomas, and several supply ferries transport passengers between Crisfield, Md., and Tangier Island. Crisfield, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is about 125 miles southeast of Annapolis, Md., and 90 miles northeast of Norfolk, Va.

The Steven Thomas sails from Memorial Day weekend to the end of October. A ferry will take people to the island during the off-season. Round-trip fare for the Steven Thomas is $15. For a schedule of sailings, contact Capt. Rudy Thomas at (301) 968-2338.

Boat reservations should be made in advance.

Where to stay: Chesapeake House, P.O. Box 194, Tangier Island, Va. 23440, (804) 891-2331. For $35 a night per person, guests get an enormous family-style breakfast and dinner. Chesapeake House is on the town’s only main street, about a block from the pier.

Euna Dise’s Guesthouse, Tangier Island, Va. 23440, (804) 891-2425. Rooms are $10 per person. Although Mrs. Dise doesn’t provide meals, guests are welcome to buy groceries at the store and prepare meals in the guest house kitchen. In addition, Mrs. Dise rents bicycles for $5 a half day and $10 all day.

Pines Motel, Somerset Avenue, Crisfield, Md. 21817, (301) 968-0900. From $40-$60, double room.

Somers Cove Motel, R. R. Norris Drive, Crisfield, Md. 21817, (301) 968-1900. From $40-$60, double room.

Lodging reservations should be made ahead.

What to do: Crisfield is the self-proclaimed crab capital of the world, so tour its small crab processing plant.

Also, visit the Captain’s Galley on the pier for a platter of steamed blue crabs. Its friendly waitress will show guests how to crack crabs and extract the meat.

For more information: Contact Somerset County Tourism, P.O. Box 243, Princess Anne, Md. 21853, (800) 521-9189, or the Maryland Office of Tourist Development, 217 E. Redwood St., Baltimore 21202, (800) 543-1036.