Updated for 2024
It is the season of Cape Charles seafood and festivals! What could be better? If you’ve been thinking about visiting Cape Charles and love a generous helping of fun paired with freshly caught seafood, we say: Pack a bag!
Seafood Industry on the Eastern Shore
As you well know, the Eastern Shore is the epicenter of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry, serving up scrumptious oysters, clams, and other delicacies all over the US. However, eating seafood here on Virginia’s Cape is a more personal experience.
Like the farm-to-table movement, the watermen here in Cape Charles are our neighbors, relatives, and friends. Their hands have worked the Bay for years and years, sometimes for generations. It’s not just their livelihood; it’s a way of life. Whenever we sit down to eat, we’re incredibly thankful for their hard work and dedication to their craft. From crabs to oysters, these fine water people allow us to eat some of the finest seafood in the world!
From beaches to Barrier Islands, Cape Charles invites you to kick your shoes off, dig your toes in the sand, and discover the meaning of the words “fresh seafood” from the hard-working hands of our Virginia watermen.
So — what’s cooking? Plenty. Combining fresh seafood and fun festivals is what we do best. Keep reading for a complete breakdown of upcoming Eastern Shore seafood festivals and the best fresh-caught seafood restaurants Cape Charles offers.
Cape Charles Crabby Blues Festival
The oh-so-beloved Crabby Blues Festival is back again on September 14, 2024. Cape Charles Christian School holds this fantastic fundraiser featuring fun events and fresh-off-the-boat crabs for the family. Other food vendors, live music, arts and crafts, silent auctions, and a kid’s area are also featured!
Mercy Creek at Oyster Farm Bash by the Bay Music Festival
While the name may be a mouthful, this music festival should be a blast! Located at C-Pier at The Oyster Farm, you can expect good music, good views, and some of the freshest seafood around.
This event will be held on Saturday, June 8, from 5-10 pm and will feature live music from the Raucous Brothers, Almost Famous Band, Mercy Creek, and Paul Urban.
Films that Move Festival
Formerly the Reel and Raw Festival by Experimental Film Virginia, the 2024 Films that Move Festival is back and better than ever! Virginia’s Eastern Shore will be a living landscape for their art, featuring a cash bar with tasty local beverages, signature dishes from local restaurants, oysters fresh from the Bay, and more. Pair that with live music and dancing, and you’ll have a whole lot of summer fun!
This event will be held August 2-8 at the Historic Palace Theater. Get tickets.
The Best of Cape Charles Seafood Restaurants
In between festival fun, you MUST check out our local restaurants. While you may have had good seafood in your neck of the woods, get ready to taste the fresh, tasty seafood of the Bay! Whether you came for the seafood or the festivals, there are plenty of other outdoor dining options.
Check out this list of some of Jim and my all-time favorites:
- The Oyster Farm Seafood Eatery — This is a 39-acre restaurant that offers casual dining with an insane view of the water. You’ll love their steamer buckets! Make sure to also try the Thai Crystal Shrimp (an innkeeper favorite) for an appetizer and the fish tacos for your entrée — they are second to none!
- The Shanty — This “southern seafood on the Chesapeake Bay” offers rustic yet refined seafood dishes that will give you some southern comfort. The Shanty is known to get great reviews from locals and visitors alike. The hush puppies appetizer is fabulous, and when soft shells are in, you can’t beat ‘em. Try it out and let us know!
- Salt and Sand Restaurant — Family-owned and operated, this local restaurant is a special spot. While they pride themselves on having the best wings on the Eastern Shore, we recommend the tasty crabcakes if you want something fresh-caught (and this innkeeper is a crabcake snob, so you know it’s good)!
- Kelly’s Gingernut Pub — We can almost guarantee you’ll like this one! A classic Irish pub, excellent seafood, and dart boards for entertainment…what else could a person want? Try the popular fisherman’s stew for starters and the Guinness cod sandwich for your entree.
- Cape Charles Brewing — There is all kinds of yum here. Local craft beers are brewed right in-house and are oh-so-delicious. Plus, they have pretty tasty crab bites and an award-winning clam chowder (which also happens to be our favorite!).
- Sting-Ray’s Restaurant — Anything stuffed here will be excellent: Crab imperial stuffed flounder, stuffed shrimp, and more! Sting-Ray’s is one of our all-time favorites: simple, high-quality dishes that leave you full and happy.
- Hook @ Harvey — Casual farm-to-fork dining with a not-so-casual waterside view. Amazing sunsets, coastal vibes, and mouth-watering dishes make it a must-do, though we highly recommend making a reservation in advance. The spicy tuna sashimi is a great appetizer. For the entrée? Anything!
See why summer is so much fun on the Shore? You just can’t beat Cape Charles’ fresh-caught seafood and summer festivals. So, pack a bag and don’t miss an opportunity to make some memories on the Chesapeake Bay this summer. Book your reservation now.
Photo credit: © ahirad_photo via canva.com
