Chesapeake Bay-Friendly Teaching Gardens at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, 7900 Daffodil Lane, Gloucester, Va. 23061. This 8+ acre garden contains more than 20 themed “rooms” to demonstrate gardening that honors the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 804-693-3966 or brentandbeckysbulbs.com.
Tompkins Cottage, Brickbat Road, Mathews. This c. 1815 cottage stands as one of the oldest structures in the Court House. In 1837, it was purchased for use as a storehouse by Christopher Tompkins, father of Sally Tompkins, CSA, the first female commissioned officer in the Confederate Army. Open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
New Point Comfort Lighthouse, Bavon. This structure, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, sits off the southernmost tip of Mathews County and stands 55 ft. tall. It is the third oldest surviving light in the Chesapeake Bay. 804-725-7182 or newpointcomfortlighthouse.org.
Gloucester Historic Court Circle, 6509 Main Street, Gloucester. The brick-walled circle of historic buildings is the oldest living village in Virginia. The 1766 Colonial Courthouse is the oldest courthouse still in use and the 1823 Debtor’s Prison is one of only three remaining in the state. 804-693-3215 or gloucesterva.info/documentcenter/view/3001/court-circle-self-guided-tour-pdf.
Gloucester Museum of History, 6539 Main Street, Gloucester. The Botetourt Building, one of the largest pre-revolutionary brick ordinaries, exhibits the history of Gloucester from the Native American era through the present. 804-693-1234 or gloucesterva.info/820/Museum-of-History.
Nuttall Country Store, 6495 Ware Neck Road, Gloucester. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, Nuttall Store has served the Ware Neck community since 1875. 804-693-3067 or nuttallstore.com.
Zion Poplars Baptist Church, 7000 T. C. Walker Road, Gloucester. Built in the Gothic Revival style in 1886, it is one of the oldest independent African American congregations in Gloucester County and was founded when the members met for religious services under seven poplar trees. 804-693-4821.
Rosewell Plantation Ruins, 5113 Old Rosewell Road, Gloucester. Built in 1725 by Mann Page, Rosewell was the birthplace of Virginia Governor, John Page, and an architectural inspiration to Thomas Jefferson, a frequent visitor. Ravaged by fire in 1916, the ruins stand today as a fine example of 18th-century craftmanship. The Garden Club of Virginia granted a research fellowship in 2003 to consolidate landscape records of the grounds. 804-693-2585 or rosewell.org.
Edge Hill House, 6805 Main Street, Gloucester. The earliest part of Edge Hill was built from 1750 to 1770 and served as a family home and prominent general store among other endeavors. In addition to the house, a self-guided map is available for touring the gardens. 804-642-6093.
Walter Reed’s Birthplace, 4021 Hickory Fork Road, Gloucester. Dr. Walter Reed, who discovered the cure for yellow fever, was born here and lived here as a child. It is significant because it represents the early small rural dwellings once so common to Tidewater Virginia. 804-815-4467.
Ware Episcopal Church, 7825 John Clayton Memorial Highway, Gloucester. Established c. 1652, it is one of Gloucester’s four original parishes and one of Virginia’s earliest churches. Of the school of Sir Christopher Wren, the church is oriented to the sun instead of the four points of the compass. The graves of Gen. Wm. Booth Taliaferro and other Confederate soldiers occupy an historic cemetery. 804-693-3821 or warechurch.org.