Jamestown Ferry

Jamestown Ferry (also known as the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry) is an automobile ferry system on the James River connecting Jamestown in James City County with Scotland in Surry County. It carries Virginia State Highway 31.

History, operations

The ferryboat Captain John Smith made the first automobile ferry crossing of the James River on February 26, 1925. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) took over operation of the ferry in 1945. Today, the scenic crossing from Glass House Point at Jamestown to the landing at Scotland is the only 24-hour state-run ferry operation in Virginia. It has over 90 employees keeping it on schedule. It operates four ferry boats, the Pocahontas, the Williamsburg, the Surry, and the Virginia.

Scotland in Surry County

Scotland in Surry County is only a short distance from the Town of Surry and Virginia State Highway 10 which runs between Richmond and Suffolk. Highway 10 parallels the south bank of the James River, serving Hopewell, Smithfield.

Virginia State Highway 10 provides access to many historical sites, including City Point, Flowerdew Hundred Plantation, Upper Brandon Plantation, Lower Brandon Plantation, Chippokes Plantation and State Park, Bacon's Castle, and the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield.

Tourists

Tourists destined for Virginia's Historic Triangle of colonial attractions ( Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown) and the Colonial Parkway often approach the area from the south by water with a ride aboard one of the Jamestown Ferrys.

As passengers cross, during the 15-minute ride across the river, they can can walk about the boat or go up to an enclosed viewing level with restrooms. Weather and daylight permitting, northbound passengers usually see the Jamestown Island much as the first colonists may have approached it almost 400 years ago. Near the northern ferry landing, the replicas of Christopher Newport's the three tiny ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery are docked at Jamestown Festival Park. Both the Jamestown Ferry and Colonial Parkway which begins nearby are toll-free.

External Links

• VDOT Jamestown Ferry website