POQUOSON, Va. — A few weeks back, Myles Henderson visited the Poquoson Museum as a part of his Hometown History series, and he told me about the museum's walking trail.
Well, I decided to check it out for myself.
My folks lived in Poquoson for 30 years and I never knew about the Poquoson Marsh Walk, but it's kind of a hidden gem and well worth the trip.
It takes up a large part of the Poquoson Museum's 17 acres, which used to be part of a farm.
The walk is easy, less than a mile, and snakes along Topping Creek.
Poquoson is the Algonquin word for Great Marsh, so signs along the walk educate visitors about the marshes that are so much a pat of Poquoson, and really, most of Hampton Roads.
You'll also walk past a large stand of unusual looking pine trees, and these are important!
Longleaf pines were used to build much of early Hampton Roads, but are now almost extinct in our region.
The pines you'll see were planted as part of a restoration project!
Because most of the walk is right along the salt marsh, it includes a number of long bridges and observation decks.
From there, you get a great view of the Back River and have a front row seat to the many animals that make their home in the region.
I think this is a great walk if you have kids, too, as the walk is easy with a stroller and there's a lot to see.
You'll even walk past an apiary, where bees are busy making honey!
