Activities
The Bikes, Bands and the Bay Festival will satisfy the music lover, the cyclist, and the explorer in you.
In addition to a great bike riding, you can paddle, eat, tap your toe, or dance the evening away.
Open this SITE LOCATION MAP link to various activities in the historical village Court House Green.
Festival Schedule for Music, Food and Activities
Download our Activity Schedule at a glance HERE
Friday Evening
Safety First!
Bike Safety Rodeo
5pm - 7pm Bike Rodeo at the Boys and Girls Club across from Thomas Hunter School. This safety rodeo is for children of all ages. The rodeo will be led by Stephanie Smith, a League Certified Instructor through the League of American Bicyclists and trained volunteers from the YMCA. Please be sure to register for the rodeo by Friday, April 23rd. There will be Free helmets for those kids who complete the training course, as long as the supply lasts. Contact mcvic@visitmathews.com to make your reservation for the Bike Rodeo. Include your name and the child head size. Also make sure you include you and your child on the registeration for the Family Ride on Saturday morning! See the registration page on this site!
Check in at Bikes, Bands & the Bay Headquarters 4:00-8:00pm
Grab a great meal in town or join our Fiesta Dinner on the lawn and listen to the Free Concert by Carolyn August.
Saturday Morning
Ride! Ride! Ride!
Check-in Continues 7:00-10:00
Spin your favorite wheels on one of the ride options, pick from the family fun ride or one of the full tour routes. See our routes page for details.
Shop!
Farmer's Market and Arts & Crafts on the Courthouse Green
Stroll the market from 9am to 4pm Saturday and visit the arts and crafts vendors and produce from the market.
Saturday Afternoon
Be Green!
Visit the Green Fair Environmental Displays on your walk around town and learn about wind and water, and you'll get to hear great music too! This activity is held in special honor of the Bikes, Bands and the Bay weekend. The displays will feature rain barrels, wind/solar power, Cyclists for the Bay, native plants and bee keeping and are
located at the Central UMC on Church Street.
Bay Trails Outfitter kayak sampler
Saturday, May 15th. Try a “kayak sampler” rental for 1 ½-2 hours. As you ride out to Bethel Beach, plan to stop at Bay Trails Outfitter and take a kayak tour of Winter Harbor. You can park your bike at the kayak farm and hop in a kayak for a short paddle around Winter Harbor. It is one of Mathews special harbors for just plain pristine marshland and water views! The rental rate for the Pedal and Paddle for the Tour de Chesapeake is $15 for two hours in a single kayak and $30 for two hours for a tandem kayak. Call Bay Trails Outfitters to serve a space. 804-725-0626 or towne@visi.net
How about a Movie?
4:00- The Mathews Film Society presents "Breaking Away".
Third Floor of the historic Halcyon Building, 40 Court Street entrance, Mathews. Free and open to the public. No reservations necessary. Also showing on the second floor will be a feature film for kids and families. Refreshments available for purchase. For more information about MFS, send an email to mathewsfilmsociety@gmail.com
Saturday Evening
Eat!
Get ready to enjoy some delicious goodies and have your ears treated to a buffet of music. Check out the starter options and our dinner below.
Sausage and Beer Tasting
The Mathews Rotary Club will be your host for a Sausage & Beer tasting from 2pm - 7pm. A real must for
beer lovers! Sample beers from over 16 of Virginia's Best Micro Breweries. Tickets are $25.
The tasting will be located behind the Mathews Memorial Library on Main Street.
Enjoy Mercy Creek as you sip your beer. http://www.mercycreek.com/
To reserve a ticket contact: mclc@3bubbas.com
Wine Tasting
Let The White Dog Inn treat you to a the tastes of Country Vineries from 4pm - 7pm.
The tasting will include small appetizers that will enhance your experience of the wine.
Tickets are $10. If you find you just the right flavor additional glasses of wine will be available at $5. And to make the experience even better the Tanner Creek Whalers will be on hand to serenade you with sea chanties. A perfect way to relax! Tickets are available in advance. Call 804-725-7680.
BBQ Dinner
Don't forget to sign up for a BBQ Dinner at the time of registration so you can fill up as you head to the evening concert.
Relax!
Concert on the Lawn
Relax on your blanket or just stretch out on the green grass and take in the sounds of this free concert by Easy Street Bluegrass. They will not disappoint! The concert time is 5:00pm - 8:00pm. Everyone is welcome.
Check them out!! They are the real deal http://www.easystreetbluegrass.bandvista.com/
Music and Food after 8pm
Donk's Theater
Listen to the music of TROY HEDSPETH. Tickets are $12 and $2 for kids.It is a toe tapping good time at Virginia little ole opery!
intersection of Routes 198 & 223, Hudgins
For ticket information 804-725-7760 or www.donkstheater.com
Sandpiper Reef
Special seafood “porch menu” served at the Sandpiper Reef restaurant; full bar; music by Riptide starting after dinner hours; reservations only required on steamed crabs for six or more. The Sandpiper is located in Hallieford, just off Rte 198.
www.sandpiperreef.netSouthwind Pizza
Enjoy dinner and music with the Gurley Brothers. Whether you want a full dinner or pizza or good seafood sandwiches, Southwind is the place.
Sunday
Something to start your morning off right!
7am-8:15- Ride Recovery Yoga- treat your body, mind and spirit to beginning the day with a flow yoga session designed for cyclists (and their friends)
Meet on the Third Floor of the historic Halcyon Building, 40 Court Street entrance, Mathews
Cost- $12 (10% will be donated to the Mathews Co Land Conservancy) Bring a yoga mat or towel
More info- call Kat 804-854-1769
PEDAL and PADDLE
Join the FreeWheelers, a Mathews local bike group. They meet at 2pm at Liberty Square to ride Mathews style. No reservations needed. Just show up and go for it. www.mathewsfreewheelers.org
The Poddery to Mobjack Tour
The Cyclist for the Bay will leave The Poddery at 9:30 am - 11:30 am and ride to Mobjack Bay. Be prepared to love the great view of Mobjack Bay.. Your guided tour will include an historic narrative about the maritime history of Mobjack Bay and its canning industry. After the ride you can return to The Poddery and get a special guided tour of the artists studio. And be sure to save some time for a bit of great shopping! Contact: Jess Barton JBarton@cbf.org for more details.
Splish......Splash
Or join the The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Educational Canoe Trip led by Brooke Newton. Starting and ending at Williams Wharf Landing. Cost is $20 and includes a lunch on-site when you return to the Wharf.
Contact: Jess Barton JBarton@cbf.org It's first come first serve! Reserve early.
Lighthouse excursion paddle
Sunday, May 16, Bay Trail Outfitters will offer a Lighthouse Island Tour from New Point Observation Platform at 10:00 a.m. The cost (reduced price) is $50 per person. Children aged six through twelve go half-price. Price includes all equipment, basic kayaking instruction, guides, and a post-paddle snack.
Call Bay Trails Outfitters to serve a space. 804-725-0626 or towne@visi.net Toll Free: 888-725-7225
Ongoing Activities
Historic Mathews Courthouse Green
Visit the quaint, historic Courthouse Square and Captain Sally Tompkins Cottage are centrally located in the village business district.
Other points of interest include New Point Comfort Lighthouse, Williams Wharf Landing, Bethel Beach Nature Preserve, Gwynn’s Island Museum, Fort Nonsense, and New Point Comfort Observation Walkway.
Throughout the county you will also find a wide variety of interesting shops and restaurants. Be sure to check out the Mathews County Visitor & Information Center. These helpful folks can make you aware of everything there is to see and do in Mathews County.
Explore the Mobjack Peninsula or Gwynn’s Island on your way home, or if you are staying until Sunday, take a special ride on the Mobjack route, where you can visit the Poddery, the area's largest selection of handmade stoneware pottery, sculpture and tiles, or the Gwynn's Island tour, home of the Gwynn's Island Museum, a wonderful exhibit of life on the island and in Mathews County in the days of old.
Enjoy the spectacular view of the distant New Point Comfort Lighthouse, built circa 1805, from the end of the observation deck.
Visit Bethel Beach Preserve or the newly restored Haven Beach, home of the rare tiger beetle and nesting place for the Least Tern and other wildlife.
Mathews County – A Great Place to Paddle
Few locations offer a better place to paddle than Mathews, a Virginia county that extends south along the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay from the Piankatank River to the Mobjack Bay. It is an area of natural scenic beauty with more than 200 miles of shoreline, three tidal rivers, and fifty navigable creeks. Here you may experience a wide variety of historical and natural sights. Circle the New Point Comfort Lighthouse, tour maritime fishing villages, tidal mills, steamship wharves, and explore miles of pristine beach and salt marsh habitats abounding with wildlife.
