Early in 1983, Ron and Tina Pack were on a boat cruise with friends in the upper Chesapeake Bay.  During that cruise, it became apparent that their newly adopted town of Smithfield was every bit as nice as the popular destination points of the upper bay communities, with the exception of the waterfront development, which left a lot to be desired.

The original site, now occupied by the Station, is the former "Tennis Seafood."  It was purchased in 1983 and photographs of the old buildings can be seen in our front lobby.  Subsequent purchase of land across the street from the Station has become the basis for our parking lot.  Many different types of permits had to be obtained including Historic Review, Corps of Engineers, VMRC etc.

The main building is built entirely over the water and sits on 110 piles that are 88 feet long (that is about 20 feet taller that from the parking lot to the top of the tower).  It is modeled after the old Coast Guard life saving stations (hence the name "Station") that proliferated the coast of Virginia and Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It was completed and occupied on November 23, 1986.

The lighthouse is a reproduction of the lighthouse from Hoopers Strait in Maryland and that is now a part of the Maritime Museum in St. Michael's, Maryland.  As far as we know, it is the only Lighthouse in Virginia where you can spend the night.  There were several lighthouses similar to ours in the James River, but they have all been destroyed.  We used the Maryland lighthouse as a model because we could touch and measure it to make sure of certain exterior details.  It was completed and occupied in December of 1994.

In 2001 we transformed one of our dining rooms and our tiny bar into The Inner Banks (IBX), a more informal bar and grille with its own menu and live entertainment.  IBX has become a favorite watering hole for locals and visitors alike.

Smithfield Station has remained a family business with sons Randy and Brian joining the ownership and management.  With the two sons now fully involved their seemed no better time than to take on their largest expansion to date.  A brand new 30,000 square foot boutique style hotel and marina complex first began on paper and then slowly rose from the banks of the Pagan. 

The Lodge at Smithfield Station was born and opened in July 2007.  The new hotel added many necessities that had been lacking in the original building including an elevator, centralized check in and 22 additional hotel rooms effectively doubling our rooms to a total of 44.  Also thirty six new marina slips were added to help accommodate the need for an expanding marine business.  On the first floor of the new buildings are retail shops that offer everything from a marine store to that perfect little gift to take home to a loved one.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Smithfield.  If we can do anything to make your dining experience more enjoyable, please let us know!

To be continued .....