Great suggestions above- have lived in the Tidewater area of Virginia for 15 years and it is a beautiful place. If you want to get a taste of some smaller coastal towns, there is a great area about 45 minutes-1 hour from Williamsburg called the Northern Neck. Most of the towns are on the Chesapeake Bay and the many rivers that feed into it. Fall is one of my favorite times to go there- prime oyster season and you can experience the fall color without the congestion of the Shenandoah. The Virginia tourism organization has a great site with lots of tips organized by region- just look for the area around the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the waterfront towns are Urbanna, Deltaville, and Irvington. Awesome place for oysters is in Topping. It's called Merroir- nothing but oysters and a beautiful setting on the Rappahannock River.
Sorry, this is my first ever post - don't have my Ag tag linked. Trying to figure all of this out. Enjoy!
Merroir- great oyster place [url=https://www.rroysters.com/restaurants/merroir]
Va Tourism Site[/url]