A long-time local favorite, Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, Virginia paved the way for a family of restaurants who specialize in home-cooked seafood and a unique waterside atmosphere. The original restaurant has been a Potomac River staple since its opening in 1994. After a nearly three-decade run of slinging their famous Killa Drillas and serving up piping-hot steamed hardshells, Tim’s original location in Dumfries was forced to close its doors in 2021.
 

The Rivershore building in Dumfries has been around since the early seventies. Originally, the building was just the present-day bar section. It was a family-owned fish, crab, and bait shack. Over the years, different family members from the Dents, Cumberlands, and their neighbors on Cherry Hill Road have run the Rivershore, transforming it from a crab and bait shack to an actual restaurant. Eventually, they added another dining area, multiple kitchens, docks, and decks.

 

Tim's father, Vern Bauckman, used to deliver beer to the Rivershore. Vern often had lunch with Tim at the Rivershore when they spent a day out on their boat in the Potomac River.  The Rivershore had great crabcakes and a fantastic view, but the building was becoming run down along with its reputation. Rumor was if you did not know someone on Cherry Hill, then you did not go to Cherry Hill.

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In June of 1994, Tim decided to purchase the Rivershore from the “grandfathers of Cherry Hill," Buzzy Cumberland and Junior Dent. Tim turned the place from a dank and dingy gunmetal gray building with broken piers and decks to what you see before you today—Prince William County's Best Kept Secret. Tim's Rivershore is a little piece of paradise at the bottom of a crazy road on the picturesque Potomac River. Tim’s serves great seafood and have always tried to provide the friendliest, family atmosphere around.  For years, Tim’s have relied on word-of-mouth advertising to pull them along.

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Tim's Rivershore in Dumfries has been through a couple of floods, hurricanes, and a fire.  They have managed to always recover quite well.  Hurricane Isabel hit the Rivershore hard and outside seating on the deck and tiki bar was lost for a couple of years. The Rivershore was then back in full swing each season and puttered along every winter.  The property was sold to a developer, K.S.I., but remained under Tim's management for the time being.

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Tim’s Rivershore did so well that Tim alongside some partners, Guy Booth, Tommy Thompson, and Dave Wright, decided to open Tim's II at Fairview in the Spring of 2001. Fairview is also located on the Potomac, 16 miles south of the Rivershore, in King George, Virginia.  Fairview carries a similar menu and restaurant style with a few extra items added for fun. Because of its location and the building’s unique position on the water, Tim's II has a Maryland liquor license.

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In June of 2012, Tim’s opened the second edition and third store in Mineral, Virginia on Lake Anna. Tim's at Lake Anna, or some refer to it as Tim's III, keeps the Tim's tradition alive with time-honored recipes and fun signature drinks. Tim's most recent edition, Tim's at Coles Point, opened May of 2016 on the opening of the Potomac River away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

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Over time, the Tim's Rivershore property in Dumfries flopped from developer to developer before being purchased from the now-owner, Potomac Shores. Potomac Shores decided not to renew the Rivershore's lease in March of 2021. The mothership, Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries closed indefinitely in September of 2021 after a long, tumultuous fight. Land lubbers and sea farers with a taste for Tim's do not have to travel far to pay homage to the original with two locations also on the Potomac riverfront and a third location amongst the scenic Lake Anna community.