The Smith Island Cultural Center is the best first stop in Ewell. Its small exhibits explain island life, watermen's work, family history, local boats, and the practical realities of living in a place where every person and parcel arrives by water.
It gives useful context before you walk the villages. Smith Island is easy to romanticise from the ferry deck; the centre makes the place more specific, with the daily work, faith, food, and environmental pressure behind the pretty marsh views.