Beaches

VA Beaches

• Buckroe Beach
  Calm waters from the Chesapeake Bay can be enjoyed here. One of two wide public VA Beaches in Hampton, just across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel from Norfolk. Buckroe Beach is especially popular with windsurfers.
• Cape Charles
  A Victorian town with quaint B&Bs and a sandy beach perfect for strolling or for sitting in your favorite beach chair. Take the wooden walkway to the beachfront gazebo or enjoy a healthy bike ride.
• Chincoteague and Assateague
  An uninhabited barrier island with 37 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach. A short causeway connects the sister islands of Assateague and Chincoteague. While Chincoteague offers no actual beachfront, the town and island feature charming B&Bs, motels, restaurants, shops, bicycle rentals, craft galleries and unusual museums. Admission to Assateague is free for those who arrive by bicycle or on foot. Assateague operates two visitors' centers and miles of hiking trails. Saltwater cowboys herd the wild ponies from Assateague across the narrow channel for the annual Pony Penning and Auction in Chincoteague. The area is famous for the wild ponies that reside there.
• Chippokes Plantation State Park
  In rural Surry County in the southeastern part of the commonwealth, Chippokes Plantation State Park maintains 2 miles of beach along the James River. Swimming in the river is not allowed but a large pool provides the opportunity for cooling off. Activities include fishing, canoeing, picnics, hiking, biking, camping and there are cabins too.
• Colonial Beach
  On the Northern Neck of Virginia, a small resort town situated along the Potomac River.
• Grandview Nature Preserve
  Calm waters from the Chesapeake Bay can be enjoyed here. One of two wide public beaches in Hampton, just across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel from Norfolk. Grandview Nature Preserve, a 578-acre property that includes a 2 1/2-mile beach, is geared toward bird and wildlife watchers.
• Kiptopeke State Park
  Virginia's Eastern Shore is home to three notable beaches, connected only to the state's mainland by the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which snakes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Approximately 5 miles past the bridge-tunnel is Kiptopeke State Park on the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay has gentle waters, a 1 1/2-mile nature trail and numerous campsites.
• Northern Neck of Virginia
  The Northern Neck of Virginia stretches between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. It has five small public beaches along the Potomac. The largest is in Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County. Unguarded smaller beaches can be found at Hughlett's Point Natural Area, Westmoreland State Park and VirMar Beach. Colonial Beach is one of the few remaining small seaport towns on the Potomac River. For over a century its sandy beaches and marinas on Monroe Bay have attracted water sporting enthusiasts interested in fishing, sailing, boating, swimming and crabbing.
• Ocean View Beach
  Norfolk's beaches are just 15 miles to the west of Virginia Beach's resort area. Ocean View Beach stretches continuously along nearly 8 miles of the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk's four city beaches are wide with gentle surf, lifeguards in the summer, and picnic pavilions.
• Virginia Beach
  Very large resort beach along the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the city's visitors are drawn to the 3-mile area along the city's oceanfront Boardwalk where numerous hotels and restaurants overlook the beach.