Best Glamping near Chesapeake, VA

First Landing was great. There are several campsites that range from basic to rv. They even have yurts and cabins to stay in. Easy access to bathrooms, fresh water, and the boardwalk down to the Chesapeake bay. There are so many options for water activities, but since I went during October and it rained, I stuck to hiking the trails and walking the beach. The staff was very accommodating and knowledgeable. The campsite was great too even if a bit close to the main road.

This was our first time staying in a yurt at Kiptopeake State Park. We love staying in the yurts at Virginia State Parks because they are always an affordable, easy way to camping without having to set up a tent or spend the extra money for a cabin. The ones at here are $75/night. This one was awesome! It is hidden down a long walkway from the parking area and is very secluded. The one we stayed in, Yurt 4, only has neighbors on one side. It comes with two picnic tables, a water spigot, fire pit, grill, a big deck around the yurt with rocking chairs, and a refreshing breeze coming off the bay. Unfortunately, the way the yurt is situated, none of that breeze gets inside the yurt and it was very hot inside. Especially if staying here in the summer, I would suggest bringing some fans or a portable a/c for a more comfortable nights sleep. The bathrooms are farther away than I would like with little kids. You have to walk through to the tent campground loop to get to them. Even with a couple negative things about it, I think this is the way to stay here at Kiptopeake and I am already planning our next yurt trip here for next year!

Love this park so much! The beach is amazing. This time we discovered the dog-friendly beach, which was less crowded than the main one. I always like to go out and watch the sunset over the bay, it is magical!

Kiptopeke is absolutely beautiful. Situated along the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore, campers can participate in tons of water fun. There is a boat launch (with tons of parking), a swimming beach, a huge (24-hour) lighted fishing pier, kayak, paddle board and bicycle rentals, a camp store stocked with a little bit of everything, designated campsites for RVs and tents, clean bathhouses with laundry facilities, and miles of beautifully-maintained (easy-to-walk) hiking trails. In addition to campsites, they have one yurt (with electric), four brand new cabins, and several six-bedroom lodges. The concrete ships are an interesting piece of history, and if you look closely along the road leading to the boat launch, you might even see the old motel marquis that used to welcome weary ferry travelers to one of the only motels along their journey.

This family friendly state park and campsite is nestled between the southern shore of the Chesapeake Bay and Shore Drive. Campsites accommodate a range of options from yurts, tents, and RVs. You’ll find locals coming here during the day to access the long sandy Bay side beach, which has gentle waves (perfect for little kids), paddle boarding, etc.

Campers park for free. Sites come in a wide range of shapes, shade, etc. If you are coming to tent camp, you want to choose sites as close to the Bay as possible. Shore Drive runs literally along the south side of this campsite. The road is very active all day and night as a military base is next door to the park.

There are no waterfront sites, but you won’t walk far from your site to the beach or bath houses. We had a two minute walk to the beach from site #14 and a 90-second walk to the bath house- just to give you perspective.

The campsite map on their site isn’t drawn to scale, so keep that in mind. There are tons of hiking/biking trails within the park, plenty of beach access, and a quick 15 minute drive to the Virginia Beach beaches. The Park Store wasn’t open during our stay but ice and firewood can be purchased in the store or office under normal circumstances.

Overall this is a fantastic park to camp in with lots of local options for stores, food, attractions, etc. This is not a quiet or isolated campground, so if you’re looking for that bring your earplugs :)

Honestly, I forgot to put the pics on my other review. Here’s picture of the yurt. Only complaint was the the yurt windows were not facing the bay breeze, so we had to make a wind tunnel

We really enjoyed camping in a yurt. Great dog beach as well!

Stayed in the yurt and also stayed in a cabin. Great location. You feel the wilderness bit are only one mile from grocery stores and restaurants.

One of my favorites. Nice and close to beach, restaurants (hot tuna) (shore break). 7 eleven close by for ice and late night ice cream. Negatives, they need electric and ac in the yurts. Overall good.

Beautiful wild beach covered with crabs, access to kayaks and paddle boards and fishing within walking distance. rangers are very considerate and keep it family friendly. they have yurts for rent as well as tent sites, bathrooms are posh with hot water. convenient water spigots throughout park.

Great location on the Chesapeake bay! Swimming pools if the beach is not your thing. Plenty of planned activities for all ages

You’re sleeping on sand so comfort score is already 5 stars! Not to mention you’re right next to the First Landing State Park beach! The campground and beach is on the corner of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean right above Virginia Beach.

We stayed at site 174 which is one of the sites closest to the beach but on the other side of the road. It was only me and my daughter for this trip but there were man made spaces for up to 3 large person tents!

Our site did not have any good placement for a hammock but many other sites do have great trees for hammocks or slack lines!

Our spot also had water and electric hookup.

Overall great park, great campground, and great experience!

This camp ground is right on the Bay ( Chesapeake) and has nice say dunes all around. You get to witness the Navy working near by as well, which is cool.

First landing State Park is a 2,888 acre park located on 1.8 miles of the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay. We camped here in early May in our 34 ft Class A Rv. If you are familiar with us, you will know we love campgrounds where we park our RV and we can spend the next 10-14 days hiking 🥾, biking 🚴‍♀️ and paddling 🛶.

🛶You can easily launch your kayak from the campground area but realize you will be trudging through sand for about 200 yards. When the bay was rough, it was a challenging paddle... and worth the views.

🎣I paid for an out of state fishing license for 5 days and it was pretty expensive. I already keep GA and FL yearly fishing licenses...so I may have to rethink my fishing addiction as we travel more outside those states. There is a boat 🚤ramp near the Narrows beach which is either free or costs $4 for people staying at the Park. (We didn’t use it and the wording was contradictory in my research) so check with park on that item if you tow a motorized boat.

🥾20 miles of Trails!! Lots of trails to hike and mountain/hybrid bike. We were surprised at the quality and the number of trails available. We were never bored. Here is a link to the hikes

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/data/trail-guide-firstlanding.pdf

🚴It was also fun to road bike the 10 miles from the state park to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk but we advise you take cautions on the first 2 miles outside the park. We were NOT there “in season” but during certain times of year there is a trolley 🚃 that goes to the boardwalk, gift shop and lots of park activities during the season.

🚍⛺️This campground delivered! The 184 Campsites with variations of 20/30/50amp electric and water (some sites may be seasonal March-December) sites are mostly hard sand/grass based and not all are level. Due to foilage/branches —>many of the larger sites near the waterfront are narrowed (Our camping neighbor had branch clippers he let us borrow) Also, note is that there is a $5 per pet per night additional fee at the campsite

🏡they have lots of cabins. pets are allowed for a $10 fee per pet & per night in the 20 cabins but not in the 4 available yurts. (I know that seems high but many parks in other states do not allow pets at all in their cabins) Here is a link to a pdf about the park

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/data/facility-guide-firstlandingnorth.pdf

We are excited to come to this park this upcoming April.

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

We camped at Kiptopeke State Park in a Super C Dynamax DX3. We enjoyed this park a lot because we had a great site. The majority of the sites in the Kiptopeke State park are on the open space. All sites are spacious, clean and green, but there is nowhere to hide from the sun. There are very few shaded ones and we were lucky to get one of those. Kiptopeke State park has two unguarded beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. Kiptopekes northern swim beach is nearly half a mile long. The south beach, which is even longer is open to swimming, fishing, boating and dogs are allowed on leash. And its absolutely beautiful! We have a video about this park in our YouTube channel- Summertime RV Rovers- RV Campgrounds in Maryland and Virginia: Kiptopeke State Park and Outstanding Dreams Alpaca Farm. Please check for yourself.

Quiet-secluded sites right on the beach!

Pros-

Quiet location 

Beach trails

Beach Access close by overlooking the Chesapeake Bay

Lots of food and stores near by

Dump station

Little Aquarium

Boardwalk

Cons-

Very tight spots and roads leading in (we are 37ft)

No sewer at sites

Gorgeous waterfront sites on the Chesapeake Bay. Amenities include multiple pools, large fishing docks, beach area, large well-stocked campstore, restaurant, fresh produce stand, activities, great for kids and adults. Full hookups, plenty of firewood on site at a good price.

Tons of family fun! Cherrystone is located right on the Chesapeake Bay, and every site has a beautiful view. From camp fires, to crabbing and fishing, or organized gamea and entertainment... Cherrystone has it all! This is definitely a favorite of ours.

Spent a hot & humid week here tent camping. Tent sites are packed in close among live oaks- lending towards a mystical experience, weather depending. RV/camper sites a tight as well. Beach is within walking distance and located near the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Definitely recommend taking a short drive over to The Narrows, also part of First Landing State Park, for a change of scenery.

I stayed in one of their cottages during October. The cottage is furnished, has a queen size bed and 2 sets of bunk beds; nice living room/dining room combo, full kitchen with dishes, pots, etc.; TV; fireplace; outside deck with grill; and screen porch. There is also a firepit for enjoying the relaxing fire and evening quiet. You have to bring your own firewood. There is a grocery store about 6 minutes away for convenience. Trails, access to the Chesapeake Bay, Spanish moss. manned Visitor Center, privacy and security.

1st Landing has

This campground was previously called Sunset Beach until this season. Now run by KOA, there have been numerous upgrades. There are now patio sites in addition to a wide range of other types. Campground sits in the Chesapeake Bay. There is a dog friendly beach, a restaurant on the water and various water sport rentals available. The bathhouses and laundry were in amazing shape. A large camp store that has all the essentials. Food Lion is about 10 minutes away. Quick tip:. Head to the aqua farm for a great deal on oysters and clams.

Our family stayed at site 99 which is close to the bathhouse and camp host. It is also on one of the small roads that leads to a boardwalk to the beach. Thete are 4 boardwalks to the beach over the dunes so keep that in mind when booking your site. This is a pretty big campground and thereare many trees which are dense and it keeps a lot of the campsites private even though they may be close to each other. Some areas are more open with less privacy. The bathhouses are clean but not climate controlled in the summer so be ready for heat and humidity after showering. The staff, camp hosts, and rangers were allvery helpful. The campground is situated on the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach. We loved the beach here because we have six small grandkids and they could play in thewater without the worry of large waves and heavy tides. The park also has many awesome trails that you can walk or bike. Also, dogs are totally allowed on the beach as long as they are on a leash during any time of the day or night. There are no lifeguards on duty. There are many tent sites and e/w hook up sites. It definitely seemed to be tent heavy while we were there this time. We loved our stay here and have already booked a time to go back in April.

Very quiet getaway for Hampton roads Wether you are on the Chesapeake bay side Or on the broad bay side Which gives a sort of nostalgic cove feeling to it It’s the go to Weekend getaway
Campsites Cabins Trails Beaches With people living around the broad Bay Area And people coming in through the front gates themselves There’s a very strong feeling of community within this place Enough people to multiply the fun But not beyond a point that feels crowded And all this is just within its limits ! Right outside this parks limits are the cities amenities and pleasures to be enjoyed via a very short commute (about 10 min or less) *Incase someone forgets the s’mores :) *

We stayed at this State Park campground for 1 night. The tent sites are decent, shaded by pine trees and on a sandy terrain. There’s a water spigot but no electricity. The RV sites (where my friends stayed) are not very nice, the RVs are parked very close to each other and there’s no trees for shade or to hang an hammock. The bathouse is ok. It was warm when we went so they had the AC running. I've seen cleaner bathouses but it was overall fine. The park offers hiking and biking trails, but the main attraction is the beautiful beach on the Chesapeake Bay. You can rent a kayak or fish from the pier.