Best Cabin Camping near Colonial Heights, VA

Camped on a Friday night, had site 106. It was a really nice site: set back a bit from the road, fairly wooded, not a long walk to the bathhouse water/electric hook-ups, and a long back-in driveway. Nice fire ring with grill (that had been cleaned), lantern/trash pole, picnic table. Pea gravel tent pad. Honor pay wood.

After a neighboring camper left we noticed they were disinfecting the campsites very well. Picnic tables, electric/water areas, fire pit areas, poles, etc. were all getting sprayed down between campers.

Walked around the trails on Saturday. The trail around Beaver Lake was a really nice 2.5 mile loop. Gorgeous in November. Like most weekends, a bit busy on a Saturday. Everything’s open right now, and masks are required in common areas, bath houses, etc.

What a beautiful park! Over 1500 acres with 40 sites, this trip was the start of the camping season for me- the opening weekend for camping in State Parks in VA(COVID-19). The park and grounds are extremely well-maintained. I was very happy to see such a clean bathhouse, especially during the current pandemic. Each staff member I encountered was extremely helpful and polite. The park has lots of trails, miles of open meadows, and James River access. Great park for bicycling. The sites in the River Bend Campground(main campground) are private and wooded, especially this time of year when the trees are so full. The map makes it look like they’re really close together so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to my site, which was the las time available for booking(#16). There are 29 tent/RV sites and three yurts. The sites are gravel and include a picnic table, lantern/trash pole, and a fire pit with grill gate. Theres also a group site for 24 or so, bit that’s not open at the moment due to state restrictions. There’s overflow parking for the campground, dumpsters, and a dump station. Some are pull-through for RVSs and many have water/electric. Wood is for sale at the park but no ice or refreshments. Pet-friendly. There are also laundry facilities at the main bathhouse, nice hot/cold showers. Many picnic areas and a playground. There’s also a canoe-in site with 8 primitive sites: no water, electricity, or facilities(there’s a pit toilet). Depending on the time of the year they might be in the flood zone if the river is high, which it was during this trip. Some of those sites can also be booked for hiking into- it’s only a 0.2 walk from the parking lot. Tabb Monument State Park is nearby if you’re working your way through the parks as I am (no overnight facilities there). You’re also about 10-15 minutes from the town of Powhatan so if you need groceries or gas, you’re not far from Sheetz, Food Lion, etc. Loved this park so much and will definitely be returning!!!

This campground is beautiful! We have been here multiple times but have only car camped here one night. This park has trails, a sprayground, playground, camping, cabins, nature center, and picnic areas. I love this park. It really is beautiful. We stayed here one night for a vintage scooter rally. The bathrooms were very clean and well lit. It was nice and quiet and I love the campsites themselves. It was a nice site with a picnic table, lantern holder, and tent pad. The camp store was closed by the time we arrived but we had everything we needed. We even did a little Geocaching fun while we were there. I love this park and look forward to more camping hopefully next year. They do have yurts and cabins too. Great place for stargazing but city lights are close by.

This was the first time camping with just my grandson and me, and I looked forward to him playing in the water, playing at the playground, fishing, and kayaking on the water. Unfortunately, the pandemic restrictions caused the playgrounds, the boat rental, and the swimming complex to be closed. With no swim beach and no play area, that stretched my imagination to keep him entertained. I took this into consideration when reviewing this campground, but there were other reasons for disappointment. 

According to the website, you can purchase a fishing license at the park office. This was not true, so I had to drive seven miles to purchase one. While I was there, I also bought two bags of ice since it was more reasonable than the price at the campground. When I was ready to dispose of the trash, I discovered that the nearest trash disposal was not within a reasonable walking distance, so driving to the trash bin was the best option. The sites were level, and many of them were either paved or gravel. I liked the separation and privacy between most of the campsites. The lower numbered sites had lots of shade. Unfortunately, most of those had been reserved. The site we had was large, but the shade was minimal. I guess the site being so large is a double-edged sword. We had a small teardrop, and the distance from our little kitchenette in the back of the camper to the picnic table on the gravel pad was quite a walk to carry a heavy cooler by yourself.

I’m glad I wasn’t staying in a tent this time. The gravel pad between the pull-through and the picnic table would not have been pleasant. The two nights that we stayed at this campground, the temperature was in the mid-90s for most of the day, so not being able to swim made us miserably hot. The worst part, however, was going to the bath house and shower. The showers were large, and the bath house was clean, but there was NO ventilation. There were no windows or exhaust fan. Stepping inside was like stepping into a sauna. Immediately after turning off the water in the shower, I started sweating from the heat in the shower. It looked as though there might have been a heater, but without having ventilation during the summer, it was TERRIBLE planning. 

There is a boat ramp, but when I got there, it said“swimming prohibited.” I was hoping my five-year-old grandson could at least play in the water. I let him anyway(technically, he wasn’t swimming). The boat ramp is small, and motors are not allowed. The only place to fish was really from a boat. There were not many places from the shore to cast. Fortunately, we did take a kayak with us. At the boat launch site, there was a swing set, but it was also closed. To get to the boat ramp and lake, we had to drive 1.8 miles to get there, which isn’t a bad thing, but everything(camp store, trash dump, etc.) seemed out of walking distance. We got a chance to hike a little on one of the trails, which was fairly easy. If the whole family would have come camping with us, I could have tried one of the bike trails. From the campground, I saw one of the bike trails, which looked pleasantly challenging. 

There are two camp stores, but the one within walking distance of the campground was closed for the summer. The camp store near the entrance was a decent size, but you would have to drive to it from the campground. There are picnic shelters, meeting facilities, a CCC museum(which was closed), a snack bar(which was closed), and laundry facilities. Overall, it wouldn’t be such a bad campground to stay at if everything was open.  Also, despite so many things not being open (swim complex, all of the playgrounds, one of the camp stores, the boat rentals, the CCC museum, etc.), I was charged FULL PRICE!!!  However, even with everything open, there are reasons I would prefer to camp elsewhere next time.

Anvil Campground is a 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013 winner of the "Certificate of Excellence" from TripAdvisor! They rank in the top 10% of all businesses on TripAdvisor! They are one of the highest rated parks in the country and a first-class campground that prides themselves on being the best. They have the best customer service, high-end hotel style restrooms, premium log-cabins, first-class hookups, fast WIFI, cable, the best location, and the only shuttle services for a Williamsburg campground. Anvil Campground has been here since 1954 for a reason. For 64 years and three generations, they have provided great family memories for countless families. Theywill always be the right Williamsburg campground choice, because there is nothing that they will not do to make their guests happy.

Awesome things to see here! It’s been a working farm since 1619 with beautiful gardens and livestock. The mansion and outbuildings are pretty cool as well.

Restrooms were not very clean. Each time I went to the ladies room, the door was propped wide open, and when I went to brush my teeth in the morning the counters were covered in moths and bugs and gnats. Yuck. The showers were ok.

Ice is $3 and you can grab that from the camp host if it’s after 4pm which is when the store closes. It’s cash only, exactly change. Wood is $6 and there’s a metal box - pay on your honor.

The beaches were very nice. You’re on the Cobham Bay vs. right on the river and in the dead of the summer, the water is sooo unpleasantly warm. You can wade out at the very least 100 yards and still be less than knee-deep, water still hot. The access to the little beaches are short but moderately steep, especially with lots of beach gear or strollers. It also seems to get washed out so watch your steps.

The little visitor center near the water access has cold drinks, souvenirs, ice cream, etc. They obv. accept credit cards. You can bring your dog into this area. There’s also a little wildlife info center and restrooms in the same buildings. There are also areas for day use and a good sized parking lot near the water access.

Straight across the river is Jamestown and Williamsburg, which is cool. I think I was told it’s about four miles across. That being said... those are your closest grocery stores and you have to take the Jamestown Ferry to get there. There is a Dollar General near the park, for odds and ends. Just make sure to stop in advance for what you need because you won’t find much in Surry.

Stopped at the Surry Seafood Co. for lunch and it was ok. Food and service was mediocre, but there was a nice water view from the deck. Was looking forward to stopping for some shrimp to cook that night from Colonial Seafood market but after walking in, I walked right back out. It was so unclean and didn’t smell fresh at all.

We took a beautiful drive around the plantation. The cabins look great and we’ll definitely try those out next time. There were corn fields and soybeans for miles. Such a great park due to its history.

Campsites themselves were pretty nice; not too close together. Our site had the tent pad down away from the picnic table and fire ring which was kind of nice. It was really shady, too. Room for hammocks.

Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad, lantern pole. Verizon service was great.

PROS 

Perfect campground to explore the Historical Triangle 

Campground along Virginia Capital Bike Trail, which was an excellent riding trail 

Site#335 level side-to-side 

Sandy gravel site 

Moveable plastic wood picnic table 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

Shady site 

Wood and ice for sale at Guest Services 

Slight river view from Site#335 

Toilet/shower building clean 

Pool 

CONS 

Overused James City County Park…definitely needs some TLC applied 

Check-in clerk very curt and extremely non-customer service oriented 

Never saw a camp host site or the actual camp host 

Weirdly laid out full hook up campground. Some sites are 20 ft long 

Sites are extremely close to each other 

Had to park tow vehicle next to trailer due to short length of site 335

Tight roadway thru full hook up campground 

Dirt roadways = dusty 

Empty campsites were heavily littered

No privacy from neighbor sites 

Extremely low water pressure even when campground is not fully occupied 

No gate or controlled access to campground so lots of gawking drive thrus 

Lots of speed bumps throughout park 

Site#335 fire ring filled with ash upon arrival 

Toilet/shower building lit up like a Christmas tree all night long

Street lights throughout campground 

Road noise from VA5 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon

This is a really nice campground. They have on-site bathrooms/showers as well as laundry. It's mostly RV spots but they also allow tent camping and have a couple cabins available for rent. They have a dog park area, playground and pool. The store has items for purchase and a gathering room. They do potlucks and get togethers often for the campers. The staff is very friendly and super helpful. You can purchase firewood and propane on-site. Each spot has a concrete padded area with a picnic table and fire pit. It is a little ways out of town in any direction bit it's very nice and quiet out here as you're surrounded by woods. They also have a fishing pond and trails on-site. This really is one of the best campgrounds I've ever been to! Definitely recommend.