Best Cabin Camping near Norfolk, VA

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.

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!

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.