1. Cape Charles Beach

    1. Cape Charles Beach

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    Cape Charles, VA

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    Cape Charles Beach

    4.6 (29 reviews)

    Cape Charles Beach Photos

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    Reviews With Photos - Cape Charles Beach

    Mini Neptune
    Alison M.

    This is not a huge beach but it's beautiful and clean with soft powdery white sand. There is easy parking and you can walk the length of it and find somewhere the sit and enjoy the ocean and waves. It has a few piers and a miniature Neptune Statue (King Neptune from 31st St in Virginia Beach) at one end and a Virginia "LOVE" sign at the other that is perfect for a family photo op. I love this beach. I'm not much of a sand and sun person but this is a lovely smaller beach.

    Neptune
    Myra C.

    We took a short stroll along the beach. It's early April and there is a slight chill in the air. The beach was not crowded and the sand fine white. Beautiful. The best was their statue of King Neptune, he is so handsome and strong!

    Pam W.

    Lovely beach and a cute town. We went late in the season (September) and the locals seemed to be over all the visitors. Can't say that I blame them but the tourists provide income, so it's sort of a good thing to be patient and kind to them.

    Boardwalk to the Pier.
    Gilbert G.

    This a beautiful beach with sand dunes and calm waves on the "bay side" which is ideal for small kids. Our family stopped in late December to check out the public fishing pier, which is easy to find and begins near the LOVE sign. The water is clean and the light white sand resembled an ocean beach. Street parking was free and easy to find. The length of the fishing pier and nice displays of different types of fish available to catch in the Chesapeake Bay were pleasant surprises. Also, you have a tremendous view of the expansive bay with large container ships on the horizon. Although it was too cold and blustery for us to remain on the pier for an extended period of time, we hope to return when it's warmer!

    Lauren K.

    Full disclosure, we didn't swim here. We had a golf cart while we were in Cape Charles and found ourselves zipping up to this periodically to check out the view and enjoy the Greek god statue prominently on display near the street. It's an absolutely beautiful statue that illuminates gorgeously amongst a blue sky. Being from Cleveland, I never quite got used to their body of water not having waves. But I could definitely appreciate the pristine, neat beach as a huge asset to this community! The Cape Charles beaches are more wading pools, and because of that, you'll see many families relaxing about. I can appreciate this beach's easy access to the historic main street district and the close proximity to where most of the houses are located. If you're visiting Cape Charles, you'll most certainly find yourself stopping at this white-sanded beach to take in the sites.

    Marcella A.

    My family and I made it in time before another down pour of rain . This beach is absolutely beautiful. I loved the long board walk to get to the beach or either it stretches out as if you wanted to go fishing. Definitely check out this beach you won't be disappointed.

    John B.

    It's a stretch of public beach on the bay, which is something that actually doesn't happen all that much. So much of the bay is either not amenable to visitors or is privately owned. It was very shallow water with ample seaweed, and besides the pier, there were plenty of other places for activities, windsurfing included. It's easy to park around here, and there were restrooms, which were depicted as being a boy scout project (and which did not lock! Use caution). It's pleasant, but not exciting, worth visiting only as part of a greater trip.

    Joe D.

    Cape Charles Beach is a awesome waterfront beach located on the "bay side" of Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. I've visited this beach often over the years as we have family friends living over in Cape Charles. The sand is almost white and the water is never to rough like it can get over on the sea side of the Eastern Shore. You can take long walks along both sides of the berm and the beach itself has 3 easy access points. Each access point also has a wooden walkway. My favorite is the south entrance by the big LOVE sign. That wooden walkway is actually a small pier and you can walk out quite a way and a have a great view of the downtown Cape Charles and the marina. All in all I highly suggest a visit. It's a great place for a family retreat or if you just want to spend some time with your significant other. There's plenty of bed & breakfasts around Cape Charles to make your stay comfortable.

    Heather B.

    In love! So cute! Small little beach! We love it hear! We have been trying to visit during the off peak times and it has been a win for us. The beach has never been packed. The water is pretty shallow throughout. It is very picturesque. The sand is soft, and fine. There are a few entrances off of the street. There is also free parking along the street. If you live in the Hampton Roads area it is about 60-75 min away. It is the perfect day trip!

    Fishing pier
    J David H.

    I was absolutely surprised at how much I enjoyed my few days at Cape Charles Beach. Although I have driven by the area i have never went onto the beach. Cape Charles itself is a destination if you have not been to you should. Lots of quaint shops and my new favorite brown dog ice-cream. But the beach is a real selling point to the community in the Summer. Parking is all off street and was plentiful on the weekday that I visited. The selling points to the beach are that it's wide, clean and the Chesapeake Bay is so warm. A drawback for those that wants waves is to move on, this is not your beach. It is a family beach as I witnessed. There are public restrooms, but no areas that i could find to just rinse off, but not saying that I did not miss them. There is a nice fishing pier that I will include in this review since there is no check-in for it. I also witnessed many family fishing off the pier and having a great time. There was some debris around, but nothing huge. There were also some boards that needed shored up, but overall I felt safe. It's a nice place for photos as is the VA LOVE sign at the entrance to the pier. Most of who will read this review will be in HRVA. It is only a 35 min drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and usually no traffic and no back ups which is refreshing for us. It is worth a day trip to see what this lovely area has to offer.

    The most amazing beach . I love coming here for the day and the location in such a quaint cute little town. Second time coming here and I don't hesitate to come back each year.

    View from pier

    Great family beach. Especially for little ones or grandparents as there are no waves. Just a Bay. Most visitors were very pleasant. Food truck Gordo's is on sight usually Friday, Saturday . They are pricey but food is good. Must wear face-mask in area which is understandable. Most shops ask you to use hand sanitizer before you shop. Gift stores cute but very pricey. Fishing or crabbing is a fun treat for the whole family. Wish visitor's would clean up after themselves. Golf carts are available to rent$$$.

    Current events for the 4th of July
    Maria D.

    I love to travel and experience new places and had been following the Young House Love blog for a few years. They had purchased and restored a pink house in Cape Charles. As I followed along I feel in love with the pastel colored homes they featured in their neighborhood. While I knew very little about this quaint beach town I knew I wanted to visit and see the adorable homes myself. Usually I'm the type of person that makes lists and plans things to a tee. For this experience I went in with no itinerary or knowledge of what was in the area to do. We booked an Airbnb in nearby Eastville. It was a short 15 minute drive to the beach of Cape Charles. The area outside of the few block radius of historic Cape Charles is very, very rural, something we weren't expecting (more on that later). If you are coming for the beach I would highly suggest when finding accommodations to search for HISTORIC Cape Charles. Anything outside of that district will be rural and have very different architecture. Upon arriving the beauty of the historic neighborhood did not disappoint. The houses were quaint and colorful and all very well maintained. We even found the bloggers home which was the inspiration behind our vacation and was just as beautiful in person. The beach was equally impressive and the closest to a Florida beach that I've encountered. The sand is white and clean, the water warm and clear. It's essentially waveless as it's the bay and you can walk out for about a mile and still not be knee deep. It's quiet and family friendly. There's shells and hermit crabs to be discovered. A nice fishing pier and two small restrooms greet you as soon as you come into town. Parking everywhere is easy to secure and free! There's no meters or pay lots. Golf carts are the preferred method of transportation and you can drive them on the streets. But if you want to rent one be advised that you must make your reservations at least a year in advance. Cape Charles is very sleepy, there's only a handful of retailers and restaurants, which don't open till later in the day. The shops were very specialized, although we did find a hardware store that did sell some beach supplies. You won't find your normal boardwalk variety of beach shops and pizza joints here. There isn't a boardwalk but a nice bayside sidewalk that takes you from one end of town to the next. Aside from two boutique hotels accommodations are private rentals or home ownership. If you're a young adult looking to indulge in the nightlife scene this isn't your beach. If you're a family with young children or just love lounging on the shore than this is your spot. While I loved the warm water and clean beach there is a serious boredom factor one must consider. When I say a handful of retailers and restaurants I mean it. Outside of this several block area it's very, very rural. There's a few places to eat in Exmore, but it's a 40 minute drive and the choices aren't worth the gas. It's a drive to the grocery store. The nearest movie theater or bowling alley is about 40 miles away, even the Walmart will put you in the car for a while. There's no malls and literally nothing to see or do outside of being on the beach. We stayed for 3 days and within 2 hours' time we experienced the beach and were in every store. We struggled to find stuff to do and decent places to eat. So much so that we only ate two meals a day (one provided by our hostess) because the food scene was so lame and the struggle was real. Had I known this beforehand we would have made Cape Charles a pit stop to somewhere else instead of staying here. But as far as the beach itself is concerned it's my favorite outside of Florida and I'm basing this review on the BEACH and not overall experience and area. My advice: If you come make sure that's where you'll want to spend the majority of your time. Pack all your essentials as it's a long drive if you forget something. Book your golf cart well in advance. Plan your meals and supplies so you're able to cook them yourself. Explore lodging options in HISTORIC Cape Charles and not the outskirts. Bring a book or other forms of entertainment. The boredom is real! SIDENOTE: We have T-Mobile service and had none in this area OUR ENTIRE STAY, it's so rural even our OnStar wouldn't load directions until we got into Virginia Beach or Salisbury. Outside of the occasional free wifi be prepared to be unplugged.

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    7 years ago

    An excellent beach for families with small children, peaceful waves, clean, and an enjoyable experience to be there for a week.

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    Ask the Community - Cape Charles Beach

    Review Highlights - Cape Charles Beach

    Our family stopped in late December to check out the public fishing pier, which is easy to find and begins near the LOVE sign.

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    Savage Neck Dunes

    Savage Neck Dunes

    4.4
    (5 reviews)
    4.0 mi

    It's a strange thing to try to put a Yelp rating to, because this is a small park. When they say…read moreonly eight parking spots and nowhere else in the area to park or access the trails, they mean it. And when you hit the beach, you'll struggle to walk far in either direction amongst the driftwood. It was maybe a little over an hour visit for me, and maybe you could push it a little more if you did all the side trails. But I guess the thing for me is that I don't really have any desire to see them do anything different with the space. While much of the shoreline is developed or inaccessible, this area offers a fascinating variety of landscapes. The flora shift dramatically and suddenly, and you don't need signage to tell you where one zone ends and another begins. The diversion off of the main highway is not a huge one, and it is an interesting and worthwhile site.

    Full disclosure. We weren't able to fully experience this area because sunset was already…read morehappening. If coming from downtown Cape Charles, the parking lot will be on your right. Look for the kiosk sign, it's a small dirt parking lot. It's easy to miss if you don't pay attention. The lot is said to house 8 cars. Trails are not paved and consist of a mixture of dirt, root laden and sand terrain. There is a small boardwalk to cross on one of the trails that leads to beach access that veers to the right. The trail that leads to the right is roughly Half a mile to slightly a 3/4 mile to the beach. I recommend wearing shoes and not flip flops. I did have shoes on. The starting trails have plenty of shade. We only took one of the three trails due to limited time and it was dark by the time we made it back. They do close the gate by sunset. I happened to be too busy looking at my phone on the way back and actually walked right into the gate. If you do go to catch the sunset, make sure you give yourself at least 10-15 minutes to get back or else you will be stuck using your cellphone flashlight to find your way back or maybe bring a headlight just in case. Also, I didn't have cellphone service, so make sure if you visit in the evening, that you let people know of your whereabouts, prior to heading out in case of an emergency. On the website they say there are no bathrooms, but I happened to see a port a potty on one part of the trail. It looks like a nice place to take walks and explore. I would like to go back and check out the other trails.

    Photos
    Savage Neck Dunes
    Sunset
    Sunset
    Savage Neck Dunes

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    Cape Charles Natural Preserve

    Cape Charles Natural Preserve

    3.5
    (2 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Nice small trail not much parking but enjoyable good view of the woods saw a deer squirrel lots of…read morewildlife very nice secluded little noisy from the factory next-door but overall pretty nice

    Round up to 3.5 stars If you have to cross the CBBT like us…read moreand pay the hefty toll, I would tack on other places to check out while in Cape Charles. It's not an extensive area as I had thought with lots of access. I would say it would take 30 minutes to explore the area. Maybe 45 minutes to an hour if you just want to sit for a while and look at the overlooks from the boardwalk of the bay. The boardwalk to the right dead ends to the beach, and then if you back track there is another boardwalk that leads to another dead end that overlooks the woods with a partial view of the water. The trails to the right are shaded. But the ones to the left are more open but still surrounded by trees. There are three access points via the boardwalk on the left of the sign. If you have a wheelchair or knee scooter or stroller it may be better to access the boardwalk right in front of the Fuji film building since it's paved from the street. However the access point to the left from the park sign has a dirt path before you reach the boardwalk. All the boardwalks to the left do not connect directly to one another. One has to go to another dirt path to reach the other parts. Bring bug spray. The lot is small. There are two places where you can park. One is in front of the sign that can hold two cars and then adjacent to that a spot that can hold another two cars. It's a nice quiet tucked away area to take a short walk. We went across the street to see if there was more to it. We didn't think the area across the street is part of it, so we didn't head that way. It didn't seem to be a part of it? Not sure. Definitely don't go to the end of the street. We thought for sure it was part of the preserve, but there was a sign that was clearly marked PRIVATE PROPERTY no trespassing, so we turned around. We didn't see much wildlife at the preserve, except a ghost crab on the beach and one squirrel. Unfortunately, we ended up seeing a deceased fawn. :-( It looked like it had just recently passed away and was still intact.

    Photos
    Cape Charles Natural Preserve
    Cape Charles Natural Preserve
    Board walk that leads to the bay view

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    Board walk that leads to the bay view
    Sun Outdoors Cape Charles

    Sun Outdoors Cape Charles

    3.2
    (20 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    We had an amazing first stay at Sun Outdoors Cape Charles…read more From the moment we arrived, the staff welcomed us and made sure we had a great trip. The greeting we received from the friendly bearded gentlemen at the gate station set the positive tone and made us smile. The sites are relatively flat and took minimal effort to level our camper. Good water pressure and a solid Wi-Fi signal. Our initial site had a view of the pond and the bay. Unfortunately, there was a small electrical issue the first morning of our visit. I called maintenance and within three minutes they arrived and began trouble shooting the issue. Very friendly and professional. The team (Cody & Steve) worked to identify the issue (faulty breaker inside the travel trailer parked beside us). We understood their frustration and offered to move sites if that would work. The team quickly got us a new site in a different loop and within 30 minutes we were packed and set up on the new site, which had amazing views of the bay. The maintenance team stopped back that evening and the next day to check on us, which was very impressive. Amenities were great from the adult only pool beside the water and the family pools to the fun activities planned each day. The general store was well stocked and the café had a nice range of menu items, including huge scoops of Hershey's ice cream. The only minor minus we encountered is the bayside beach is lackluster and not inviting to lounge on, but the pool made up for that. There is a shuttle that will take you into town and runs on a regular/as needed basis. Walt is the man in the shuttle and is more of your personal tour guide. Give him a call and he will take you where you need to go! Overall, it was an amazing visit and we will definitely be back and hope to see the amazing staff again next year.

    This was our family's first trip to Sun Outdoors Virginia. We originally booked an 8-night stay but…read moredecided to leave a day early because we had run out of things to do. The campground is in a fairly secluded location, so entertainment options are limited, especially on hot days. Cape Charles is about 15 minutes away and is a quaint, charming town with a few boutiques and three ice cream shops. Many of the shops and restaurants have limited hours, and the dining options tend to be more upscale than family-friendly, which made it a little harder to find meals that appealed to our younger kids. Virginia Beach is about an hour away if you're looking for more activities, but keep in mind you'll pay about $15 each way to cross the bridge-tunnel, adding roughly $30 in tolls to every round trip. The campground itself is very large. Our kids loved the pools, although they close at 8:00 p.m. The jumping pillows were also a big hit, but they have very little shade, making them difficult to enjoy during the hottest part of the day. They also close at 8:00 p.m. The private beach is a nice feature. Since it's on the bay, the water is shallow and calm with no waves, making it great for younger children. However, the beach could benefit from more regular grooming. There was quite a bit of debris in the sand, and daily raking like many public beaches do would make a noticeable improvement. One concern we had was the lack of rule enforcement. Staff members were frequently driving around in golf carts, but we rarely saw them addressing unsafe behavior. There were many clearly underage kids driving golf carts and riding around at high speeds with little regard for pedestrians or cyclists. My husband was nearly hit by an intoxicated golf cart driver while riding his bike, and my son was knocked completely off his bike by a child on a motor scooter. We also witnessed a group of young girls parked beside the pool fence openly smoking marijuana. While I don't expect an overly strict campground, a greater focus on safety would have made us feel much more comfortable. Our campsite was clean, level, and well maintained. One thing we found odd was that there were no fire rings. It appeared they may have been removed, which led many campers to create their own fire pits directly on their sites. That didn't seem like the safest solution. Depending on your site's location, mosquitoes and other bugs can also be quite bad, particularly near taller grass or standing water. The multiple dog parks were a nice amenity. However, one of the waste bag stations remained empty until our sixth day, and many owners apparently didn't bring their own bags. As a result, there was quite a bit of dog waste left throughout the park. We also noticed several people leaving their dogs unattended inside the dog parks while they returned to their campsites. The on-site café was convenient and offered a good option for grabbing a meal without having to cook, especially during the hottest part of the day. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Sun Outdoors Virginia, and I would still recommend it to others, particularly families with younger children looking for a relaxing camping trip. For our family, though, we found ourselves getting bored after about five days due to the limited nearby attractions. If we return to the area, we'd likely choose a campground closer to Virginia Beach where there are more activities to keep the kids entertained.

    Photos
    Sun Outdoors Cape Charles
    Sunset with pier
    Sunset with pier
    Fish some one caught on pier

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    Fish some one caught on pier
    Cape Charles Tiny Livin

    Cape Charles Tiny Livin

    4.0
    (4 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    My review is NOT based on the amenities, it is the way that they have marketed it. They have a…read moreYoutube video, titleting it how they are helping the homeless. I wrote a letter to the atty general of the county and this is what I wrote including the link to their video.. PLEASE takes this seriously and take action. This a company that created a YouTube video, that said it was providing housing for the homeless in your county in the city of Cape Charles, and it is not, not even with charging $374 a night do they donate any of the proceeds to the homeless (no mention of that.) What particularly angers me, is that the very cheap housing that they bought up COULD have been used to house the homeless but instead used for their profit making venture. Please have someone better yet the attorney general of your county, write a letter to them, telling them you don't have any objection to them running their hotel, but they can NOT claim that they are helping the homeless if they are NOT, their unhappy circumstances should not be exploited. Here is the link.. https://youtu.be/RzvLsZCm6MQ?si=-xhFwWQ0OjBzDHb1 If in fact, they DO let the homeless stay there do they stay next to the people paying over 300K a night or do they segregate the two.

    My husband and I spent last weekend at Cape Charles Tiny Livin in the Mermaid house and we…read moreabsolutely loved it. They are located about 6 minutes from downtown Cape Charles, easy to find, and we received an email and text with all the info we needed for our stay including wifi, check-in and out time, policy on pets (they are welcome in certain homes only) and the code for the door. Everything is well-loved and taken care of here. Our room was tiny, but included a full bathroom with shower, a sitting area with a TV, wifi, a small kitchenette with coffee provided and a small fridge and microwave with a sink and full assortment of kitchen items like bowls, plates, silverware, etc. We spent most of our time in town walking, shopping and eating, but the owners are always on site, very personable and friendly, and always have a fire going in the main area at night to hang out if you'd like to socialize. The bed was super comfy, the room was spotless and well appointed with towels, soap, toilet paper, etc. We didn't want for anything and it was easygoing and stress free the entire weekend! I couldn't speak highly enough about this gem. So cute. They do have a small venue area for micro weddings or events, I could see renting this out for your small wedding and everyone gets their own little house for the weekend, how cute!

    Photos
    Mermaid inside.
    Mermaid inside.
    Front of our adorable cottage
    Front of our adorable cottage
    Bonfire at night! Soooo cool....

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    Bonfire at night! Soooo cool....

    Cape Charles Beach - beaches - Updated July 2026

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