It was quiet. It wasn't crowded. It was peaceful... BUT... it's so many rocks and bugs in the sand... like millions of these sand flea black crab looking things... it was a very uncomfortable situation. So glad we had chairs because sitting on that beach blanket was awful. Probably won't be back... but it is okay read more

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Great beach front property, clean, nice decor, rooms are spacious, shower pressure is good. Property is located at the end of the beach.. not crowded.. Front desk employees are very pleasant and professional. Restaurant upstairs has great beach view with fine dining options, sushi, steaks and such. Downstairs restaurant offers casual dishes. Check in and out can be a little long. Overall good property to enjoy Virginia Beach. read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - View from the balcony - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

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Let's make this town wild! Adventurous tourists who want to do fun things like break up monotony and risk your marriage, Come visit Colonial Beach, where the party is over at 11pm but the wet beach stays open 24/7. read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - Come visit Colonial Beach, where the party is over at 11pm but our beach stays wet 24/7. - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

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I'm fairly new to the area, and I am so glad that we found this diamond in the rough. We visited Colonial Beach (technically estuary, I think) during a weekday near the end of June, and it was exactly what we were looking for. During our four hours at the beach, I think we saw only 10-13 people in our area. This was absolutely perfect for me because I was looking for a quiet, chill beach experience. Since we visited during the week, parking was not a hassle. The walk from our parking spot to the beach was less than 5 minutes on foot. Also, parking was about $2 an hour, which is not bad because some places charge $5+ per hour. I would image that parking probably is a nightmare during the weekends. From other reviews, I guess we lucked out because we did not have any interaction with jellyfish. Although I saw information about shops and business along the boardwalk, we did not visit any local businesses during our trip. *Hopefully, we'll have a chance to check out some shops during our next visit.* However, I think a lot of places were closed anyway because we did not see many people on the boardwalk in general. If you are used to (or looking for) crystal blue water and fine sand on a beach, this beach might not before you. The water is dark (you're technically in the Potomac River) and the beach itself is quite rocky. I think if you visit without high expectations of experiencing a beach off of the Amalfi Coast or somewhere in the Caribbean, I think you will be fine with a very low-key beach/estuary/river adventure at CBVA. read more

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We spent the weekend here as a getaway and hopefully will never be back. The name is historic but certainly not a description of the local scene. The only thing colonial are the people. Shell fragments and beer bottle caps make up the sand color at the beach. It's more like fish tank gravel and not for bare feet or running. The boardwalk is a concrete sidewalk with old gum, trash and broken glass swept to the side. This place has one northern view of the river and a couple of shops within walking distance. A large casino and 70's era houses adorn the coastline. This place has abandonment vibes and struggle to survive written all over it. The local food scene is basically what you'd find on Restaurant Nightmares. The quality vs. price is saddening. If you're looking for a dissatisfied stay, with indifferent customer service and mediocre food - Colonial Beach is for you! read more

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Tony and I visited Colonial Beach VA downtown area and small beach located at the end of the road near a sound and The local American Legions Club. We parked on the street and walked down the half block walk to check it out. It was so cold About 18 degrees with blowing wind on the Potomac River but it was beautiful!!!! Not sure what the statue represents because there was no signage but beautiful statue none the less. Free to enjoy and check out the ice on tops of the wooden piers out of the water remnants of an old pier. Recommend you to visit read more

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Summer fun can be difficult in the summer during a pandemic. I needed a quick change of scenery with sunshine, fresh air, and water but also where I still felt I could keep my family safe. Colonial Beach hit the mark! My husband, toddler, I went on a Wednesday morning from about 8-11:45am and it was very easy to social distance and enjoy ourselves. There were a couple of nice little spots to enjoy the water. The water and beach were clean with a rocky darker sand. The sand didn't bother me but in some areas it can hurt a little bit to walk on. Our baby enjoyed picking out the pretty rocks to put in her bucket. The water is nice and calm for children. We had a really nice breeze and enjoyed hearing the water. Also a great bonus were seeing Osprey nesting, flying, and calling out. The only thing I would change is having more places to go to the restroom. This place is on our list to check out again in the future and maybe enjoy more parts of the community once the pandemic passes. read more

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First time going to Colonial Beach. Nice Beach, small crowds. Nice selection of boardwalk restaurants. There were alot of dead jellyfish in the water read more

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Things I wish someone had told me before I wasted time visiting Colonial Beach: 1. The water is infested with jellyfish. The beaches were dirty. 2. Lots of cute shops- but weird hours. Nothing was open when we wanted to go. 3. Since we couldn't really enjoy the beach (see #1) and nothing was open (see #2), we spent most of our week driving to other towns. 4. Our cell service was non-existent in most places. There are some good places to eat- The Fire Escape was great and we enjoyed The Huasteca and 60's Diner. The air bnb we rented was adorable. Otherwise, the place was just not our jam. Maybe okay for a three day weekend but definitely not enough to occupy your time for a week. read more

During the week it's quiet and relaxing. On The weekend it's a whole different place. Food trucks and live music at the local restaurant. We absolutely loved it here. read more

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I will never go back. 1) There was a whole colonial of jelly fish everywhere. My best friend got stung twice . 2)I don't know what they call sand but that wasn't it I felt rocks and more and it hurt. 3) There was nothing to worn u of the jelly fish at all no signs no were there were kids crying of being stung left and right. And people had stop getting in to the water because of it . Form this I will never be back the residents of that area can have it read more

This place is a wonderful alternative if you can't make it to one of the bigger beaches you will absolutely enjoy yourself here and they have everything you need as far as beaches go make it a day trip and check it out you won't be disappointed read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Me & my friend took her dog to walk on the beach at Colonial. It was 55 degrees on this MLK Day, wow and we saw some sun. It's a sleepy town in January but you get the sense that in season the place really hums. There are several beach side bars & restaurants as well as small beach that has some wading pools. There is a small pier for fishing and a boardwalk. Don't expect much in the off season though, most everything is closed. We were told by a local that if we wanted good seafood, go across the river to Cobb Island, we did and she was right! read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

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The beach is absolutely gorgeous!!! Loved it and the people were really nice!!! I loved the fair that was there this past weekend as well! I will certainly be returning to this lovely beach!!!! read more

Worst beach I've ever visited. To many jellyfish and I got stung multiple times. The sand doesn't feel really like beach sand, lots of broken down conch shells as you go in the water and on the sand. read more

Beautiful beach!! One of my favorites! It wasn't as packed and overcrowded as most beaches are which allowed for more time with my family and friends! The water was just gorgeous and I can't wait to return! read more

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If you're looking for a place to go for a rowdy spring break, don't go to Colonial Beach. But if you're looking for a quiet and quaint getaway with family or significant other, CB is the place to go. CB has had it's heyday, but there's still much to offer -- a small, quiet, nowhere near crowded beach with a boardwalk along the Potomac River, bed and breakfasts, quaint shops and really friendly people. They have gambling, art, boats for charter... the Potomac River Festival gets all of the locals out along Washington Street to watch the firetruck parade. It's quite a loud spectacle, and there's the Miss Colonial Beach pageant and carnival that follows. Lovely little spot for a quiet getaway. read more

Just arrived back to our home from Colonial Beach VA as we're residents of great,beautiful state Virginia.We explore different areas to always be amazed by our incredible state and warm, fun loving residents.This overnight trip was to Colonial Beach.Loved the town and unfortunately due to the Canada tree fires the air was thick with smoke. We didn't get to enjoy a lot of time outside but the Potomac river beach area was beautiful and the pier had 4 fishermen with poles there to catch fish.The fire smoke was not as bad as home in Alexandria but still too much for anyone's lungs. We will drive back to Colonial beach, 60 miles south of our home when smoke is gone and sun is out! read more

I came to this beach looking to get away. I'm from Florida so being away from the beach is quite depressing... although it is NOTHING like the beaches at home, it was quite relaxing. The was a family there and a pair of friends when I got there. I saw very few ppl passing by on the boardwalk but that was it. I would NOT get in that water though, but that's just me. I do have to warn you ... it's not a "sandy" beach. This is literally a picnic beach, where you can set up a blanket and eat by the water, but beware of the rats with wings (seagulls). As soon as they see you, they assume you have food and they kinda hang around waiting for you to drop ANYTHING. I will definitely come back just to get a peace of mind again and maybe even walk down a little bit, but since it was a little bit cold, my ass wasn't going to do any walking ... besides all the businesses seemed closed except for the hotels. Like I said, it's a nice place to spend an hour or two just listening to the waves. read more

Sand is yellow and filled with rocks. Hurts to walk on because of the rocks. Water was warm, but worrying about all the jellyfish floating by ruined it for us. You're swimming in the Potomac, so keep that in mind. There are rocks on the river surface too. Bath houses were dirty and gross. One was so thick of cigarette smoke, I couldn't stand it for more than a minute. We had a nice time visiting Colonial Beach Brewing and High Tides restaurant. Overall, it's a nice place to sit on the water for the day, but don't count on swimming in clean water or having a decent bathroom to use. read more

The parking meters can be misleading. I have a pick-up truck, so when the meter asked if regular vehicle or truck, I put in truck. This charge me $30.00 for parking. This option "truck" is for trucks with boat trailers, or other LARGE vehicles. So, if you have a truck just enter regular vehicle and then you pay $2.00 per hour to park. ALSO, they have no operational public restroom facilities. Unbelievably, there was ONE single port-a-john for the entire beach at the "Point" area, for probably upwards of 30-400 people to use!!! AND this thing was a total stinking disaster; over-full, excrement and urine covered. Disgusting. They have a public restroom that has been under construction FOREVER. On a positive note, the beach is nice, water is good with Sandy bottom. read more

This city and Beach is great. It's technically on the Potomac River but you wouldn't even think that it's part of the river. The water is slightly salty and the beach looks like an actual beach by the ocean. It is very very clean. It is only about an hour and twenty minutes from most of Northern Virginia. We did a day trip and spent a whole day there. The town is also really great. There are a whole bunch of restaurants and a couple of beach shops and Tiki Bars and ice cream shops so you really get the beach feel. I highly recommend visiting here especially if you want to go to the beach without having to travel too far. read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Small town, great place, good music, fantastic food and friendly people. Can't say enough great things about this little gem on the Potomac. Great for families and people wanted to escape to the beach for the weekend without driving six hours to OBX or other spots. Highly recommend taking in a weekend or five here. read more

In the mid-80's I was a young Marine stationed at Quantico VA. Drove to Colonial Beach to see what was there. It was a cold, rainy, day in March. Walked along the beach for a while but the weather was miserable and I had a lousy time. To top things off I got back to my car after the parking meter ran out and got a ticket (mine was the only car parked along the beach that day). Hope they put my fine to good use. Have never been back. I still hate that crappy little town. read more

Colonial Beach has so much potential to be more than a sleepy little beach town. but as more businesses close, theres less and less reason to come. It still has plenty of small town character, dont get me wrong. The popularity had dwindled down a bit, and alot of places have closed. Aside from McDonalds, Ledo's Pizza and Food Lion if familiarity is what you search for, you wont find it here - which could be a positive thing. if you just want to kick off your shoes and walk in sand and cool water off the potomac and grab some grub from a mom and pop, then this is the perfect quiet little spot. read more

We're full-time residents in Alexandria, in our 30s, and wanted to buy a place near the water that we could head off to for the weekends to relax that wasn't going to cost us a million bucks. After wandering around the whole Bay area--up and down peninsulas and "Rivahs" of VA, crossing the Bay Bridge to Eastern Shore of Maryland, and chasing down ponies on the eastern shore of VA, we experienced continuous sticker shock, drive time burn out, and were about to give up until one day driving home to my parents in Richmond I decided to take a detour around the traffic congestion of I95. It was along 301, crossing the Harry Nice Bridge into Virginia that I remembered Colonial Beach...I place that we day tripped to a few times in my childhood. The town is quaint...everyone knows everyone. But it also has history. It was a resort town more than 100 years ago. In it's heyday of the 50s, it was a bustling beach town with several gambling houses built out over the Potomac--Maryland waters, and legalized gambling. While the town turn a turn for the worse after those wild years, the charm never left. In recent years, the town has been rediscovered and is once again becoming a destination for vacationers. This has been evidenced with the opening of antique shops, a gourmet coffee shop, and a handful of restaurants. The nearest golf course is more than 12 miles away, but you can swing a dead fish without hitting one of the many golf carts locals choose to use for travel around the town. No cart? Don't worry, it's a great town to bike or walk around around too. If you're one accustomed to Caribbean white sand beaches, the beach at Colonial Beach will be a bit disappointing. Compared to anything else in around the Bay, the beach is fine. I'm sure the lack of waves eases the fears of parents of small children swimming here. The real draw is boating. Monroe Bay, on the backside of town, boasts five marinas and a free public boat launch. It's a great spot to set off on a sail trip, a fishing excursion, or just a lazy afternoon paddle. Speaking of marinas, they're all quite reasonably priced, and to sweeten the deal, the town charges no boat tax. Check out CB...perhaps you'll like it as much as we did. read more

Seems like Colonial Beach could be awesome, but then you get there and it is not. Run down buildings, confusing roads, bad vibes. Crappy gravel parking lots with confusing payment requirements. it's sad to see them wasting that potential but the local seem highly unwelcoming for some reason so I guess that's how they want it. Still worth a day trip to see it for yourself if you're close enough but cannot recommend a serious trip... read more

Not impressed at all. We decided to go on a day trip to Colonial beach on a whim. We checked online to see if we could bring our dogs and there was nothing that said we couldn't. So we brought them along. About 2 hours in we were told by a police officer that dogs were not allowed on the beach. She said there were signs everywhere. They were not. There was one not pointing towards the parking lot and it was not visibly posted in a way guests can see before entering the beach. Just the one sign in the three blocks we walked. The officer said dogs are only allowed between September 30th- April 1st. The officer was not professional at all. She told us the dogs were not allowed and we said okay and we went to leave but stopped us again and continued to try to be assertive towards us. read more

Colonial Beach is a nice, small town on the Potomac River. It has a small beach. The beach is not sandy like at a beach beach, but kind of rocky and coarse, but it's a beautiful scene. The water is not rough and I really like taking a tube and just floating around for hours in the summertime. There are a few businesses on the short "boardwalk" area, like a beach shop and restaurant. There is a bar next to a place of condos or a hotel, and a band starting playing around 4:00 in the afternoon. Last year when I went to Colonial Beach, there were public bathrooms and an outside faucet for feet and a taller one for rinsing. This year, they must be short on money or something because the bathrooms were padlocked closed, even though it was a holiday weekend and a lot of people were there. Instead, they had a long line of port-a-potties. There is street parking and a larger lot close to the casino. You have to pay to park there. There is a sign directing you to a kiosk and you put the money in there and get back a dated and timed slip that you display in your front window. The town itself is tiny but quaint and beautiful. It's nice for a day trip, my only issue is that I wish they had open public facilities. Port-a-potties without any toilet paper supplied is disgusting. read more

Colonial Beach is a quiet pretty little town you can reach by car or boat. Very near the birthplace of both George Washington and James Monroe it is a beautiful place to go for a weekend, day trip, lunch break or vacation home. There are wineries near by (very friendly and dog friendly) and boating amenities to your hearts delight. Charming! read more

Absolutely love this little, tiny, small town. Haven't gone into any of the local businesses or restaurants (yet), but certainly will in the future. I've never found the beach front to be swamped with people, never seen not even one speck of trash. The waves here are outstanding - small enough for you to sit waist deep in and not get knocked over. Love, love, LOVE CB!!! read more

Fall and most of the tourist are gone...beautiful views of the wide Potomac...no reservations needed at some of the best restaurants in the region...Halloween Festival coming...time for family in a rental cottage....Christmas Festival and lighted boat parade coming....Christmas home tour...walk, bike or golf cart past Victorian homes and splendid marinas full of boats! A nice place to visit! And usually live entertainment at the local watering holes! read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - A special time for mother and son along the Potomac... - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

A quaint, sleepy town of 3000 (in the winter) where everyone knows everyone. Has a few decent bed and breakfasts and a great Thai-French restaurant. Good for a quick getaway from the hubbub of Washington for a tranquil, history-filled retreat. Do not miss Stratford Hall Plantation - Robert E. Lee's birthplace. read more

Colonial Beach is small but quaint; to most its like a big family gathering on the shore of the Potomac, food, dancing on the board walk, fishing on the pier, to betting the horses at the Riverboat , and more. read more

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This is a lovely little sleepy beach town. I'm visiting family here who has a beach house. All the locals are awesome and friendly. I grew up in a beach town and appreciate the atmosphere here. You can relax without all the craziness and the beaches are clean and the hardly any waves so young kids can play in the water without worry. If you want to relax on the water, this town is the place. read more

My wife and I have been exploring beach towns within a couple hours of D.C. From Lusby to Earleville, we've covered a lot of ground! We did some research and decided to check out Colonial Beach. The beach was nicer and less crowded than I expected. Lots of families and couples soaking in the summer sun. The boardwalk is small but has everything you need. A beach shop, food, drink, etc... We went into town a couple of times and enjoyed some fresh oysters at Densons and a good sandwich at a place that I think is called Kitty Cat Cafe. We also had a couple of tasty beers at the brand new Colonial Beach Brewery. Finally, we stopped for some ice cream in town before heading home. Colonial Beach isn't the most exciting beach town but it offers enough of everything that you need to relax and get away from the city stress. The town will host a variety of events, art walks and festivals throughout the year. Nightlife isn't crazy in CB but they have some beach bars that stay open late and host live music. They even have the Riverboat where you can play the ponies, gamble and have a drink. This sleepy beach town really is the best kept secret within a 2 hour drive of D.C. read more

Visit Colonial Beach Virginia CBVA - Colonial Beach Love - Boating Near Me - Colonial Beach, Virginia

Colonial Beach is a small Potomac River town that is made for family vacations or laid-back vacations. There isn't a ton of fancy things to do, however, there are great restaurants (try Denson's or Dockside or LightHouse Thai and French,) a beautiful waterfront, history all around the town, and the second longest beach in Virginia. You won't find all the things like Virginia Beach, but that is a good thing. read more

Place to be love Colonial Beach love the walks on the board walk. The scenery. I personally like to jogg on the broadwalk. Stop and get a bite to eat. read more

Sleepy, quiet beach town. I went on a Monday in the beginning of July. There was hardly anyone on the beach, though it was a warm, breezy day, with calm waves and warm water. From the beach at the end of Colonial Avenue, I walked along the beach/road to the Point, two miles south. There are two main areas of sandy beach; the rest of the coastline is taken up by large rock boulders and private docks. I did not have a chance to visit the main street of the town, since my new shoes had made more walking unbearable -- I'll visit those shops next time, though, since I definitely want to return! read more

Colonial beach was a fun day trip. It's a nice little town with some good local food and shops. The view of the river is beautifull. I look forward to going back and doing some fishing. (pier is free) read more