Bring all my visitors here on their first trip to Virginia Beach. The little museum in the visitor centre is a great, easy to read, intro to the history of the area (and America). Pick up leaflets then go to the beach (as snack shop could be greatly improved!). Lots of great trails for biking/walking over the road and the boat ramp (accessible through 64th Street) to the protected waters of the narrows is fab for jet skiing and kayaking (in season, hire shop in situ).
tons of walking and biking trails through deep forests of bald cypress and black water. there are two entrances, one on shore drive and one on 64th st, make sure you use them both. plus beachside area has camping. a side of va beach most people do not know exists but it is right across from the beach.
If you have bikes this is the place to go. Logging trails are great for a nice ride without having to be on the main roads with cars. Even if you do not camp, just a day fee for parking will get you access to the park.
This is a wonderful park. It is an excellent place to go alone or with family and friends. There is a small, nicely done museum in the visitors center. Trails of various lengths, for walking, running, and biking, lead to a beautiful bay. A picnic area near the visitor center provides a convenient place to enjoy a meal. The park is very well maintained. I have been enjoying this park for many years and continue to go as often as I can.
If it had a mountain it would be perfect. Go spend the day whether it's a hike or bike ride or launching your boat you won't regret a day spent here. Its really three parks rolled into one a campground and beach on one side, hiking, biking, birding, boat launch and Broad Bay beach at the Narrows on another side and lastly a great hiking and biking park with some rental cabins.
I grew up loving what was then called Seashore State Park, with camping, cabins, swamp, and wilderness in the largest urban area in Virginia. What many don't know is that it is linked by bicycle trails with the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Museum, the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, and a bike path that goes along a creek in a residential area just west of the park to form a great 11 mile (22 mile round trip) ride on level terrain without vehicular traffic. Link to Google Maps is below: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/2228+W+Great+Neck+Rd,+Virginia+Beach,+VA+23451/Virginia+Aquarium+%26+Marine+Science+Center,+717+General+Booth+Boulevard,+Virginia+Beach,+VA+23451/@36.8688994,-76.0575576,13z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x89baeca4c5ba10a1:0x6f28fa701ebadf74!2m2!1d-76.070128!2d36.909041!3m4!1m2!1d-76.0105148!2d36.9057735!3s0x89baec12eddc5ddb:0xced7a9b413b92ea8!1m5!1m1!1s0x89bae9f233fa4901:0x5a9ad75c33d4b8d8!2m2!1d-75.983456!2d36.82113!3e1
Nothing spectacular. Really busy place during the summer. The trails are nice, lots of options and distances but like any other park that makes you pay to get it, not really anything special. I get paying if I were going to camp or put a boat in the water, but just to walk a trail? no thanks.
This state campground is less than an 1/2 hour from home in Portsmouth. The convenience is obvious. You'll find the staff to be very friendly and accommodating. There are a variety of sites to choose from primitive to water/electric. You can select wide open exposure or seclusion under canopies of weathered oaks. RV owners will find the roads maneuverable. There is a dumping station on site too. The bathhouses are typically clean and comfortable. Local stores, restaurants, bars, clubs and other activities mean you have many options for spending your days and night. If I had one complaint it would be the nightly raids by the park rangers if you're speaking above a whisper after the sun sets. They love to sneak in like 'walkers' trying to catch you in the act of some dubious shenanigans or hide back in the shadows after giving warnings only to jump back out to threaten you with removal or state police intervention.
Really beautiful park with shorter trails (1-6 miles) that are easily doable in a few hours or less. There is also a small nature center on the beach with interesting things for younger kids. The entrance fee is modest (under $15) and its a nice break from all of the commercial attractions at VA Beach.
This is a nice lil state park with access to the bay it was clean the day we went was very cold and foggy as well as off season we intend to come back in warmer weather also had a camping area that was closed!