Beaches in Virginia
Even long before bridges made them easy to reach, Virginia beaches were attracting tourists from nearby cities.
Virginia’s coastline doesn’t shout. It rustles. It breathes in through pine trees and exhales through dune grass. It’s where wild ponies graze on marshland, where lighthouses keep watch over shifting tides, where the horizon always seems just a little farther away than your eyes expect. These aren’t beaches you stumble into by accident. They’re beaches that ask for your attention.
I didn’t try to rush this one. I followed the marsh roads and back routes, took the long bridges, and let the pace slow down between stops. What I found wasn’t just surf and sand , it was quiet drama, the kind that leaves room for reflection. Virginia's shores may be subtle, but they stay with you like a low tide that doesn’t quite leave.
Best Beaches in Virginia:
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge didn’t feel like an entrance, it felt like a transition. Trees gave way to tall grasses, and then to open flats where the sky felt just a bit closer to the ground. I passed birders with binoculars, cyclists hugging the trail edges, and a pair of egrets picking their way through silver water.
The beach itself was long and pale, backed by dunes and stitched with footpaths. It didn’t feel built, it felt allowed. I walked toward the shoreline, each step sinking slightly, and thought, “This is what it feels like when the land hasn’t decided it needs you.”
Lunch was orzo with grilled zucchini and basil pesto, eaten cold from a container under the partial shade of a leaning pine. The pesto was sharp, the zucchini charred just enough to linger. I ate slowly, listening to the tide slurp along the beach and the wind rearrange the reeds behind me.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge At a Glance
- Drive time from Virginia Beach: About 2.5 hours
- Address: 8231 Beach Rd, Chincoteague, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Sunrise for bird activity; late afternoon for softer light
- Vibe: Natural, expansive, quietly sacred
- Highlights: Wild ponies, Assateague Lighthouse, dunes, trails, birdwatching
- Facilities: Restrooms, visitor center, bike paths, boardwalks
- Cost: $10 entrance fee per vehicle (valid 7 days)
- Hours: 5am–10pm (seasonal variations)
- Food Nearby: Casual seafood spots in Chincoteague, or pack in and linger longer
Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve
I didn’t pass a single car on the road in. Just cornfields, tide-slick ditches, and the occasional osprey tracing slow arcs in the sky. Bethel Beach didn’t announce itself. No sign, no lot, no kiosks. Just a pull-off, a trail through sea grass, and a stretch of beach so untroubled it barely acknowledged I was there.
The preserve protects rare coastal habitat, but what struck me most was the stillness. No buildings, no snack carts, no speakers, just the soft lap of water and a breeze that seemed to come from underneath everything. I stood near the shoreline and thought, “This is what remains when no one interrupts.”
Lunch was couscous with cherry tomatoes and mint, tossed with olive oil and packed the night before. The mint had wilted a little but still held its cool edge. I ate it standing, balancing the container on one knee while watching two shorebirds dance along the foam line.
Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve At a Glance
- Drive time from Williamsburg: About 1.5 hours
- Address: Near Town Point Landing Rd, Mathews County, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Mid-morning when the sun is soft
- Vibe: Raw, peaceful, rarely visited
- Highlights: Dunes, shorebirds, untouched marsh
- Facilities: None. No restrooms, no amenities
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Food Nearby: None. Pack everything in and out
Ocean View Beach
Ocean View Beach wasn’t trying to be dramatic. That was its charm. It was the kind of beach where neighbors say hello, toddlers wander in floaties, and someone nearby is definitely grilling something. The water looked like it knew the Chesapeake Bay more than the open sea, calm, gentle, almost conversational.
I wandered the shore past playgrounds and a few tilted umbrellas. The breeze lifted just enough sand to keep my ankles powdered. This was a local beach, and I liked that about it. No filter needed. I sat on a wooden bench and thought, “This is what a Tuesday off should feel like.”
Lunch was tabbouleh with extra lemon and chickpeas, eaten from a glass container while seated on a low wall near the grassy park. It was zesty, cool, and easy, which matched everything around me. Kids laughed in short bursts; a dog barked once and then thought better of it.
Ocean View Beach Park At a Glance
- Drive time from downtown Norfolk: 20 minutes
- Address: 100 W Ocean View Ave, Norfolk, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Evening for sunset over the bay
- Vibe: Laid-back, local, lived-in
- Highlights: Chesapeake views, wide beach, summer events
- Facilities: Parking, restrooms, picnic areas, playground
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Dawn to dusk
- Food Nearby: Plenty. Crab shacks, diners, and ice cream within a few blocks
Cape Charles Beach
Cape Charles didn’t feel like a destination, it felt like a welcome mat. I parked under crepe myrtles and wandered toward the shoreline past pastel homes, golf carts, and screen doors that probably squeak just right. The beach sat at the end of it all, smooth and shallow, like it had pulled back just far enough to let people in.
The sand was warm and fine, the water lazy and clear. No crashing surf here, just small ripples and the occasional paddleboard slicing by. I watched a group of kids build a fort out of shells and drift sticks, and thought, “Some places don’t want to impress you, they want to keep you.”
Lunch was a veggie wrap with avocado, cucumber, and tahini tucked tight in foil. It had gotten soft in the sun, but in a way that made each bite more forgiving. I ate on a blanket beneath a pier shadow, watching pelicans argue politely above the bay.
Cape Charles Beach At a Glance
- Drive time from Virginia Beach: About 1.5 hours
- Address: Bay Ave & Tazewell Ave, Cape Charles, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Weekdays for peace, golden hour for photos
- Vibe: Quaint, gentle, built for slowing down
- Highlights: Calm swimming, walkable town, sunset views
- Facilities: Public restrooms, shaded benches, fishing pier
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Dawn to dusk
- Food Nearby: Local cafés, ice cream shops, crab sandwiches just steps away
Chesapeake Beach
Chesapeake Beach (or “Chic’s Beach,” if you ask anyone nearby) isn’t built for tourists. It’s for the folks who know where to park without looking it up, who bring their chairs in the same trunk space as their groceries. And that’s what made it feel so grounded.
There were no signs telling you how to enjoy it. Just a stretch of soft sand, gentle bay waves, and the sound of small talk and sandals slapping pavement. I dropped my towel in a patch of half-shade and thought, “This is the kind of beach that remembers you came back.”
Lunch was a hummus bowl with roasted carrots and sunflower seeds, eaten with a spoon that doubled as a shell scoop. The flavors were earthy and nutty, a good match for the honest simplicity of the place. No frills. Just food, feet in the sand, and the smell of the bay.
Chesapeake Beach (Chic’s Beach) At a Glance
- Drive time from downtown Virginia Beach: 25 minutes
- Address: Near Shore Dr & Pleasure House Rd, Virginia Beach, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Mornings or evenings when it’s mostly locals
- Vibe: Familiar, low-key, no agenda
- Highlights: Bay calm, neighborhood feel, space to breathe
- Facilities: Limited. Street parking, few public restrooms
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
- Food Nearby: A few local seafood joints and sandwich spots just inland
First Landing State Park
First Landing State Park didn’t feel like a beach at first. It felt like a secret kept under pine needles. I followed the trail from the parking lot, soft dirt beneath my shoes, the air filtered through loblolly pines. Then the trees opened, and there it was: the Chesapeake Bay, wide and still, the sand dappled with sun and shadow.
This wasn’t a beach for showing off. It was for walking slowly, for sitting with your back against a tree trunk, for letting the hum of cicadas be the only conversation. A few families had staked their ground, towels spaced apart like islands. I leaned against a stump and thought, “This is the kind of quiet you only earn by going through the woods first.”
Lunch was chilled soba noodles with sesame, scallion, and a splash of rice vinegar, eaten from a reusable container with a pair of chopsticks I’d remembered to pack but almost forgot how to use. The vinegar lit up the salt in the air, and the noodles felt cool and grounding in the heat.
First Landing State Park At a Glance
- Drive time from downtown Virginia Beach: About 15 minutes
- Address: 2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA
- Best Time to Visit: Morning for trail hiking; early evening for golden sand
- Vibe: Wooded, contemplative, hush-before-surf
- Highlights: Forest trails, bayfront beach, subtle wildlife
- Facilities: Restrooms, showers, visitor center, trails, camping
- Cost: $7–10 parking fee per vehicle
- Hours: 8am–dusk
- Food Nearby: A few minutes' drive to Shore Drive restaurants, or bring your own and stay awhile
Buckroe Beach, Virginia
Snuggled along Chesapeake Bay, Buckroe Beach is one of Hampton’s most popular beaches, with 8 acres and ¾ of a mile wide sand, a kids’ playground, three picnic shelters with grills and tables, hiking and biking paths, and plenty of parking. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer season.Every Sunday throughout the summer, there are traditional Groovin' by the Bay concerts. Tuesdays are reserved for outdoor movies, a part of the Family Movie Series.
I found that the beach is excellent for swimming, and paddleboats and kayaks are available for rental. No dogs are allowed during the summer months.
Conclusion: Low Tide, Long Memory
Virginia’s beaches don’t rush you. They don’t shine all at once or beg for your attention. They unfold. In marshland, in bay stillness, in forest paths that suddenly give way to sand. What I found along this coastline wasn’t just variety, it was rhythm. A slow, patient one. A rhythm that knew when to hold still and when to step forward.
From the hush of Bethel to the community buzz of Ocean View, from the untouched sliver of Chincoteague to the tree-shadowed calm at First Landing, each place offered something small and lasting. I left each one not with adrenaline, but with breath, a little deeper, a little slower.
This isn’t the coastline for spectacle. It’s for those willing to notice the wind in the grass, the curve of the bay, the softness of sand under bare feet when no one’s looking. I’ll come back. Not for the waves. For the quiet in between them.
