My husband and I both grew up in Virginia but neither of us have really explored the Hampton Roads area, located in the Coastal Plains/Tidewater region of the state. The major independent cities that comprise Hampton Roads are Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Hampton.

Recently a last minute work opportunity sent my husband Chris and I down to the area. Luckily I’ve gotten pretty good at booking and researching for our trips from the road. This trip was different however, with some limiting factors that made planning more challenging than usual.

First, we did not have a chase vehicle, only a 36-foot motorhome. Parking was a huge consideration wherever we went.

Second, we only chose dog friendly locations. The weather was cool enough that the cat could stay inside, but Xena gets separation anxiety and is well behaved in public so we prefer to bring her with us for any occasion longer than a quick grocery stop.

This post is intended to be an overview of the places we went (or wanted to go) and a supplement to the video overview, in case something caught your eye and you want to learn more!

Stay

The following lodging options are for RV and tent camping. I sourced these spots through Campendium.

First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach

I learned on this trip that dogs are welcome in all Virginia State Parks. This is important because many of the public beaches in the area have time, seasonal, or general limitations on pets. I wanted to visit First Landing as soon as I found it but the parking struggle reared its annoying head again.

Regular parking is $7.00 per vehicle. However, parking a bus or RV here costs $35.00. For that price I’d rather stay the night so I waited until a spot opened up.

We were fortunate enough to stay here for two nights and this park has earned a big mental bookmark for a longer future stay. We got lucky and both spots we were assigned were close to one of a handful of boardwalks leading to the beach.

Kiptopeke State Park, Cape Charles

We didn’t end up actually staying at this campground because the RV broke down and we spent that evening sleeping in a parking lot. However, we stopped by the park on our way home because “Damn it I’m getting my money’s worth!” As with the other Virginia state parks, RV parking typically costs $25-35 and the staff was nice enough to let us in to check out the park. We had a timeline to make for our next stop and couldn’t stay long. This park seemed most ideal for boating and fishing.

Notably, Kiptopeke is home to a “Ghost Fleet” of concrete ships. During World War II, a steel shortage made it difficult to build ships. A Tampa Bay company stepped up to make cargo ships out of concrete to meet this need. After WWII the remaining ships were sunk off the coast of Cape Charles to act as a breakwater for the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, a couple of the ships were sunk by the Allies to be used as a breakwater in the D-Day invasion.

If we return to Kiptopeke I want to take a kayak out to the concrete monstrosities. You can check out their skeletons up close, which are now home to a variety of aquatic life.

Newport News Campground

The entrance to the campground itself is about a quarter mile past the main entrance to the park (when approaching from the south). You can use this address for their ranger station office:

13564 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, VA 23603

I don’t have much other commentary for this spot but it had a nice woodsy feel and since it was the end of the season we were able to stay a couple nights on short notice. Due to low occupancy the park ranger even let us pick our own spot.

The Colonies RV and Travel Park, Fort Monroe

This was the most conceptually unique RV park that we’ve visited. Each site is named for one of the original colonies of the New World; we stayed in Delaware (still had to pay tax though, damn). It was also geographically stunning, located on the peninsula of Fort Monroe National Monument.

Fort Monroe and the surrounding area is rich in history for the origins, military, and civil rights endeavors of America. In 1619 it became the landing site of the first enslaved Africans to arrive in the New World, marking the beginning of this country’s lurid history of slavery.

I normally feel lukewarm about history but reading the “History and Culture” article on National Park Service website for Fort Monroe made me feel a full gamut of emotions I didn’t expect to experience while writing what was supposed to be a quick post about campsites and cocktails.

Here are just a few tidbits that I don’t believe they include in school history books. I recommend reading the rest of the article; it’s all relevant in the ongoing struggle for stories and voices of disenfranchised populations to be heard:

• Medal of Honor Recipient Sergeant William Harvey Carney – The first black servicemember to “qualify” for this honor. However it was not awarded until 37 years after he heroically risked his life, sustained career-ending wounds in combat, and protected the national ensign. “Struggling back to the Union lines Carney collapsed saying “Boys, the old flag never touched the ground.””
• Certified Badass Harriet Tubman. You probably already know she played a critical role in the Underground Railroad. But did you know that she served in the military for three years and made history as the “first woman commander of a military operation”?
• She fought for 30 years to receive her rightful pay, only to be awarded a miniscule “widow’s pension” for the service of her second husband.
• There are two sections of the article describing the roles and impact of women in war efforts at Fort Monroe. I’ll have to finish reading that part when I have the emotional bandwidth to feel angry again.

Eat & Drink

Fuller’s Raw Bar

Tuesdays. Dollar Oysters. *Drops mic*

*Picks up mic*

This place has great ratings and did not disappoint. It didn’t explicitly allow or disallow dogs so we tried our luck and the staff was super excited to see Xena and brought her a bowl of water. Phew. The happy hour deal was only a dollar off drinks and they were out of the one I wanted to try (Fullers Punch) but gave me one with an ice pop in it so no complaints here. I’m normally pretty stingy (read: cheapass) with dining out unless it’s a special occasion or unique opportunity. I considered being in a coastal area a great excuse to splurge on a seafood platter after deciding it was a pretty good deal compared to other local menus I’d scoured.

Though the address is listed as Hampton, it’s technically located in the historical town of Phoebus. I’m actually eager to explore this town more and recommend a visit; it had several breweries, bars, and bistros that looked promising.

Stony’s Dockside Bar and Grill

Oh Stony’s. This place will forever hold a special place in our hearts. The first time we showed up, excited for their Happy Hour offering of $5 orange crushes, we were crushed instead. A sign on the door bashfully apologized that the restaurant was shut down because it had recently fired its entire kitchen staff. The manager recommended heading to the brewery across the bridge; we obliged.

A few days later we decided to meet up with a friend from my hometown. We found a location centrally located to us, Captain Groovy’s. When I zoomed into the satellite view of the area, the limited parking lot of Captain Groovy’s made me nervous. Stony’s was just down the street and had a large parking lot so we decided to meet there instead. I wasn’t sure if a brand new kitchen staff would add or detract from the experience but because of the RV, we didn’t have much choice.

Verdict: This seems like a nice place for brunch or lunch if you want the waterfront views. I would also come back for their Happy Hour, which we missed.

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Sidebar: Our first “breakdown” in RVing

When we returned to the RV after dinner around 8:30 P.M., the intermittent issue we had been having with starting the engine became more dire. Chris stripped the underside of the dashboard and tried a number of diagnostic measures before we gave up and went to bed around midnight.

I tried to make myself useful while he worked and while I was cleaning the litter box mid-poop-scoop, I heard Chris curse at the cat. The little bastard had pushed the plastic cover of the screen door, which had been used for airflow in the dead RV, and lept out into the darkness. Luckily he didn’t run far before we grabbed him but it’s just further proof of how felonious felines are, always plotting escape, revenge, and destruction.

Fast forward to 1:00 P.M. the next afternoon, we were finally on our way after discovering the issue was with the starter, not an elusive Neutral Safety Switch which did not exist in our vehicle after all. We replaced the starter and badabing badaboom.

The celebration was short lived. While entering the toll booth for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Chris remarked, “Damn these booths are narrow.” I looked up as we approached the window and BANG. The passenger side-view mirror hit the concrete column and folded inward. We had to pull over anyway to shut off the propane before advancing onto the bridge. I leaned out the window and realized that the mirror had not folded afterall; the screws had been knocked loose and the mirror was now partially detached. We continued the trip with one mirror which was great for unobstructed Bay views, not so great for driving a house at highway speeds.

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COVA Brewing Company

Verdict: I would recommend this place for groups, families, or perhaps couples who has different tastes. COVA is owned and operated by two families and I respect and admire their vision and hustle. Their attention to detail goes a long way in my opinion, from their clever logo to their clean, current, informative website.

The Atlantic

Sigh. I had my eye on this place the entire trip. It advertised incredible Happy Hour specials, it was near the main boardwalk, boasted high ratings on Yelp, and most importantly, it claimed to be dog friendly.

After driving across town, paying for parking, and walking over, I thought, “Uh oh, I wonder where their patio is…” Sure enough, the hostess looked like a deer in headlights when I asked if they allowed dogs, as advertised on Yelp.

It turns out they do not allow dogs, understandably because they don’t have outdoor seating. I still plan on checking this place out in the future though, when we’re able to leave the animals somewhere safe.

Captain Groovy’s

This is a spot we had to skip due to lack of parking. They are also closed on Monday and Tuesday so we had limited chances to try it on our trip. If we do get a chance to check these places out I’ll update this post!

Kroger

I know. I know. But if someone were to ask, “How much have you traveled?” I would answer, “Enough to have regionally dependent favorite grocery store chains.” A big part of RVing economically is to provision reasonably so you don’t have to eat out for every meal or constantly stop to buy more things. We often provision at Walmart because they are the most commonly available and budget friendly. On this trip we used Kroger; I was impressed by their affordability and selection.

Chill & Play

I am listing these locations are in addition to the campgrounds and state parks above, which all have their own trails, views, activities, and amenities.

1. Yorktown Beach

We met some friends here and had to park the RV at an administrative building and had to walk about three-quarters of a mile. I would love to return here one day in a car. It had a beachfront, grassy picnic areas, and water equipment rentals. There was a hotel and some restaurants, including a Ben and Jerry’s, in walking distance.

2. Huntington Beach

This was like a stripped down version of Yorktown Beach. However, the parking area was much larger and more conducive to large vehicles. There is a crab shack at the foot of the nearby James River Bridge but the Yelp reviews weren’t too promising.

3. Carrollton-Nike Park

I found this park via AllTrails when searching for a dog-friendly hiking trail with scenic views on our route.

“Half of this 150-acre park has been developed for multi-use recreation,” according to their website and they aren’t kidding. Nike Park has your typical park amenities such as playgrounds and picnic pavilions but they also have athletic fields, tennis courts, and even a skateboard park.

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Every sunset (and sunrise, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one to be honest) is stunning but watching it over water makes it even more breathtaking. Needless to say, the Virginia Coastal Plains/Tidewater region have plenty of opportunity for chasing sunsets.

What are your favorite spots in Hampton Roads?