If you have a camper, it’s an easy choice. Cherrystone Campground. The 500-plus site campground is wooded, clean, and has tons of things to do for old and young alike. They have several swimming pools, four fishing and crabbing piers, a rec hall with video games, ice cream, snacks and food. They offer numerous activities to keep kids busy. They have a huge trampoline, a paddleboard pond, softball fields, basketball courts, a tennis court, a boat ramp and they offer half-day boat rentals. Not far from the boat ramp, we have caught flounder, spot, croakers, trout, drum, bluefish and a host of other species – plus bushels of crabs. The fishing and crabbing is not nearly what it was, but it’s still fun.
If you don’t have a camper, Cherrystone rents furnished cottages and trailers that sleep up to five or six. We have enjoyed staying at both the cottages and the trailers, but I like the cottages best.
If Cherrystone is not your cup of tea, there are several motels nearby. We have stayed numerous times at Sunset Beach Resort, but our experience last weekend wasn’t the best. We had to wait almost two hours after check-in time before our room was ready. I’m sure there was not enough staff on hand to handle the demand. And, the carpet in our room was really dirty. Again, somebody dropped the ball. That being said, I would probably go back because the rooms were really nice with working desks, chairs, Wi-Fi, comfortable beds, quality towels, a nice refrigerator and microwave. And the location is unbeatable, just a mile north of the Bridge Tunnel, so the drive from Central Virginia can be done in less than 4 hours. Also at Sunset Beach, there is an inviting sandy beach on the shore of the bay with a great little restaurant and bar. Each evening, we had drinks there and watched the sunsets, and once, some breath-taking thunderstorms off Virginia Beach. We’ll probably go back to Sunset Beach, but next time, I’d like to try one of their “Tiny House” rentals. These miniature houses have two bedrooms, a fully furnished kitchen, a full bath and will accommodate up to 6 people. They have screened porches with great views, and they are reasonably priced. Sunset Beach also has a KOA campground with about a hundred pull-through sites.
There are a few other motels in that area – The Peacock Inn, the Kiptopeke Inn and the motel at Chris Bait & Tackle. They are clean and reasonably priced, but they are all basic fishing-type motels, nothing luxurious, for sure. Some 30 miles north on Rt. 13 at Exmore, there are several very nice hotels including a Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn. There are tons of motels and campgrounds at Chincoteague, but we generally stay near Cape Charles because of better fishing and easier access.
Cape Charles, by the way, has become a magnet for many in Central Virginia – some have bought old houses and restored them as vacation homes. Historic Cape Charles offers lots of unique shops and restaurants and has a world class boat ramp and a championship golf course. The town also boasts numerous bed and breakfast opportunities.
There are also lots of cottages for rent up and down the Eastern Shore, many on the water. Go on-line and look at rentals available at Smith Beach, Silver Beach, Eastville and Wachapreague.
Summer cottages book up quickly on the Eastern Shore, so plan ahead, or better yet, go in the fall or spring, magnificent times to be in the land of pleasant living.
