From New England to Florida, the East Coast is known for its beaches. Among the favorites is beautiful Virginia Beach. If your sights on a Virginia Beach vacation but prefer someplace a bit quieter and less commercialized than the resort area, consider nearby Sandbridge.
Located a short drive south of tourist strip, Sandbridge’s lack of development is its draw. It has a feel similar to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Pristine shores, sand dunes, and sea oats await you instead of condos and crowds. Mornings bring stellar sunrises and dolphin watching as you stroll empty beaches. At day’s end, the waterways reflect spectacular sunsets and moonlit skies.
The months skirting primetime are even better - almost absent of tourists yet still offering plenty of beachy weather.
Sandbridge is almost surrounded by water, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Back Bay of Currituck Sound to the west and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park to the south. All that water makes for great kayaking or canoeing and photo opportunities are endless.
Despite the relative seclusion, the beach is patrolled in-season. The Virginia Beach visitor’s bureau notes, "Lifeguards are on duty from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day at Little Island Park and Sandbridge Beaches. There are four supervising lifeguards who keep constant patrol over the rest of the waters where lifeguards are not permanently stationed.”
If fishing is your thing, there are plenty of options including the 400-foot Little Island Fishing Pier at Sandbridge’s southern end. Saltwater fishing licenses are required to fish from area beaches but not required to fish from the pier.
Walking on the bridgeway at sunset in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. [Photo/Virginia State Parks]
The Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge covers more than 8,000 acres of salt- and freshwater habitat for birds and wildlife. Trails wind through marshland, maritime forest, and by the dunes lining the 5-mile stretch of ocean beach. You’ll find it a perfect place for hiking, biking, or fishing.
If you’re a nature lover, it’s hard to beat False Cape State Park, a 5-mile long, mile wide spit between the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay that’s one of the last remaining undeveloped areas along the Atlantic coast. In fact, the park can only be accessed by foot, bike, boat, or occasional tram. No vehicular access is permitted.
In addition to the undeveloped beach, there are 15 miles of trails to hike. The park also offers guided kayak trips, interpretive programs, and primitive camping.
Sandbridge is known for several RV Parks that have catered to vacationers for decades. Here are the most popular destinations for RV travelers:
Situated less than 15 minutes north of Sandbridge Beach, the Holiday Trav-L-Park has nearly 700 sites. Sizes vary, but the largest can accommodate rigs 45’ in length. Water, sewer, and 30/50 amp service is readily available. Many sites are pull-through; “supersites” are pull-throughs 100’ long and approximately 50’ wide and have cable TV in addition to basic connections.
Amenities include four swimming pools, mini golf, arcade, camp store, and snack bar. The park is pet-friendly and includes a dog park. Nightly live entertainment is offered and a trolley is available to take visitors to area attractions.
Indian Cove RV Resort, located three miles from Sandbridge Beach, is a large membership-only campground with 365 sites for RVs. The resort is well-amenitied with three swimming pools, horseshoe pits, two playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, and boat ramp. Four picnic pavilions, camp store, clubhouse, and recreation room add to the mix. The park has a social calendar featuring everything from live entertainment to kid’s activities.
Located on Back Bay, virtually across the street from the ocean is Outdoor Resorts. There are 240 accommodations split between site rentals and stationary units. Perhaps the park’s greatest amenity - the majority of accommodations are waterfront taking advantage of nearly unobstructed sunrise or sunset views.
The largest sites will accommodate a 45’ coach. Virtually all sites are back-in. 20/30/50 amp service is available.
The resort offers weekly events and has an array of amenities including a pool, tennis, and a boat ramp. Fishing is allowed along the park's waterways. The park is also pet-friendly.
The North Bay Shore Campground offers 36 RV sites, with water, 30/50 amp electric, and wifi at most sites. They can accommodate up to 44’ rigs in back-in sites.
The facility has a pool and boat ramp along with a playground, volleyball, and basketball courts. Indoors, there are foosball, pool, air hockey, and ping pong tables. The campground is pet-friendly.
Co-owner Erica Dickerson said “We are a smaller park but with nice features like cabins and pop-ups for rent. Visitors can fish the canals. And, canoes, kayaks, and Jon boats are available to rent.”
If crowded prime season keeps you from snagging a spot right in Sandbridge, there are good options nearby. The Virginia Beach KOA Holiday is only about 10 miles from either Sandbridge or the resort area.
This impressive park features bike and golf cart rentals, two swimming pools, bocce ball, hammocks spread throughout, and a trolley to take visitors to the oceanfront. Kids can enjoy everything from paintball to zip lines. There is a great roster of activities including ice cream socials and nighttime outdoor movies. For quieter moments, enjoy one of the hammocks spread throughout or melting smores at community bonfires.
200 sites are available. Up to 45’ rigs can be accommodated with 30/50 amp service. Pull through sites are plentiful and they’ve added a number of patio sites. The facility is pet-friendly and even offers a dog park.
Family strolls down Virginia Beach Boardwalk on multi-person bike. [Photo/Wikimedia Commons]
It’s only about 20 minutes from Sandbridge to the resort area, comprised of about 30 tourist blocks. Of course, the waterfront is the main draw; yet like any beach resort, Virginia Beach also has its share of non-water activities, including amusement parks, shopping, museums, and plenty of dining.
Virginia Beach has, what is arguably one of the most enjoyable waterfronts on the East Coast. Unlike boardwalks in other states, all of the amusements and souvenir shops are one block off the oceanfront on Atlantic Avenue. That leaves the boardwalk a walkers’ and cyclists’ paradise lined with benches, pocket parks, and occasional outdoor cafes for enjoying the waterfront.
Virginia Beach is also part of a larger geographic area known as Hampton Roads comprised of additional places worth visiting while in the area. There’s the port city of Norfolk, home of the world’s largest naval installation; Newport News, with a history of shipbuilding nearly as old as the country; historic Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia; and, Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English settlement in America.