First Landing occupies a rare stretch where maritime forest meets beach, a 2,888-acre state park wedged between the resort towers of Virginia Beach and the quieter shores facing the Chesapeake Bay. You'll walk beneath canopies of Spanish moss and loblolly pine before emerging onto a shoreline where the sand feels coarser underfoot than the oceanfront beaches three miles south. The bay-side beaches here slope gently—no sudden drop-offs—making them magnets for families whose youngest members are still mastering the doggy paddle.
“The only Virginia state park beach where you can paddle through bald cypress swamps in the morning and build sandcastles by lunch.”
Credit: UnsplashLong-tail boats moored in clear water
The park's nineteen miles of trails wind through swamp ecosystems where you'll spot osprey nests in dead snags and fiddler crabs skittering across mudflats. Bald cypress knees poke through tannin-dark water along the Cape Henry Trail, while the Long Creek Trail delivers you to hidden sand pockets where the only sounds are lapping waves and the occasional bass boat puttering past. The Chesapeake Avenue beach access offers the widest stretch of sand, with picnic shelters set back in the shade.
Bring bug spray for the trails and arrive early on summer weekends when the small parking lots fill by mid-morning. The water temperature climbs into the mid-seventies by June and holds through September, though locals swim year-round when the sun breaks through. You'll share the shoreline with crabbers checking pots and stand-up paddleboarders tracing the marshy inlets.
