The park is where English colonists first landed in 1607. Native American canoes, Colonial settlers, 20th-century schooners and modern cargo ships have navigated the park's waterways.
As Virginia's most-visited state park, it's an oasis within urban Virginia Beach. The park has 20 miles of trails and 1.5 miles of sandy Chesapeake Bay beach frontage. First Landing offers many recreational and educational activities and has many unusual habitats including bald cypress swamps, lagoons and maritime forest, as well as rare plants and wildlife.
The park has cabins, yurts, water and electric hook-up campsites, tent campsites, picnic area, boat ramps and a camp store.
The Chesapeake Bay Center has aquariums and a wet lab operated by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, educational displays, historic exhibits, a camp store, an amphitheater and a Gateways Program regional welcome center. It’s off U.S. 60 at Cape Henry.
The outdoor courtyard, pavilion and amphitheater can be rented for special events and weddings.
Weekends are very high visitation days. Expect delays. Once parking capacity is reached guests will be turned away.
The park is open from 7 a.m. to dusk for day use. The Office/Visitor Center is open for overnight check-in and information from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. daily. The Trail Center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.