Overview
I have to say that we really enjoyed our time at Chickahominy Riverfront Park in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is a state park so it does only have the basics but it was definitely worth it. They do have full hook ups with water, electric and sewer, however, there is no laundry facility nor WIFI. This was not an issue for us other than having to up our data plan a bit for the time that we were there, but Verizon Wireless worked with us in order to be able to downsize on the next billing cycle. There are several Laundry facilities within 15 to 20 minutes but we preferred Mr. Bubbles Laundromat located on at 463 Merrimac Trail. The prices of the machines were reasonable and there are plenty of machines which usually allowed us to use several at the same time to cut down on time spent doing laundry.
Back to the campground. The bathroom and shower facilities were adequate, although the bathroom stalls are a bit tight, I really do not know how I would have managed if I were still the weight I was at the beginning of the year as tall as I am, but thankfully I was able to manage It now!!! They have a nice, but small camp store at the office, and two places where you can either fish or crab. The pool, which is opened from Memorial Day to Labor Day is quite nice and pretty big with a slide at the deep end. Our grandson really enjoyed it although it was pretty chilly the day he came over being that it was right after Tropical Storm Hermine. But just as any kid would do, he braved the elements and got in and shook, then talked his pop into going down the slide. Nice job Austin!
Fishing
There is a nice long fishing pier closer to the pool area which has lights so you can fish or crab at night. Honestly, it was not until we stayed here that I even knew there were blue crabs in the Chickahominy River. Now as far as fishing, we caught a variety of fish, from Blue Catfish, White Perch to shad. We saw others who caught bass while we were there. I was using an old fishing tool called canned corn to catch my catfish, and also some of the kids and grand kids used night crawlers. One night a guy came on the pier with a cast net. I never saw this done before, but he demonstrated it for us and it did not seem too hard to do. What he was pulling up to keep were shad fish, he uses them as bait for the bigger fish in the river. Go figure, no wonder I was catching the babies! In fact, we have some friends who live in Williamsburg who verified this with us after they too used shad cut up to land some monster Catfish, one was about 50 lbs. So its doable there right at the park if you have the right equipment and patience. I think that a cast net will be in our future someday soon and you can actually find them on Amazon for a pretty decent price. See link below.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” cart=”y” cloak=”n” identifier=”B00144CM2U” locale=”US” tag=”wardsonthemov-20″]CampsitesThe campsites vary but are pretty close together, which, it seemed while we were there was only an issue on the weekends, during the week you generally have less people so space and quiet avails. The ranger tours the grounds every few hours and there were no issues of noise, even on weekends, after quiet time. All in all, the campground is safe and quiet. There are quite a few regulars there who come in for the weekends and everyone we met was very nice and pleasant, even the workers at the campground, which is a plus!
Other amenities
They do have two shelters that you can rent if you are in need of a space to hold more people than the campsite for gatherings. We did have a Bon Voyage party at the shelter by the playground and it had a charcoal grill and bathrooms connected which made it convenient and the grandkids loved playing on the playground and exploring the area.
Sunrises and Sunsets
Now if you do not know me yet, I love the sky, especially at sunrise and sunsets. Most of my pictures depict these events and Chickahominy Riverfront Park did not let me down in those areas. The best spot I found for sunrises was at the small pier across from our site which was 330. There really was not a morning there that the sunrise disappointed other than the last two days when it rained the whole time. As far as sunsets, you have several locations. The fishing pier by the playground is the best location, however, if that is crowded there is another spot that is almost as good. This would be over behind the other shelter which is located across the field from the boat launch. There are some primitive campsites over there that are right on the river and face the direction of the sunset. That is a nice quiet location to enjoy the sunset and bask in the beauty of God. You can also see the sunset from the boat launch pier but you do not get the full effect there.
Things we learned: Well one big thing that we learned, is to look at your surroundings when picking a campsite. The last day that we were here, it had been raining for two day, and in the middle of the night one of the dead branches fell on the canopy and ripped a nice size whole in it. Look before you park!!!
Things to do:
Virginia Capital Trail – If you are a bike enthusiast or even if you just like to ride once in awhile, like when your camping, this is a good spot for either. The Virginia Capital Trail runs right along the road that the campground is on and affords a nice safe place to ride. The trail navigates through 400 hundred years of history for approximately 52 miles, crossing through four Jurisdictions. For further information and to read about our 15-mile trek from the campground to Jamestown please follow the link below.
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Other area interests include Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Busch Gardens, Yorktown, shopping and lots of restaurants to meet your fancy. See links below for further information on those specific sites.
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