I loved my stay in cabin for so much that I rebooked let much as soon as I got home! The cabin was very private, sits far away from the other cabins with a lovely farm view. The layout of the cabin was spacious and very comfortable! It was rather hot, so walking the dog at midday was out, so he was able to stay crated with no worries if barking and disturbing neighbors. I took a tour of the mansion, and the different farm exhibits as Chippokes is one of the longest continuously farmed locations in the country, dating back nearly to the Jamestown settlement, which is a ferry ride away! Check out the fossil beaches and the visitor center for James River views and the ability to cool off! read more

See all

This is a beautiful State Park along the James River steeped in history. Be sure to read about it before you go and then take advantage of exploring the parts of the park that peak your interest the most. About a decade ago, we stayed in one of the cabins with our children. They loved it as we explored some trails, the beach, the historic buildings, the farm and equipment and rode bikes. Now my husband and I return to use the hiking/walking trails. The trails give you a little bit of everything. You can be in the shade, the blazing sun, on the beach walking in the sand, beside a field of cows or soybeans, or meandering down a rural road. We recently did a 4 mile hike and packed a lunch to enjoy on the beach. My only issue is that some people who come with their dogs have them off leash. We bring our leashed dog and I don't care for other large dogs running up to us with their owners not having control. I highly recommend going and enjoying Chippokes! read more

See all

You think you know VA history and then you visit a VA State park.. Mind Blown! Captain John Smith made many runs through our rivers that lead to the Chesapeake - Atlantic Ocean. In VA, your whole 4th grade history lesson is Virginia History. Not sure if it's the same in Alabama. Do you have Alabama History in 4th grade?....Well VA history is rich! Visit VA State Parks to learn more. Chippokes VA State Park is located on the mighty James River! Flushing toilets, shelters and picnic tables. A very nice beach to cool off in and not near as crowded as Westmoreland. I picked up just 3 pieces of trash. Otherwise, it's very clean! Thanks, VA State Parks! read more

See all

My husband and I visited Chippokes for a long weekend. We stayed in a yurt and even though it rained some during the visit, we had a great time. The yurt was roomy and dry, the only thing I wish is that there was more grip on the ramp up to the yurt since it was a little slippery. We took our bikes to the beach and visitor's center. There is a small gift shop at the visitor's center. We also visited the small museums they had but the mansion was closed, I'm guessing because of all the rain. But it was a great time! read more

See all

Great place to walk on the beach and hunt for seashells - don't walk barefoot on the beach as the broken seashells were a bit sharp. The park ranger said fishing is allowed from shore however the water seems a bit shallow. Clean bathrooms onsite with snack and soda vending machines and a welcome center with tons of info. We drove around the area, great hiking and biking trails and well staged camp/RV/picnic sites. Peaceful place for a quick getaway from the city. $7 daily parking using an envelop at entry. Overall, great place to check out with family and let kids explore the beach area. read more

Chippokes State Park - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

Awesome time camping and exploring! Campground is very well maintained, bathrooms are clean and well stocked, firewood available for sale. Cool thing about buying wood is the money goes back to buy things for the camp hosts! Playgrounds for the kids over by the visitor center. A season pool too! Lots of trails for running and walking. Guided tours by the park rangers. A fishing pier of Chippokes Creek about 3/4 of a mile easy trail from nearest parking. We had a great weekend! read more

Chippokes State Park - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

I was struggling to figure out the nature of this park when I arrived. I was a bit confused. I knew it contains fossilized shells and shark teeth and so that was my primary motivation to make the trek. I sort of knew that there were historical houses on site, but I didn't realize that it was an actual currently functioning farm. I did some research on my own after our visit, since we didn't tour the mansions or the entire farm. I found that the plantation was established in 1619 by Captain Powell and he named the creek and plantation after an Indian Chief (Choapokes) that befriended the early English settlers. The plantation exchanged many hands with the last owners being the Stewarts. They kept a detailed history of the plantation and when Mr. Stewart passed away, Mrs. Stewart willed the plantation to the commonwealth of VA to preserve its history and make into a park and in hopes it would continue as a working farm and an agricultural museum. If you're traveling an hour or more away to visit for the day, I suggest you head out earlier in the am and make a day of it. We spent about 6 hours there. I wasn't sure if we were going to make the paddle tour (canoe trip) on time. So once we were closer I called the visitor center to check if there were still spots available. Noah (I think that was his name) was very polite and knew how to handle customers on calls and in person. He allowed me to ask my questions and listened and informed me that he was actually with customers currently signing up for the paddle tour and if I could hold while I signed them in. He apologized for the delay and informed me that we could sign up over the phone and pay if we wished to lock in our spots or put our names down and pay at the visitor center. We opted to pay over the phone. He gave us great directions to the meeting place. Paying over the phone allowed us to skip the visitor center and go straight to the tour. The canoe tour was a total of 3 hours including the travel time to and from the lot and fitting for PFDs and launching the canoes. Majority of the route is in the wide open, so bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. We saw birds, I saw what looked like a river otter briefly, and plenty of fish jumping. A gar fish even swam up to one of the canoes. Our paddle tour guides, enroute informed us of the many activities that were taking place later that day and the next day. These activities included feeding and petting the goats, pot bellied pig , donkey and a corn snake. They feed the snake at the end. I had the fortune of seeing these animals earlier while we waited for our canoe tour, but I didn't stay to pet or feed. I at least petted Gabby the very boisterous donkey. The other animals stared at me from afar. They were also doing a fossil dig but I didn't want to wait until 2pm so we went on our own to comb the beach. It's a very large state park. I saw cows as we walked towards one of the hiking trails that lead along the soybean fields. We saw the mansion and houses from the outside but didn't go In. We went near the farm and forestry museum but didn't really check it out. If you don't access the James river beach access near the visitor center, which we didn't just call the visitor center and they will give you directions. But I think I would recommend accessing the beach area near the visitor center. It seems a lot closer than the route we took. It's pretty remote out on the beach, you set see a lot of fossilized shells and it's amazing to see the remnants of some of the scalloped shells because you can imagine how massive they were! We didn't find any shark teeth unfortunately. There was an area near some cypress trees but it was kind of sketch, you could easily sink into the sand and probably drown. If it was low tide it might not have been as dangerous. You can easily keep yourself busy walking around here. They also have 4 cabins you can rent and a few yurts and spots for tent camping. read more

See all

This has a lot to offer for a state park. It's across the James River from historic Jamestown. You can take a ferry ride there. The Chippokes Plantation is one of the oldest continually farmed pieces of land in the US. It's been a working farm since 1619. The historic area allows a tour of an antebellum mansion and outbuildings, stroll through formal gardens, and you can view antique farm equipment at the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum. Boating and fishing is possible on the Chippokes creek, but there are no boat rentals and for fishing you will need a state license. The park also has 12+ miles of formal trails. Most of trails are grass-covered. The hikes are easy, as the land is pretty flat. There is also an Olympic size swimming pool and a kiddie pool open certain time during the year. Check the state parks website for hours and other details. https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/find-a-park read more

Beautiful property. Very helpful and friendly staff. Everything was very clean. A super relaxing place off the beaten path read more

See all

I'm giving chippokes 5 stars because all in all it's my favorite place i've ever been to. It's a slice a heaven for me & my family & friends. Ihave been visiting almost weekly for the past 12 years. Ive camped there more times than i can count. That being said i guess it's really understaffed right now but i rented a yurt on march 27th to stay in with my wife & 4 year old son for my birthday. Itwas raining really hard so all we could really do was hang out in the yurt. The office is closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays & there was a sign on the door to call the trooper with any concerns. I did just that so i could check into my yurt & he told me to go to the camp host in the campgrounds for my paperwork. I drive there, big sign out front says off duty. I call back, he says there's another camp host right next to the yurts. No signs letting you know it's a host, i guess you're just supposed to knock on their camper for help. At this point it's pouring. A very grumpy looking woman comes out & asks what I need. I say I'm renting a yurt & trying to get my code and paperwork. I'm as polite as i can possibly be at this point. & the whole time she's looking at me like i've done something wrong or to her directly. Like she annoyed to be having to talk to me. Making me feel very uncomfortable like i shouldn't even be bothering her with my reservation. She says she doesn't know anything about any yurts. I said im can pull up my email & confirmation number to show her. she said i dont know anything about any of that, go over there & park and wait. again treating me as if i had wronged her or something. For context i am a 29 year old mom with visible tattoos on my arms. Eventually her husband helped let us in the yurt & was much nicer than she was but still standoffish. I hope they will get some different people up there to help out families going to spend quality time there because it really was disappointing to be treated that was especially on my birthday. read more

Chippokes State Park - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

I'm all about this park! Nice warm sandy beach to swim at, camping, cabins, picnic areas, swimming pool. It's all good. Beautiful sunsets too. read more

Chippokes State Park - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

See all

Disappointing. Lots of mosquitos and mansion was closed - decided not to run tours on a usual tour day because it rained the day before. read more

Chippokes State Park - Exterior of mansion - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

See all

Beautiful state park! Participated in this years Clean the Bay day (6/4/16). Local parks were at max capacity. After seeing some pictures online, I chose this park . Pictures do no justice. Views were breath taking. There was barely any trash. Everything was well manicured, clean, & organized. Not many folks and I wonder if this park ever gets crowded? I'll definitely come back. Gorgeous. Daughter found huge intact scallop shells. read more

See all

A nice park with lots to do. Picnic tables with a beautiful view of the river. Never did find the hiking trails but still had a good time. There was a spot with farm animals and a barn with farm equipment. We got to grind corn the old fashioned way. read more

See all

This is the place to be if you're looking for fossils apparently, Ive been here a couple times...having scored any shark teeth but its a nice break from reality and a good workout climbing through the tree roots, fallen tree's, and sandy shore, Bring a fossil kit with you if you're not already in the know....and boots so that you can walk out into the shallows while your tracking your next find. read more

Peaceful and scenic walk along the bank of the river ending at a working farm and museum with a little history lesson about the plantation that has been operating since 1619. Great easy trails for walking, biking, or running. read more

See all

Pool was reasonably priced $4 adults, $3 12yrs and under. 2 and under free. Parking was free, with out pick of parking spots! The pool is huge and was unusually warm. read more

The is a Great State Park hidden just a Ferry Ride across The James from Williamsburg. It is the longest and oldest continuously farmed land in the United States of America. There is a farm equipment museum on site. There is a Plantation House, a farm house, and many animals. There are trails, a pool, camping, and beaches on the James. Hwy 10 is the historic Colonial Trail that Stage Coaches used to go from Tidewater to Richmond. There are a number of interesting tidbits around Chippokes. read more

Another great triple P (Peanuts, Pork, and Pine). Not as many boats as in years past. Same with vendors. The Park Police said there were 150 boats and we didn't ask about the vendors. The tram driver left early so people had to walk. We were fine but some kids were having trouble. Cost was $5 per person. read more

This state park is my favorite part of living here. We love to go for long walks with our dogs on the beach. Also check out all the museums! The plantation house is cool too but I'm pretty sure most of the houses are haunted. Especially the slave quarters area. read more

Enjoyed myself at this park!! I went at late morning so it was very warm but we (my kids and I) walked the trail past the water to the house and gardens. Met by a very nice lady that directed my exhausted children to a drinking fountain. We stopped in the gift shop, took a tour of the house and gardens. Saw great views of the water and fields. A few farm animals were out to include a pig, goats and donkeys. There area a few trails for biking, hiking and horses. An Olympic size pool for an additional charge is available as well. There is a lot to see on the area as well to make a great day trip. read more

Chippokes State Park - Parks Near Me - Surry, Virginia

We enjoyed the nice farm house cabin we reserved for a couple of night during the off-season. It could've been a little cleaner and more tuned up but didn't spoil our stay. The driveways are lovely and nice for kids to ride their bicycles. We enjoyed cooking on the grill in our area and eating at the large table in the kitchen. There was no fireplace but we had central heat. The kids brought dvds and my husband watched a program or two on the tv in the living room. We did a little walk around the beach area and stopped to see the donkeys and other animals on the way. We had plenty of privacy and look forward to returning to try another cozy little house. read more

This is a really neat spot, with a nice-sized museum and still active plantation and farm. The views of the river from the plantation are absolutely stunning. I came here this past weekend because it was the home base for the Virginia Duathlon. The two running legs were all within the park which had a couple of steep hills. I'd like to come back to explore a little more and go for a run on the 8 mile equestrian trail (which from what I can tell is mostly double track logging roads). Open pastures and a small beach along the river make for idyllic picture-taking. If you're visiting the Williamsburg this is a nice short side trip as you can ride the free ferry from Jamestown, stroll around the park and have lunch in the TINY town of Surry. You'll feel like you've stepped back in time once you reach the south side of the James. read more

There is way more here than you can do on a weekend of camping. Best views of the James River. The best fossil beach in Virginia. History comes to life here.. Lots and lots of bike-able trails.. We're approaching retirement and had a great time. There's lots for younger folks to do as well. The only part of the park that I missed was the little Chippokes Creek area where they have the boating.. Found some super examples of the Virginia State Fossil. We had a blast.. read more

Enjoyed visiting this park very much. The farm road was a peaceful delight to walk my dog. The trails along the river are well maintained and have beach access for fossil hunters. We stayed in Cabin 3 and were impressed with the clean and modern amenities in an old one story farm house. Loved the secluded spot with fire pit and picnic spaces on porch and by a shade tree. Wear bug spray first thing (wasn't bad but still got bit). Don't forget anything as the visitor center is very limited for supplies and nearest store is a trek out of park. Very friendly locals and rangers. House tour and farm land is impressive. Bring cash only to gift shop. Try the ferry for a view of Jamestown settlement and easy drive to Williamsburg for lunch. Overall, loved this peaceful retreat from our Beltway crazy lives. Enjoy! read more

Discovered this park while visiting Busch Gardens. It is gorgeous. Didn't have a lot of time to explore. They had a beautiful beach and a great visitor center. We discovered a farm life museum in the park and it was great. Saw donkeys, chickens and an interesting pot belly pig. Very peaceful place. read more

Did I mention that we love to camp? Last year, our family tried to camp in as many Virginia State parks as work and school/activity schedules would allow. Chippokes Plantation was on our list for many reasons:proximity to great attractions, beautiful scenery and the great events that they host. Because my men (ten and forty-something going on ten) are obsessed with machinery, we camped here for the Antique Steam and Gas Engine Show. It was a gear-head's dream. "B" loop has paved roads and several pull-throughs. The older loop was better suited to small rigs and tent sites, however the entire campground was well maintained and clean. The campground was within easy walking distance of the camp store and the pool, but it also has ample parking, if you don't want to walk. As with any summer camping by a large body of water, bring your bug repellent, because they are vicious!! Try to bring everything you need, because while you do feel close to the cities, you really aren't. So much to do but we also went over to Bacon's Castle for a tour. The docents there are very knowledgeable and the site is a little known gem of local history. This Virginia State Park is great for families and I can't wait to camp there again in the fall. We camped here in a Travel Trailer. read more

This is a really nice campground not too far from VB; about an hour and a half or less and not in horrible 64W traffic (we take 64E to 10/32). We generally tent camp but happened to stay with my parents in their pop up this trip. If you do have a tent though, they have great tent pads that are very flat and cleared. Actually, we could have put up our huge tent alongside my parents pop up and still had plenty of room to spare. Their sites are among the biggest I've seen in the area, and in loop B they are very shaded and woody. We made sure to get a site on the inside of the loop so it had a direct path to the restroom; if you are on the outer loop you have to walk all the way around. The new loop they made is great for bigger campers (pull through), but a little too "new" for what I would want as a tent camper; it just doesn't have the same woodsy feel as our loop did. The bathrooms are one of the best aspects; or at least the showers. They aren't situated in the bathrooms like most showers, but rather on the outside. There were 3 or 4 and you just access them right from the side of the building; open the individual door and there is your individual bathroom. This is nice for campers because I always find it annoying to have to shower at a different time than my husband because we only pack one toiletry bag to cut down on luggage, so only one at a time can go. At Chippokes, we just shower together, and this time I was even able to bring our 2 year old in with me and use a handicapped stall with a detachable shower head so she could sit and not be scared of the whole shower process (up until now she has only been in a tub). She actually had a blast. They have a nice HUGE pool, and while we were swimming the first day, we saw deer walking by in the meadow behind the pool. There is also access to the James River if you drive down to the visitor center; if you take a short path down to the water its like a little beach, although make sure you bring water shoes because its a shell beach and not good for bare feet once you wade in. Definitely a great trip, we will be back for sure! read more

Another fine example of Virginia state parks. The sites are pretty level and very spacious. The staff is very courteous and ready to help with any of your needs. One of our camping buddies had an electrical problem with their pedestal after regular hours and within minutes they were fixing it. read more

Lovely park along the James River. They do a great job of showing what farm life was like back in the day along the James. Lots and lots of quiet beach to explore and a few walking trails. Try to get a tour of the mansion too while you're there. Oh and during the summer be sure to check out the GIANT swimming pool. read more

Camped for a week with our Pop Up Camper. A lot of the sites in the A loop were very unlevel but doable. The staff was great. Make sure to go by the vistors center to get a line up of all the activities. read more

Great place to visit. Summer time fun at the pool for the kids and please visit the visitors center. They provide activities throughout the year that are good. read more

This was the best vacation idea! We stayed here for a week in cabin #2. With easy access to the ferry to go explore Williamson, Jamestown, and Busch Gardens. The grounds were gorgeous, loved seeing the animals, deer, birds, crabs, goats, mules, pigs etc. Everyone was so nice. We took a tour of the mansion and learned a lot. Our family went for bike rides almost everyday. The kitchen was stocked with everything we could need to cook at home. The beds were nice, comfortable amount of space. There were journals in the front hall filled with experiences from those who stayed before us (very helpful). We couldn't have been more happy to have made the choice to stay here. The water was hot in the shower...beautiful claw-foot tub. The house was built in the 1850's and it was just beautiful. We did have a friend named Mikey (a mouse) that must live there all year long. We choose not to do anything about him, it just added to the experience. So we made sure to keep all food in tubs away from him. He loved sharing our bagels... we found him scurrying around several times. He was not shy. We can't wait to go back again! read more

We camped here before going to Jamestown - very nice, quiet park that is convenient to a free ferry to Jamestown that runs 3 times an hour (ask a park ranger for the shortcut). My only regret is that we did not plan to stay longer. read more

We stopped in on a Thursday and none of the buildings were open for tours and we only saw one park ranger all day. Gift shop and bathrooms just a short ways in. W/C accessible. Small gift shop but pick up trail guide there. Lots of walking trails. Follow the trail map and read along. The River House is nice to see and had a few animals for the kids to see. Cows up by the house so walk up there and a nice view of the river. A large display of farm equipment and early life tools. Very interesting but many tags off or on other items. Very confusing if you do not know the items. Small house with some indoor items to see. No people. Down the road is the Mansion and kitchen. We missed the buildings along the Quarter Lane as we thought they were private dwellings and we could not go there. The Mansion and kitchen were closed but you could peak in the kitchen lower windows. The Mansion we could not see in. Some signs to read. Walked through the boxwood and visited the donor's graves. Saw a human park person walk by. No verbal interaction. Looked at the enclosed carriage house and then left. A neat peanut plant field along the drive and 4 small houses you can rent for the weekend. Cotton fields as we left, sorghum and soy. When we return we will be sure to pick a day when the houses are open for tours and there are people to converse with. read more