Chesapeake: Waterways, Nature and History
Accommodation in Chesapeake
Chesapeake, Virginia, combines extensive waterways, trails through natural areas and a multifaceted history. Those looking for a holiday apartment for a stay with varied interests can choose between active days on the water, walks and historical discoveries. Depending on your interests, you can explore Chesapeake on the water, along nature trails or at historic sites.
Experience Nature and Waterways
The 763-acre Northwest River Park is located in southeastern Chesapeake on the banks of the Northwest River. There are opportunities for boating, fishing and hiking there year-round. The Ballahack Boat Ramp allows small boats, kayaks or canoes to be launched. If you prefer to stay by the water, Elizabeth River Park has a 144-foot-long pier for fishing and crabbing.
The Chesapeake Arboretum also combines nature observation with educational opportunities. Covering 51 acres, Nature's Classroom promotes awareness of horticulture and the environment through exhibitions, education and research. The trail system covers approximately 45 acres and is around 3.5 miles long in total. This information helps you choose between brief encounters with nature and a longer walk during your stay, without presupposing a specific length of stay.
Trails at the Dismal Swamp
The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is open for cycling, walking, running and hiking, horseback riding and boating. The trail runs 8.6 miles south along the Dismal Swamp Canal. The northern starting point is at 1246 Dismal Swamp Canal Trail in Chesapeake. Another access point to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is at the Portsmouth Ditch Entrance, 3457 Martin Johnson Road. From there, the access point connects to the Black Bear Trail.
The Dismal Swamp is also a place of historical significance: It was an important hub for trade, culture and history. The Dismal Swamp Canal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as part of the National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. At Great Bridge Lock Park, interpretive signage explains the lock system.
Discover Local History
The Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum commemorates the site of the first American victory in the Revolutionary War and is open to visitors. The large gallery at the Historical Village includes an exhibition about the Great Dismal Swamp as well as further exhibitions on local and regional history. This offers travelers who want to combine days in nature with cultural experiences a range of different focuses for their planning.
Further historic sites make the region's African American history visible. The surviving one-room Cornland School was built in 1902. The school was one of Virginia's earliest initiatives for the formal education of African American children shortly after the Civil War. Cuffeytown is a historic community founded by free Black people, with origins dating back to the 18th century. Cuffeytown Historic Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Virginia for African American Union soldiers of the Civil War among cemeteries not maintained by a government or veterans' organization.
Markets and Local Discoveries
For regional produce and prepared foods, Waterway Market at Great Bridge Village offers fresh products, handicrafts, food trucks and prepared dishes. Chesapeake Farmers' Market at City Park sells, among other things, vegetables, fruit, herbs, plants, cut flowers, honey, eggs, grass-fed beef and pork, free-range chickens, jams, jellies and pickled vegetables. Camellia Cove is also one of three locations in Virginia on the American Camellia Trail.
When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore first determine your preferred daily rhythm: water activities, trails through natural areas, historic sites or markets each set different priorities for deciding on a location. For additional orientation, you can also visit the Chesapeake page.
For the overarching travel overview: Virginia.
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