They call it Sunset Beach for a reason

We visited the Cape Charles KOA, formerly known as Sunset Beach, for the first time in August of 2019. We liked it so much that we became permanent residents in 2020. We have since gone back to the traveling lifestyle, but we truly enjoyed our time at this campground. 

The most attractive thing about it is its proximity to the beach. The sites are just a short walk away from the sand and shallow water of the Chesapeake Bay. It can get crowded, so you want to make sure to put down chairs early to save a spot. The campground is located right on a sandbar, so for most of the day the water is lower than waist deep. It’s a great place for kids to play and float all day long. 

Right next to the beach is a fun outdoor restaurant called The Jackspot Beachside Café. The food was good, but you can’t beat the view. There’s nothing liking eating dinner or having a drink while watching the sun go down. Among our favorite meals were the steamed shrimp, coconut shrimp, fish tacos and camper’s chicken sandwich. If you need lunch for the beach, just order online and walk over to pick it up. 

All we really need to be happy is a beach, but the facility also has two pools. While they both were crowded during the weekends, we still managed to have a good time. If you get there early enough you can even snag one of the cabanas with a table and lounge chairs. They really give the pool a resort atmosphere. 

We also enjoyed the many activities the campground had to offer. In a week’s time they offer everything from tie-dying t-shirts to oyster shell painting, reptile shows and slip ‘n slide competitions. The staff were super friendly and made the kids feel at ease. 

As for the sites, you really can’t go wrong. Some might be farther away from the beach, but they are all about the same size, with the exception of pull/thru and super sites. 

One thing many people note is that there isn’t much shade. That is true, but I have yet to find a good beach campground with a lot of shade. They also offer cabins and yurts. We didn’t have a chance to see the inside of them, but it seemed like they were booked every weekend. 

As you may be able to tell from what I’ve mentioned so far, this isn’t a quiet and peaceful camping experience. People do come to the Cape Charles KOA for fun and there is plenty to be had. 

During our summer at the campground we visited the downtown area of Cape Charles several times.

 There are fun signs to take pics with and we fell in love with Deadrise Pies. The gourmet pizza in this quaint little town was up to par with some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. My husband wants to go back to Cape Charles and pay the outrageous toll fees just to have that pizza again. We also had a very messy afternoon enjoying several scoops of Brown Dog Ice Cream. I think the kids got more on their clothes than in their mouths, but it was worth every minute of clean up. Just make sure to bring some baby wipes! 

Another delicious venture out was to The Shanty. Everything from the burgers to the seafood is delicious and the bartenders make a great drink. I might have enjoyed an extra-large orange crush a time or two!

While we spent nearly every weekend at the campground for eight months, we never got tired of going back. The permanent campers were all very nice and many of them were lifers. Our neighbors had been camping there every summer for 20 years. We are already planning our next visit for later this summer and we can’t wait to see that sunset again. 

A blog about camper hacks, camping recipes and campgrounds.