Open fires are prohibited throughout the park from midnight to 4 p.m. through April 30 per the 4 p.m. Burning Law. This includes wood and charcoal. Gas is permissible. Campground fires are allowed during the restricted time if a camp host is on duty and signage to that effect is posted in the campground. Failure to observe the 4 p.m. Burning Law can result in a fine. Contact the Park Office for additional information.

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Shared by Andrew Kinback, as Guest Blogger.

Sitting among the whimsical live oaks and towering loblolly pines of First Landing State Park; stoking the fire and preparing the embers one can easily get lost in the mysteries and history of the park.

You might find your mind time traveling back to 1607 when the British first stepped ashore here and wonder what were their first thoughts of this new area that embraced the natural treasures of both the land and the sea.

Or maybe you might find yourself building stories in your mind about some of the larger than life heroes and villains that imprinted their names and times here; perhaps maybe stumbling upon the hidden treasure of the infamous pirate Blackbeard who is said to have made base here for a time or wishing to join the crew of the trailblazing African-American Civilian Conservation Corps that built this beautiful place.

We begin our journey at First Landing State Park with this campfire meal

We begin our journey at First Landing State Park with this campfire meal

If your mind wanders, you are certainly not alone.

First Landing State Park is a park of contrasts. You can spend all day on the beaches of the Chesapeake allowing the sea salt to penetrate your skin or hiking the Bald Cypress Trail and taking in the freshwater swamps and the amazing array of plant and animal life.

You can sit at your campsite and forget the outside world or you can sit and ponder what is going on in our world as you hear the occasional crack of machine gun fire or the sonic boom of a jet as training goes on at neighboring Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (the Reveille bugle call and National Anthem every morning around 7:45 am is particularly amusing and unique to the camping experience).

These contrasts and more when put together make for a one and only Virginia State Park experience.

A sea and land campfire meal, showcasing the contrasts we find at this park

A sea and land campfire meal, showcasing incredible contrasts

We wanted to capture these contrasts when it came to preparing a campfire meal. We gathered up the dry pine needles that lay over a good portion of the park’s campsites which provided both a great fire starter and comfortable natural bed to put your tent on. Around us, many families, travelers and solitary figures already had their fires going and were cooking meals of their own and were in a state of revelry.

First Landing camping gives off a tinge of almost a festival atmosphere as while most of the campsites provide a level of privacy using the trees and patches of underbrush, they are also close enough that you feel you are part of one big happy family. Next door to our site a jubilant family had hung icicle Christmas lights from the trees and began to cook a hardy meal of stacks of beef strips and Blue Crab. Our combined children compared their hammocks, played with each other’s toys and shared seashore treasures they found.

We also sauteed crookneck squash over the open fire at First Landing State Park, Va

We also sauteed crookneck squash over the open fire

On this night our meal was to honor both the sea and the land, just as First Landing does in its own particular way. We decided on breaking out the kabobs and putting shrimp wrapped in bacon over the fire. The meal was easy to prepare and simple and quick to cook. With the application of barbecue sauce on the shrimp while on the fire, you knew this camp meal was going to the next level.

We paired the barbecue bacon shrimp with sauteed crookneck squash and a small side salad. The barbecue sauce perfectly complemented the shrimp and salty bacon while the mild crookneck squash and fresh greens were a calming and easy eat after a stout main course. 

Bacon wrapped barbecue shrimp cooked to perfection over the campfire

Bacon-wrapped barbecue shrimp cooked to perfection over the campfire

As the meal was finished and the roaring fire slowly dissolved into glowing calm embers, the fire smoke weaved through the mysterious and burly oaks. The other campers started to settle in as well, some watching their children run up and down the camp loop, some pulling out a guitar or two for a little evening music and some preparing to bed down for the night.

Enjoy a meal from the glowing embers and wood-fire of a Virginia State Park campsite

Enjoy a meal from the glowing embers and wood-fire of a Virginia State Park campsite

As the sights and sounds of First Landing started into dusk, one might find themselves staring into the embers and have their mind wander and wonder if hundreds of years ago the Chesapeake people and Powhatan Indians who first inhabited First Landing might have also gathered around a fire and shared a moment in the embers.

RECIPES

Bacon-Wrapped Barbecue Shrimp

  1. Deshell and Devein Large Shrimp

  2. Cut Slices of Bacon in Half

  3. Wrap Each Piece of Shrimp in Bacon

  4. Skewer the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

  5. Make Sure You Are Starting with a Clean Grill

  6. Coat the Grill in a Little Grease or Fat, We Used Butter

  7. Place the Skewers on the Grill

  8. Baste in Your Favorite Barbecue Sauce

  9. After About 5 Minutes Flip the Skewers

  10. Baste the Shrimp Again in Barbecue Sauce

  11. After About 4 More Minutes, When the Shrimp Is Cooked Through and the Bacon Is Starting to Crisp the Skewers Are Done

Sauteed Crookneck Squash

  1. Save a Few of the Fattier Pieces of Bacon

  2. Dice the Bacon Up and Throw It Into an Already Hot Cast Iron Pan

  3. After the Bacon Has Sauteed a Little Add in One and a Half Diced Yellow Onions

  4. When the Onions Soften and Begin to Be Transparent Add in Four Crookneck Squash Sliced Thin

  5. Add a Little Salt and Pepper to Taste

  6. This Dish Is Done When the Squash Is Softened and the Onion Has Started to Brown

Side Salad

Something fresh on the plate cuts through the abundance of bacon in this meal and adds some lovely colors to your plates.

  1. A Baby Spinach/Lettuce Mix

  2. Tomato

  3. Vermont Cheddar

  4. Balsamic Vinaigrette

BIOFollow Andrew Kinback on Instagram @vacampfire/

Join us as we attempt to visit every Virginia State Park and cook a delicious meal over a campfire (if possible) and the adventures therein, with Moments In The Embers.

Be sure to follow Andrew Kinback on Instagram here: @vacampfire


Learn more about First Landing State Park camping. Check availability or make a camping reservation. Or call 800-933-7275.

Did you know you can also perfect the skill of campfire cooking when you stay in one of our yurts

You may also enjoy: Want to camp, but don't own a tent? We've got this.

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If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.

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