If you live in the Virginia Beach metro area then there is plenty to see and do, but most of that involves people and concrete. What else is there to do that can get you outside to explore nature right in your own backyard?

You may be new to the area and looking for neat places to explore on your own, or with the kids, so here's your guide to fun day tripping adventures all within an hour of home, courtesy of Virginia State Parks.

FIRST LANDING STATE PARK

A bike ride is a great way to enjoy the natural setting at First Landing State Park

A yellow bellied slider is a land and water turtle common to this park

Experience the various ecosystems at the park like this saltwater marsh

The beach is practically empty in the morning, and a great way to start the day

It's fun to watch the freighter ships coming and going into the Chesapeake Bay

Step away from the beach and the peak summer season and you will find another world waiting for you at First Landing State Park. This Park offers many outdoor recreational and educational activities and has many unique habitats, including the bald cypress swamps, lagoons and maritime forests, as well as rare plants and animals.

Throughout the year you can enjoy a self-guided walk through the bald cypress swamp (on a boardwalk), about 20 miles of nature trails that are great for hiking, walking and some for biking, and even go crabbing at First Landing State Park.

Bring your own bikes, walking sticks and binoculars as we think you will find First Landing State Park a year-round oasis smack dab in the middle of everything.

Click here to view our listing for outdoor, nature and more unforgettable experiences at First Landing State Park.

History of First Landing formerly called Seashore State Park

This is the place where English colonists first landed in 1607. Native American canoes, Colonial settlers, 20th century schooners and modern cargo ships have all navigated the park's waterways.

Its cypress swamps were a source of fresh water for merchant mariners, pirates and military ships during the War of 1812. It is even said that Blackbeard the pirate who hid in the Narrows area of the park, may have even stashed his secret treasure somewhere here.

The interior waterways were used by Union and Confederate patrols during the Civil War. Seashore State Park (now named First Landing) was built in part by an all African-American Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-1940, the park is a National Natural Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Learn more about First Landing State Park here to help plan your day trip.

FALSE CAPE STATE PARK

Nature is highlighted at False Cape State Park

A knobbed whelk comes ashore during high tide

Historic Wash Woods cemetery

The park is home to an abundance of wildlife

The Terra Gator is your ride in and out of False Cape State Park

As opposed to First Landing State Park, which is one of the most visited in our parks system, False Cape State Park is the least visited, but that is for good reason.

To access False Cape State Park you need to cross Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. But fortunately there is a beach transporter that is by reservation only called the Terra Gator that leaves from Back Bay and travels through the wildlife refuge to access the Atlantic Ocean at False Cape State Park. There is a fee and a schedule, it operates weekends only Nov 1 through Mar 31. So be sure to check with the park before you finalize your plans, 757-426-7128. 

A typical winter tram tour would be like this:

1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Description: Join Park and Refuge staff for a scenic ride, to observe numerous flocks of wintering waterfowl such as Snow Geese, Tundra Swans and dozens of different waterfowl species in addition to the varieties of other wildlife found within. Then, continue to the heart of False Cape for a one-mile (round trip) hike to the remnants of the Wash Woods Methodist Church and cemetery site.

Cost: $8/Per Person. Reservations are required. To make a reservation please call (757) 426-7128. Tours begin at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

In spring and summer there is also a tram available to take visitors to the park, through Back Bay, where you can explore the park for two hours in the Barbour Hill contact station area or ride farther into False Cape's Wash Woods Area.

Click here to visit our events database for more unforgettable experiences at False Cape State Park.

This park is a dawn to dusk encounter for those hiking to the park through the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

For information on overnight primitive minimum impact camping and pets, we recommend you call 800-933-PARK for specific details, as reservations are not available online.

About Wash Woods

It has been abandoned since 1930s, except for the Life Saving Station which remained operational until the mid 1950s.

According to legend, the community was developed by survivors of a shipwreck. The village’s church and other structures were built using cypress wood that washed ashore from a shipwreck. Around the turn of the 20th century, the area was still inhabited. Wash Woods was home to a United States Coast Guard lifesaving station, a grocery store, two churches, and a school. Three hundred people once lived there, working as fishermen, farmers, hunting guides and manning lifeboats. (Shared from Wiki here)

Learn more about False Cape State Park here to help plan your day trip.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IF YOU LIVE IN VIRGINIA,

YOU ARE NEVER MORE THAN AN HOUR AWAY 

FROM A VIRGINIA STATE PARK