After an amazing week at Delaware Seashore State Park we continued our family vacation at Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia.
Welcome to Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia
Our time spent there had three major purposes. First, it made the trek back to Raleigh more manageable. Second, IKEA. And third, we still had meals planned that had to be eaten.
IKEA
Although we had all purchased items from IKEA, Brian and Eve had never actually been in an IKEA store. The last time Steve and I went to the one in Sunrise Florida we spent 3 hours browsing and shopping. We knew they were going to love it. IKEA was about a half hour drive from Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and through the tunnel. It was worth the drive and we came away with lots of goodies without breaking the bank.
Kiptopeke State Park
Pet friendly beach at Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia
The family beach at Kiptopeke State Park, no pets on this side.
Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia is located right off Highway 13 in Cape Charles. And what a beautiful park! The sites are quite wide giving us plenty of room for setting up our outdoor patios and barbecues. There was so much room that we could even take advantage of the fire pits and sit in a lovely circle around it way behind the RV so that the smoke was far enough away.
Lots seagulls share the bay with fish and wildlife
A gorgeous view of the bay through the trees at Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia
The park has so much to offer. Our sites had full hookups. Most state parks have electric and water but don’t offer sewer at your site, so you need to go to a dump station every few days. So even though we were only staying a couple of nights we were thrilled to have that luxury. Delaware Seashore State Park also had full hookups so we were a little bit spoiled already.
Hershi wants to share his daddy’s soda
But full hookup is all that Kiptopeke had to offer. They have 5.1 miles of wonderful hiking and bike trails, playground, beach bathhouse, boat ramp, picnic areas, fishing pier, two beaches, kayak rentals, tent camping areas and yurts.
We spotted this huge Rubber Ducky raft on our tour through the park
I mentioned that there are two beaches. What’s really cool about that is that one beach is dog friendly. So many of us travel with our pets that it’s truly a bonus when we don’t have to leave them cooped up in the RV while we bask in the sun.
Area attractions
Our version of White House Subs!
Our fabulous breakfast chef extraordinaire Brian cooking up our yummy morning feast
Located on Virginia’s beautiful Eastern Shore, Kiptopeke offers recreational access to the Chesapeake Bay. It’s also a great place to explore unique migratory bird habitat along the Atlantic flyway. Cape Charles has an historical museum, art gallery, restaurants, antique shops and harbor, unique boating experiences such as passenger ferry to Tangier Island, and charter fishing rentals. You could also check out the nearby Eastern Shore of Virginia Fisherman Island and National Wildlife Refuges, one of North America’s most important bird migration corridors. Also nearby are the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore.
Ghost Fleet
A concrete fleet of battleships protect the bay at Kiptopeke State Park
The Ghost Ships
Photo Credit: Atlas Obscura Website
The fishing pier at Kiptopeke State Park is lit by standard street lights at night. The eerie glow falls off into the dark water after a few hundred yards, but staring into the black long enough you’ll begin to make out the looming ghost fleet that appears to be approaching the shore.
The sun is starting to set on our amazing vacation.
The sun setting means it’s time to light a fire in our fire pit.
History
This concrete fleet is also known as the Kiptopeke Breakwater. It consists of several concrete ships lined end to end just west of the former Chesapeake Bay ferry terminal. The crumbling hulks consist of 9 of the 24 concrete ships contracted by the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II. In 1948 the ships were brought to Kiptopeke Beach in order to bring protection to the terminal during severe weather. Once arranged, their bilge-cocks were opened to bring on water and they were left to settle on the bottom of the Bay.
We started the fire while the sun was setting and sat around it until it was really dark and we had no wood left to burn!
All that was missing was the marshmallows!! The perfect ending to a perfect vacation.
The ferry has been closed since 1964 when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel opened. But the breakwater still protects the pier and beach while providing a home for coastal fish, shellfish, and birds. Since being scuttled in the bay the rusty bones of these ships have been exposed to half a century of weather creating an incredible show of decay. Certain sections of the wrecks offer holes large enough for a small boat to pass through where one can see the interior structure of these vessels up close.
