Virginia enjoys an Atlantic Ocean coastline on the mainland and on the peninsula known as the Delmarva because Delaware, Maryland and Virginia share the 183-mile-long spit of land. The state also has a long shoreline on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay, but those coastal areas offer little in the way of waterfront camping. Beachfront campgrounds are concentrated in a handful of locations.

Southern Virginia State Parks

First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach has a large campground with shady, spacious sites with picnic tables and fire rings. Some of the sites accommodate RVs up to 50 feet long, and many have electric and water hookups. The park, Virginia's most-visited, offers a sandy beach, hiking and biking trails, and interpretive programs. Because of its proximity to training bases, helicopter flyoversand sewer hookups. If you don't have your own camping gear, you can spend the night in the park's yurt.

Atlantic Ocean/Delmarva

Much of Virginia's Atlantic Coast on the Delmarva is made up of uninhabited, marshy barrier islands. Chincoteague, at the Maryland state line, has several commercial campgrounds near the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Swimming is allowed at the refuge's guarded beaches, but camping is not. The Maddox Family Campground (chincoteague.com) has 550 sites, most with hookups, and a large grassy area for primitive tent camping. Pet-friendly Tom's Cove Park (tomscovepark.com) campground has three fishing piers, a boat launch and marina, and waterfront or wooded sites with hookups.

Southern Virginia Commercial Campgrounds

While it's not beachfront, a trolley operates between the Virginia Beach KOA (koa.com) and the ocean during the summer months.