What luck the day after my 4 year old needed to be isolated for covid was a beautiful out. Took advantage to make a longer trip than usual to check out Virginia’s second largest beach. Colonial Beach is about 2 hours away with some traffic, less with the impossible situation where there are no backups.

I think the best way to explain Colonial Beach is that it is neither what you would expect of a large ocean beach with a boardwalk, and not like any of the local bay beaches in Maryland. It kind of straddles those realities. I dug it, but it may not be for everyone.

What I liked:

• Lots of space in the sand, especially compared to the other sand beaches under 2 hours from DC

• Infrastructure means there is a real bathroom (not super clean but above average by public beach standards) and easy parking right up against the sand practically
• Places to eat right there. We didn’t go but there was even a cool looking outdoor place to have beverages and food. High Tides on the Potomac looks pretty fun

• Calm water with good temperature
• Options to rent paddleboards, kayaks, etc. Not sure where but did see some people jetskiing!

• Boardwalk! It’s not vibrant, but its there!

• Ice creammmmmm

Not a fan of:

• The sand was not powder soft. A bit tiny rocky. Not hard on the feet, but not soft.
• Lack of shade. Sand was pretty hot on the warm, but not hot day. Bring your cabana and wear sandals!

Concluding thoughts…

I was a fan! My BFF not so much, and I get it because it is aesthetically not quite there. But I loved how easy it was to get to the sand, having some options there, having plenty of space, and the calm water. I would come back, but would want to spend a significant amount of more time there. Maybe even do an overnight?