Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Cherrystone Family Campground



Fishing off of Pier 1.

Site 236

We just got back from an amazing camping trip at Cherrystone Family Camping Resort in Virginia.  Here is a little info about the campground from their website.

"Welcome to Cherrystone Family Camping Resort! There is a reason we’re considered the best family camping resort in the Mid-Atlantic region! We’ve got it all and then some! At Cherrystone you’ll find over 300 acres of natural waterfront on the Chesapeake Bay and over 700 sites shaded by tall trees. Our many features include camping cabins, on-site trailer rentals, four swimming pools, three fishing piers, a well-stocked General Store and the Bait and Tackle Shop. Our waterfront location will delight you with breathtaking sunsets, wildlife and a wide variety of birds. And don’t forget all that there is to do! Throughout the season, we have themed weekends and plenty of planned activities for the entire family. Waterfront activities, including fishing and crabbing, taking full advantage of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay! For a vacation to remember, we invite you to visit us at Cherrystone."


We had such a good time! I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. I blame that mostly on towing the two dogs around with me most of the time. It is hard to take pictures, hold two dog leases and a cocktail all at the same time. So unfortunately the camera had to be left behind most of the time.  But I have put together some pictures for this post from my cell phone, my husband's cell phone, my underwater camera and my big girl camera.

We spent 7 nights at the campground and we had so much fun.  The boys loved fishing and crabbing.


We were lucky to get to be there with some of our good friends.




I took these pictures from Pier 2. So if you are thinking about camping here if you look on Cherrystone's map these would be sites 77-88 on the right and the paddle boats are to the left (in the picture above). 





Such a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July!


This was Rocky's first camping trip. He proved himself still awesome and was a great camper! No barking or bad behavior. Way to go Rocky!!!! My only complaint was the dogs didn't think it was a good idea to sleep in. So we were up just before 6 am everyday. They don't understand we can sleep in on vacation. But I must say I was very happy with the dog runs at the campground. I LOVED that they have a fenced in dog run. The dogs also loved getting to swim in the bay.


We were camped on Rockville Street. It was a great location because were were close to everything. We were just around the corner from the splash park, pools, general stone, cafe, jumpy pillow, pavilion, paddle boats, bay, pier, dog walk, bait & tackle shop, ect... But I have to note it was the craziest parking I have ever seen at a campground. Typically you park vertical to the street or you have a pull-through site. In the section we were in almost all the campers were parked horizontal to the street. Four sites share water and electric hook ups. So be prepared to bring a long power cord and sewer hook ups just in case. Since we were there with friends and there was a big tree on our site we parked on an angle. It worked out great that we were next to our friends so the kids could have the whole area to play in and we could keep an eye on them.

If you are planning on camping here and have a larger camper (over 30') or a motor home I'd recommend looking at the sites on Sunset Circle & Crab Lane. From what I noticed the sites have their own hook ups and water views and I think they are all pull through, but don't quote me on that.


We got to see the carriage rides from our site. Rudee didn't seem to be impressed with the horses walking around.


The site behind us opened up and it instantly became a great spot for a night time corn hole tournament. The section we were in was occupied by almost all friends and family members. So as soon as it turned dark out the kids got tucked in with babysitters at the lights came out and corn hole boards got set up. The picture below is before all the players showed up and all the golf carts to light the coarse.  Of course we had to play too. I was impressed to find out that some of the players were pros and play in tournaments and even have uniforms. I am also pleased to report yours truly made it to the semi-finals. I kicked a lot of those boys butts!




But during the day we had fun kayaking and swimming in the bay. We brought some kayaks with us, but you can rent them at the campground too in case you don't have your own.


The bay was so much fun. It was so calm. We all wore our water shoes and I loved floating on a raft.



There is Pier 1 and the Bait & Tackle Shop.


We rented a boat for half the day and it was a great way to play on the Bay.






There are several piers on the campground. We had such a fun time crabbing. The kids would toss the traps out and wait a whole 30 seconds or so before pulling the traps back up and just about every time they brought the traps up there were crabs in them! It was so much fun. We didn't keep any, but we did have fun catching them.




We really enjoyed our trip to Cherrystone and I wish I could post more pictures of all the other fun things we did so you could know more about the campground. I guess you will just have to go for yourself!  Oh and the fireworks!!! They were great too. Especially watching them from Pier 3. Although the kids had more fun looking for little fish and crabs with their flash lights in the water.  But I enjoyed watching Cherrystone's display and then watching the display across the Bay.  Two shows from one spot on the water!

Here is a little list of things I liked about the campground that I give it thumbs up for:
fenced in dog run, piers, paddle boats, WELL stocked general store (fresh eggs, milk, rv supplies, hardware, clothing, beer, wine, food, ect), cafe (nice to get a break from cooking a meal or two), paddle boats (free in pond), kayaks (free in pond), boat rentals, wooded sites, jumpy pillow, crabbing, fishing, bike riding, running (they have marked trails for 1 mile and 2 miles), security (there were police present),  

Here is a list of things I'd recommend bringing: water shoes, raft or body board to float on in the Bay, life jackets, small nets for catching fish, fishing poles, crab traps, bucket to keep your crabs in, bikes and if you have a boat then bring it! Also bring a long power cord to hook up with (if you have one, just in case).

We didn't do too much exploring around the area. Mostly because it was nice just being at the campground. But we did try to go to dinner at The Shanty, but the wait was over an hour. I don't know how their food is, but the view from the restaurant is great. I recommend calling ahead and having a reservation. We did have dinner at Kelly's Gingernut Pub and I had a great meal. They had a children's menu and all the kids loved their food so thumbs up for that!

For more info about Cherrystone you can check out their website here.

2 comments:

thecrazysheeplady said...

Fun!

Debbie said...

great pictures, love the campsite and your sign, that's awesome!! looks like lots of fun!!!