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10forty2's avatar
10forty2
Explorer
Sep 05, 2018

KOA - Virginia Beach, VA

This is our third year of going to Virginia Beach for the American Music Festival, held on Labor Day Weekend each year. We were able to take in a couple of the concerts this year, Molly Hatchet and ZZ Top. Other headliners were Ziggy Marley, Goo Goo Dolls, SOJA, The Drifters, The Coasters, and several more local bands. Molly Hatchet was on one of the free stages and we "listened" to ZZ Top from the boardwalk. Enjoyed a really great weekend reliving our youth with the aforementioned bands, and other beach activities!

Now, to my point of the post.....if you are looking for a destination on the East Coast, and haven't taken the opportunity to visit Virginia Beach, give it a shot and go to the KOA. They have made great improvements in the campground and are still increasing their amenities. This year they have added deluxe patio sites which include paved/concrete sites, nice spacious grassy areas and table/chairs on each of the sites. Of course, FHUs are standard. They have two pools, one with a kiddie slide on one end and one for the adults. The normal KOA bouncy pillow is there, and they had added an outdoor family game center with large chess games, bocce ball, cornhole and several other activities. Very friendly staff that keep the grounds clean and are ready to help with most anything you need. Not much, if anything, to complain about. It's located very close to the Naval Air Base, so fighter planes are pretty frequent. If the sounds of jet planes are a deal breaker, then I might suggest you go elsewhere. But quite frankly, I enjoy watching the planes fly so close you can almost see the pilot.... so it's a plus for me! They typically don't fly after dark and very little activity on weekends and holidays.

One of the best things about the area in general is their transit system. For $4.00 per person per day, you can ride the bus/trolley system to and from the beach. About every 20 minutes or so, they pick you up at the KOA, carry you to the beach with stops at the Aquarium and the Adventure Park along the way, and drop you off at 5th street near Waterman's restaurant. From there, you can walk along their fantastic oceanfront boardwalk, or stay a block back to experience the shops. Typical beach shops....tourist traps, but there are several great restaurants along the way and a fantastic outdoor bar where you can experience the famed Virginia Beach Crush drinks. The Crushes are delicious, but be careful, they sneak up on you VERY quickly! Two will be about the limit if you still want to walk around much! If you don't want to walk, there is a trolley that goes back and forth and stops pretty much everywhere along the way so you can get on and off as many times as you like for the same ticket you used to get there from the KOA.

We will keep coming back to this KOA and would obviously recommend it to friends! (and no, I won't get anything for a positive review... LOL!)
  • rockhillmanor wrote:
    rr2254545 wrote:
    we like them stayed at 81 since we retired and will keep staying at them when available and price competitive for the area


    X10

    When I went full time and after the 3rd surprise at pulling off the road for the night and finding horror of horrors CG's?

    I now stay exclusively at KOA's. You know when you get there just what it will look like no matter what state you are in.

    Their rates are no different than other CG's. When the naysayers start quoting/complaining of high CG rates they 'always' use the rate for a CG "near an attraction". "ALL" CG's near attractions have higher rates. KOA is not the lone ranger.

    Those of us that travel full-time or snowbird stay at many CG's as we travel across the US. We are not a destination weekend RV'er so we are not making reservations months or even years in advance.

    We get tired of driving, we pull into the nearest CG. There is always a KOA usually close by and I know what it will look like. Clean and safe. :C

    When I pull off the road late in the day or even late at night for a good nights rest I don't want to pull into some dive just because it was dirt cheap.

    Rock Hill you bring up a good point. If you judging CG's on price alone KOA's will generally be at the top.
    However if your judging on quality and consistency KOA will also be at the top.
    I agree KOA's are generally no worse than the competition.
    There goal is to deliver a quality experience in a family friendly atmosphere vs. providing a bargain priced site. Those are 2 different criteria.

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