Visitors and locals of the Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Virginia area now have another golf option. The 18-hole Sewells Point Golf Course, which is on federal property, but outside the fence line of Naval Station Norfolk, is now open to the public.
Until recently, the course was strictly open to military personnel. But with declining rounds—only 30,000 last year—Naval Station Norfolk officials decided to open up the course to the public. Sewells Point Golf Course can accommodate about 60,000 rounds comfortably on an annual basis say base officials. The course was established in 1927 and is a par 71 Donald Ross design.
Sewells Point Golf Course
Sewells Point measures just 6,280 yards but offers terrific views and challenging play for golfers at every skill level. Well-groomed fairways and greens keep Sewells Point Golf Course difficult yet friendly.
About 20 miles from the golf course is First Landing State Park. Located about a two-hour drive southeast of Richmond, the park stretches over 2,888 acres in Virginia Beach. Featuring a 1.5 mile sandy Chesapeake Bay beachfront, the park is where English colonists first landed in 1607. As Virginia’s most-visited state park, First Landing offers 208 sites and an abundance of amenities.
First Landing State Park is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. There are 10 hiking and biking trails throughout the park ranging from easy to moderate. The Cape Henry trail is the longest at 6.1 miles. Be sure to take a self-guided tour of the Cape Henry Lighthouse. The first federally funded lighthouse, Cape Henry was completed in 1792.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is worth an afternoon visit. Since its opening in 1986, the center hosts 650,000 visitors annually. Coming from all over the globe, those visitors enjoy viewing more than 10,000 mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles that represent in excess of 300 different species.
A final note about the park: It is located adjacent to a military training center, which, at times, can be a little noisy. Usually, things quiet down no later than 10 p.m.
For more information on the area, check out VisitVirginiaBeach.com and VisitNorfolk.com. You can also read more about First Landing State Park on RV LIFE Campgrounds.
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
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