Little Island Park - South Beach(Little Island Park Beach)

Located in the community of Sandbridge, Little Island Park is a 122-acre recreational park that has two beaches with light brown sand.  One of the beaches here is 775-feet long and named Little Island Park – North Beach, while the other is 2,000-feet long and named Little Island Park – South Beach.  These two beaches are separated from each other by a wooden pier named Little Island Fishing Pier.  Little Island Park – North Beach is located to the north of Little Island Fishing Pier and Little Island Park – South Beach is located to the south of this fishing pier.

It is important to note that the two beaches of Little Island Park are also part of another larger beach named Sandbridge Beach.

Little Island Park is open between sunrise to sunse

Little Island Park has lifeguards between 9:30 am to 6 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  In addition to lifeguards, this park also has many other amenities including a pier, picnic areas, restrooms, showers, vending machines, beach volleyball nets, a playground, volleyball courts, basketball courts, pickleball courts, and tennis courts.

Dogs on leash are allowed on the two beaches in Little Island Park before 10 am and after 6 pm between the Friday before Memorial Day and the Labor Day weekend.  Dogs on leash are allowed on the beaches in Little Island Park at any time for the rest of the year.

Little Island Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, wildlife watching, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, tennis, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, skimboarding, bodysurfing, bodyboarding, boating, and jet-skiing, surf-skiing.

If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard near Little Island Park, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  Please also note that water activities that involve boards including surfing, bodyboarding, and skimboarding are usually allowed near Little Island Park – North Beach, while swimming is allowed near Little Island Park – South Beach. 

If you like fishing, Little Island Fishing Pier at Little Island State Park is an ideal fishing site and offers a great fishing experience.  If you are planning to fish near Little Island Park, please note that fishing is only allowed in the water that is located towards the south of Little Island Fishing Pier.  In addition, please also note that visitors fishing from Little Island Fishing Pier need to pay a $10 fee.  If you like birdwatching, you can see many kinds of birds near the two beaches in Little Island Park, particularly during the winter including gulls, starling, terns, and ducks.

Little Island Park has a wheelchair-friendly beach access for visitors with disabilities.  In addition, this park also has three beach wheelchairs that are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.  You can visit Little Island Park’s office building to enquire more about booking the beach wheelchairs.  In addition, you can also contact the local park authorities through phone at (757) 385-7324 for more information regarding the beach wheelchairs. 

Getting to Little Island Park is easy – this park is located near 3820 Sandbridge Road and it is easily accessible from Interstate 64.  There is a parking lot near the park that has 725 parking spaces – between May 1^st and September 30th, this lot charges a $5 fee per day.  Parking at Little Island Park’s parking lot is free between October and April. 

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Little Island Park‘s Little Island Fishing Pier offers amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean and the southern Virginia Beach shoreline.  In addition, this pier also hosts a fun event named Party at the Pier, which offers amazing live music and great food options.

There are many attractions near Little Island Park within a 31-minute drive.  Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge that has a beach named Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Beach and it has many kinds of habitats including woodlands, scrubs, sand dunes, and wetlands – this refuge also has a visitor center and it also offers many fun activities including hiking, biking, wildlife watching, kayaking, canoeing, and fishing.  Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is a 21-minute drive away and it is home to more than 10,000 animals from over 500 species including sharks, crabs, turtles, snakes, and cuttlefish.  This aquarium also has an adventure park and it also offers fun educational programs.  Red Wing Park is a 97-acre recreational park that offers many amenities including restrooms, grassy recreational areas, vending machines, picnic areas with grills, two playgrounds, racquetball courts, tennis courts, a basketball court, and volleyball court.  This park also has multiple gardens and it also hosts the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.  Ocean Breeze Waterpark offers a variety of fun and exciting water-based rides.  In addition, this park is also locally famous for having an interesting 50-feet gorilla statue named Hugh Mongous.  If you are looking for another attraction near Little Island Park, The Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater is an amphitheater that hosts many exciting events including interesting concerts and festivals.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Little Island Park within a 30-minute drive.  The Bee & Biscuit offers many amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including eggs, pancakes, wraps, sandwiches, salads, and oats.  Il Giardino Ristorante is an Italian restaurant that offers amazing dishes including Italian-style pork chops, pasta, chicken Tuscany, frutti di mare, and veal chops.  FIREBREW Bar & Grill serves many amazing dishes including pastas, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads, and chicken.  Repeal Bourbon and Burgers is a restaurant and bar that offers delicious burgers, along with nachos, macaroni-and-cheese, wraps, and chili – it also serves amazing cocktails.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Little Island Park, Doc Taylor’s Restaurant is set in a beautiful pink building and offers amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including pancakes, French toasts, eggs, wraps, salads, sandwiches, and burgers – it also serves many refreshing beverages including mimosas and coffee. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Little Island Park, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Cavalier Virginia Beach, Autograph Collection is a historic hotel that offers many amenities including a beach club, a spa, a bourbon distillery, a pool, multiple restaurants, a hot tub, gift shop, bike rental facilities, and a fitness center.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront that offers many amenities including multiple pools (including an infinity pool), fitness center, and a restaurant.  The 4-Star Delta Hotels by Marriott Virginia Beach Waterfront is another great upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, rental facilities for bikes and watercraft, and a convenience store.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Ocean Key Resort that offers many amenities including a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, a restaurant, a tanning booth, and massage services.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Little Island Park, the 3-Star Ramada by Wyndham Virginia Beach offers many amenities including a pool and complimentary breakfast