Colonial Beach, Virginia
 

I've heard a little bit about a quaint beach town on the Potomac called Colonial Beach. Has anyone been there? Would you recommend it? What is it like?

Small and quaint and lovely scenery is an accurate description. The Richmond paper did an article on the town just this week - here is the link;
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search...7-01-0240.html
It is recommended if you want quiet relaxation. Bicycle riding on nearby roads, visiting Stratford Hall plantation, and local wineries, and Westmoreland state park are all possible activities. The town has a website www,colonialbeachva.net

I use to live in Fredericksburg, VA which is very close. Sure it's quant -- it's only semi a beach. It's pretty run down. Are you thinking of going there for vacation? Not from any distance are you? Check out The Free Lance-Star. It's the paper out of Fredericksburg. Colonial Beach is in there coverage area.

Thanks for the replies. I live in Northern Virginia and want to do a day trip to a beach with some family and my 2 year old. Are there any better beaches on the Potomac less than 2 hrs from Washington DC?

Having visited Colonial Beach two years ago, I would call it dead -- not quaint. However I have a friend who lives there who tells me it just got a coffee shop and an art gallery, so it is growing. There still are no good restaurants, though.
Also, the "beach" is more gravel than sand.
The friend said the town was quite crowded for the 4th, so maybe it is being discovered.

I was there last summer and wasn't impressed with it at all. I don't think there's anything "quaint" about it. It was run down, with very few restaurants or activities. I don't see how it can be considered a tourist area since there's so little to it. It isn't cute cottages along the beach with dunes or anything resembling that. Just an old very small town that happens to be next to some water. But that's just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Colonial Beach USED to be a nice quaint resort town--at the turn of the last century. It was a major steamboat destination.

I agree with the others--it is seedy and run down. The "beach" is more like sandy dirt. If you want a weekend or day trip, why not OC, Rehobeth or Dewey?