Chesapeake, Virginia, offers the perfect hub with spokes for the vacation of your dreams just 20 minutes from Norfolk Airport or Virginia Beach. But centralize your wheel so it centers squarely on Chesapeake herself, and you’ll find just how many places the spokes reach within the region. Revel in watersports, hike and bike to your heart’s desire, spend a night stargazing, or camp under the stars. All options are available in Chesapeake.

They don’t call it Wanderlust here, they call it WanderLove. Love focuses your trip on reconnecting with yourself, friends, and family through shared activities that make for an itinerary as packed as you’d like, and memories bound to be treasured for years to come. Explore the outdoors as you did as a child. Enjoy seasonal harvests for the freshest food and excellent restaurants that prepare them in old and new ways. Top it off with a stop at an old-fashioned candy factory three generations in the making, and you may decide you’ll want to stay for longer than a visit.

Wear your bug repellent, hat, and sunscreen, and prepare for an amazing ride. And don’t forget to check the city’s website for frequent community celebrations.

We visited Chesapeake, Virginia on a press trip and enjoyed more activities than I could’ve ever expected. All opinions contained herein are my own.

It’s no surprise that water can be a prime focus of activity in Chesapeake. After all, you’ll find Chesapeake at Virginia Mile Marker 12 on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the Eastern United States. What may surprise you are the many types of waterways that exist. This unique ecosystem includes the Intracoastal, rivers, streams, and lakes (natural and manmade), where salt water from the Elizabeth River and fresh water from the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal mix as the lock system does its job propelling vessels to their next location.

1. Paddle For The Border

For a 3-hour paddle trip from North Carolina to Chesapeake, Virginia, choose your paddle — kayak, canoe, stand-up paddle board, shell — all are allowed. Go with your family or friends to join 300 vessels that launch into the 7.5-mile journey through Dismal Swamp Canal each spring.

The event begins with a traditional pre-launch breakfast. One insider took a separate kayak from her husband,…