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Home >
Visit a Gateway > Great Bridge Lock Park
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| - Chesapeake, VA |
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| Activities: |
- fishing and crabbing (valid Virginia fishing license required)
- boating - motor and other small water craft can be launched from the boat
ramp
- interpretive programs each year include:
- Explore the Intracoastal Waterway: Each spring, summer and fall participants
join a park ranger for a three-hour pontoon boat tour of the Albemarle & Chesapeake
and Dismal Swamp canals. Participation is limited by boat size.
- Great Bridge Canoe Trip: Paddlers, led by park rangers, explore the Great
Bridge marsh by canoe each December in commemoration of the December 9, 1775,
Battle of Great Bridge, which took place in this historic area where Colonial
forces fought the British.
- Annual events are launced from Great Bridge Lock park each year, including:
- Battle of Great Bridge Celebration on the first Saturday and Sunday in
December. The battle -- known as the "Southern Bunker Hill" -- is considered
by historians to be a significant and decisive Patriot victory. It led directly
to the British evacuation of Virginia and the loss of Norfolk, as a British
base of military operations in the South. The weekend is filled with many
interesting and educational opportunities for the entire family, ranging from
battle re-enactments, Colonial fashion show, encampments, and "drilling the
militia," a children's activity.
- trails-hiking, water trails - self-guided
- picnicking: picnic area equipped with fire grill.
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| Pet policy: |
Pets allowed on leash. |
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Facilities: |
The park features a two-lane boat ramp, picnic shelters and a foot trail along the north shoreline and through the wooded western portion of the park. There is a large play area, provisions for indoor toilets and extensive fishing and crabbing areas. Bleachers permit spectators to view the many yachts passing through the lock.
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| Size: |
19 acres |
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| Accessibility: |
The picnic, playground and rest room areas are handicapped
accessible. The boat ramp area is not accessible at this time. |
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