Moving to Ft. Eustis

Oh I envy you, we are praying to get orders to Langley. I grew up about 10 miles from Ft Eustis in Yorktown, Virginia. My parents were not military and so I spent 20 years of my life in that area. There is TON of things to do there. Theme parks, water parks, beaches, tons of shopping, exciting historical sites (colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown), hunting, fishing, camping, gyms, ice skating, concerts, fabulous food, lots of military installations of every branch. The list is endless. Really, whatever activity you find enjoyable, you can probably find it there. The down sides would be the amount of people in the area and the cost of living. It is expensive, it's crowded and still growing like crazy. In spite of that I miss is so much. I love it there and can't wait to get back. My all time favorite places to go are Virginia Beach (30 min away in med traffic), Busch Gardens (15 to 20 mins away), the pottery in Williamsburg (30 min away), Kings Dominion (1 1/2 hours away), and I love blue crabs so we go to a place in Chesapeak that deep fries them (YUMMY!). You will have a great time there. If you have any question or want more info, I can most definitly help you out. My whole family is there. My dad is is self employed, my mom works for Rite Aid drug store, my brother works for York county and my sister in law works at the church day care. My extended family lives there too. My email is ____@____.com.

M.

A.,
How fortunate you are to be headed to Ft Eustis. As the other gal said there is plenty to do. The chapel has alot to offer as well. Be sure to check it all out...
All the best and enjoy the area!! We have been there before and have family and friends in the area!
P.

My husband was there for AIT. The post is small, but the PX is a good size. VA Beach is only about 45 min away, and there's so much to do there! Plus, I think it was Williamsburg had a lot of stuff, historic wise, to do there also. I loved the area when I visited him!

A.,

We were at Ft. Monroe, a little southeast of Ft. Eustis, a few years ago, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in that area. There are lots of things to see and do in the Ft. Eustis area! Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown Victory Center, and Jamestown Settlement are the better known historical sites in that area. The Virginia Living Museum, Virginia War Museum, and Mariners’ Museum, which houses the USS Monitor Center (they were restoring the turret of the Monitor when we were there), are all in Newport News. Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA are a little northwest of Ft. Eustis on I-64. There are several outlet malls in the Williamsburg area (right up the road from Ft. Eustis).

If you choose to drive southeast on I-64 through the tunnels to the Tidewater Area, you’ll find that Naval Station Norfolk has a nice, large exchange. Nauticus: the National Maritime Center, the Virginia Zoo, and the Chrysler Museum of Art are in Norfolk. In Virginia Beach, you’ll find Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, which also has a nice, large exchange. Ft. Story, a sub-installation of Ft. Eustis, is in Virginia Beach. Ft. Story has two lighthouses, Old Cape Henry Lighthouse (which you can climb) and New Cape Henry Lighthouse. The Virginia Aquarium is also in Virginia Beach.

Check out Fort Monroe (last exit on I-64 before you enter the tunnels going south) while you’re there. Ft. Monroe has a fortress with a moat around it, and the Chapel of the Centurion inside the moat is the oldest continuously used wooden chapel in the Army. It has beautiful stained glass windows, including a few designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and lots of history. It’s open during the week. Also inside the moat at Fort Monroe, the Casemate Museum is a small but nice history museum (free).

You’ll find plenty of low-cost and free things to do, as well, if you keep your eyes and ears open! I hope you enjoy your time in that area as much as we did! Best wishes!

J. J.

I love Ft. Eustis. Okay well I love Ft. Lewis more, but Eustis is a great place. We own a home in Williamsburg, VA because of the quality of the school systems up there in comparison to Newport News, but you will enjoy it. Highly suggest season passes to Busch Gardens. Tons to do in that area and great historic sites as well.

If you are interested in purchasing a home in the area, I highly recommend Yorktown, williamsburg and/or Gloucester. You can't go wrong even in this housing crisis.