Chesapeake, VA, took its modern form in 1963 when South Norfolk and the remainder of Norfolk County merged by referendum, but the story starts much earlier with canal building, timber roads, and farms along the fall line. George Washington invested in efforts to drain and traverse the Great Dismal Swamp, and the Dismal Swamp Canal that followed became one of the country’s oldest continuously used inland routes. A strong military footprint shapes daily life, too: Navy aircraft practice at Fentress, and the NSA Hampton Roads Northwest Annex supports training and communications near the state line. Today the population sits around 253,000, spread from tidal waterways to deep woods. 

Outdoors time is part of the rhythm here. The national wildlife refuge covers more than 100,000 acres of forested wetland with straight trails, boardwalks, and quiet water. At its center lies Lake Drummond, a rare natural freshwater lake in Virginia, shallow and tea-colored from peat. Paddlers head out at first light, anglers work the edges for gar and crappie, and cyclists ride the old service roads that parallel the ditches and tree lines. It’s easy to pair that with a walk along the historic canal and watch small cruisers transit the Intracoastal route. 

A few lesser-known facts add texture. Mariners once drew drinking water from the dark lake because the tannins helped it keep longer on long voyages. The canal has closed after big storms in the past and reopened after dredging, a reminder that navigation here still depends on weather and maintenance. And while the city is large by land area, long stretches remain protected or low-density, so it’s common to see deer, herons, and otters where neighborhoods meet drainage cuts. 

Folklore runs through the swamp. Thomas Moore’s 1803 poem “The Lake of the Dismal Swamp” fixed the image of a ghostly canoe gliding across the water at night, a story retold on dusk paddles and night hikes. People also swap accounts of “swamp lights,” the will-o’-the-wisp glow said to flicker over boggy ground—now often explained with marsh gases but still talked about when the air turns damp and still. 

Dining shows the range of local tastes without getting fussy. Wicker’s Crab Pot Seafood brings a waterman’s lineage to the table—crab cakes, oyster plates, and steam pots that fill up weekend evenings. In Summit Pointe, Luce Secondo leans Italian-Mediterranean with house pastas and a strong wine list. The Butcher’s Son in Greenbrier handles the steakhouse playbook with cuts, prime rib nights, and classic sides. 

Beyond food, local commerce has personality. Vintage Trixie runs a curiosity shop and also produces the Curiosity Faire at the city’s conference center, drawing collectors, artists, and sideshow acts for a day of oddities. Coastal RC Speedway & Hobbies turns a warehouse into indoor tracks and a crawler course, with a parts counter that keeps racers tinkering between heats. 

History and weekend plans often meet in the same day. The Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum covers the 1775 fight that helped set Virginia on the road to independence and explains how local rivers and canals drove trade. Not far away, the Arboretum’s trails loop through hardwoods and gardens, while Northwest River Park offers camping, boat rentals on calm water, an 18-hole disc-golf course, and clear night skies. These spots pair well with the events calendar: spring brings the Jubilee with rides, music, and fireworks at the city park, and October draws crowds for the Wine Festival with tastings on open lawn. 

The same seasonal rhythms that fill parks with music also stir animals along canals, woods, and yards, bringing them closer to vents, crawlspaces, and outbuildings. At Two Guys Wildlife, and we understand how older attic vents, crawlspace gaps, riverfront outbuildings, and rooflines near woods can be an attractant. In Chesapeake, we inspect, seal, and repair with a clear plan aimed at long-term prevention that fits local construction and terrain. Contact us today for more information.