Ebonies asks

My husband and I are PCSing to Fort Lee in December and would like to know what do the two bedrooms on base look like.

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Crystal B. says: We live on post @ Lee right now & love it. Fort Lee is a very small community has a great spouses club plenty of activities & housing is nice. The surrounding community is okay but not the greatest. Of course there's tons to see & do within driving distance too!

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Amber W. says: There is far more to do around the Ft. Lee area if you are the city life type.

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Lela B. says: Whatever you do do not go to Fort Lee VA. It is a hell hole. There is mostly AIT there. 

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We lived on post at Fort Lee and liked our home despite the fact the craftsmanship was terrible and we moved in to a dirty unit and got a hassle from the housing office about it. Overall I say the on-post housing seems the best option than to rent anything off post as the rent off post (for an apartment in a good area) is higher than the BAH (when you include utilities). I would recommend you get on the wait list for on-post housing as soon as you have your orders. I think the wait list goes by quick and if you change your mind and decide to live off post you can just call the housing office and tell them that you are not interested anymore.

To be honest the best and nicest area that has EVERYTHING is Short Pump and it is about 45 minutes away from Fort Lee. It's the best area for shopping - Whole Food REI very nice mall with all the shops you can think off many restaurants fast food businesses etc. I traveled there a lot although it was a long drive. I felt safe and found everything I needed.

Chester is nice too. It has the basics - Target Kmart Kroger Walmart restaurants etc. Nothing fancy though. It seems safe.

Petersburg is terrible but the down-town is beautiful! There are lots of restaurants and antique shops. You must visit the down-town at least one time; it seems safe the police station is near by. I'm a photographer and this was my favorite place for photoshoots. My friends lived in a historical home in Petersburg and enjoyed walking down-town everyday.

Prince George is very small but is right near the gate (A Gate; back side of Fort Lee by the golf course). Prince George seems safe - there are lots of homes; you just have to find them :) I'm not sure if this town has any shopping options but it's close to post and Colonial Heights.

Colonial Heights is next to post but it takes about 15 minutes to get to the main part of it where the shopping and restaurants are. Once again it has the basics like Chester. The mall there has nothing that interested me and I never went there; I didn't feel safe in there either.

We don't have any children so I cannot tell you anything about schools.

The clinic on post is small but I never had any troubles getting appointments - usually in the next few days (but it may depend on what you need to be seen for). I only saw cilvilian doctors there and was EXTREMELY pleased with their work which is unusual for me on Army post.

Fort Lee is very small and we were just not impressed with the post overall. The security at the gates is TERRIBLE. The guards can care less about who is coming through the gates and we wrote several complaints about that. They will let anyone on post literally.

The ACS at Fort Lee provides great service. There is a small ACS office in the solider's inprocessing building and I would go there for any questions. The main ACS is near by but I've loved the ladies in working in the the small office.

There is not much to do on post but they have lots of sidewalks and I rode my bike all around post. The Petersburg National Battlefield (which you can access from Fort Lee or off-post) is a wondeful place for walks running or bike riding). There are so many deer walking around; it's beautiful. The annual pass is $15 or $5 per visit via car.

There is an outdoor pool on post that is open during the summer time. I never visited but it always seemed crowded. There is a charge to access the pool but MWR provides great rates (daily or monthly) for soldiers depending on their rank.

The PX is extremely small and I never went there either. The commissary is also very small but is hardly ever crowded.

Overall we did not enjoy Fort Lee. We love the outdoors and there was just nothing for us to do within a reasonable drive. Williamsburg is a must to visit - a very safe and historical town with lots of shopping and restaurants (one hour away). Virginia Beach is about 2 hours away (but watch out for traffic). Washington D.C. is about 2 hours away too (on a good day without traffic). Maymont Park is definitely worth visiting and it's in Richmond.

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Tina Loucks says:
August 1, 2011 at 7:22 am

I just need to rant for a minute. For all of you stationed at or near Ft. Lee VA do NOT go to Commonwealth Dentistry!!!!!! Last year in May I had to have a filing replaced, they charged me over $100 to do it then proceeded to send me a bill for an additional $57.02!!! We paid the bill after getting the run around from them for a couple of months trying to find out exactly why I was receiving it. Today I received a letter in the mail from a collection agency saying that I still owed the money!!!!!!! When I explained that the bill had already been paid, she called the dentist office & got confirmation of the payment and then proceeded to chew them out for sending it to collections. When I tried to call the dentist office they would not even talk to me!!!!!! If you need a dentist around Ft. Lee, I recommend Dr. Webb in Hopewell!! Thanks for letting me rant!!


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susanna says:
November 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm

On Fort Lee there is AIT (advance training) so you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll find lots of AIT students EVERYWHERE. Fort Lee is close to Petersburg, VA. Theoretically it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not Northern Virginia, but I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll just lump everything together since you can reach everything within a short drive. When you move to Northern VA you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll move into an area that has a lot of bases and posts all around. From the North in DC (well actually even Maryland) down to the Hampton Roads area. All branches, all sizes. This comes with the good and the bad (like traffic! UGH). They call this area also ?¢‚Ǩ?ìThe DMV?¢‚Ǩ¬ù as in DC, Maryland, Virginia. So true! If you get bored here, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s propably your fault.
I was told it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not an easy place to get a job, so get your education straight!
There is a small local beach near by which spouses liked local beach, its called Buckroe Beach
With the BRAC program coming to Fort Lee, FortLeeBRAC.com expects to see an increased population both on and off post. The Fort Lee facilities continue to grow to meet the needs of the new soldiers. The surrounding communities are responding to this need by growing in education facilities, retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
PX is fairly small, however they are working on a bigger one. Maybe it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ s already finished. Most spouses have commented about the fact that A LOT of things on post (PX and more ) is aimed at AIT student taste.
Good eats:
Guadalajara, on 21st street, Hampton
Things to do:
1. Maymont historical park
2. Three Rivers park
3. Children?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Museum of Richmond (great, great place!)
4. Potomac Mills Shopping Mall
5. Mount Vernon Estate
6. Great Falls Park
7. Wolf Trap Farm Park
8. Manassas National Battlefield Park
9. National Marine Corps Museum
10. Claude Moore Colonial Farm 11. Stony Point mall (It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s all outdoors, you can take your dogs and they have water jests the kids can play in)
12. Short Pump mall (high end out door mall)
13. The MacArthur Museum
14. Try surfing
15. Take in the awesome view from the Lamberts Point golf course
16. Eat a Surfrider crabcake
17. Go Paddleboating at Northwest River Park
18. Visit the Childrens museum with a kid
19. Watch a movie at the Naro or the Commodore theatres
20. Drive the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Admit, if only to yourself, that even in today?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s sophisticated, jaded world; some engineering achievements are still pretty amazing.
21. The Chrysler Museum
22. Wander through the cemetery and see the cannonball in the wall of the historic Saint Paul?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Episcopal Church
23. Climb the old light house at Fort Story.
24. Picked a mess of steamed hardcrabs
25. Eat at any place with a porch where you can smell the ocean. (I like Tautog?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s in Virginia Beach for the crab dip.) 26. Take a picture with a Norfolk mermaid, preferably one dressed like you.
27. Drink an O?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢Connor?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s beer. Or even a St. George?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s. Always try the local brew.
28. Walk Olde Towne Portsmouth.
29. Snap a picture in front of the no-swearing sign at the Oceanfront. (Make it look like you are swearing.)
30. Eat at Vintage Tavern in Suffolk.
31. Drive to the Outer Banks.
32. Fly a kite on Jockey?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Ridge.
33. Eat at Doumar?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s in Norfolk. People love the words ?¢‚Ǩ?ìinvented?¢‚Ǩ¬ù and ?¢‚Ǩ?ìice cream cone.?¢‚Ǩ¬ù
34. Admire the pure testosterone of the Grave Digger in Currituck County.
35. Count the number of references to The Wright Brothers in any northeastern North Carolina town.
36. Buy an obnoxious Virginia Beach souvenir T-shirt for less than a cup of coffee. Give it to a sibling.
37. Take the Elizabeth River Ferry that travels between Norfolk and Portsmouth. Remind visitors it is public transportation. 38. Sit on the lawn for a free concert at Town Point Park or at the Oceanfront.
39. Call someone in a cold climate. Put your toes in the sand, and say, ?¢‚Ǩ?ìHey, whatcha doin?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢? Oh, me? Nothing. Just sitting on the beach.?¢‚Ǩ¬ù 40. Get into a fender-bender on one of those four-person bikes at the Oceanfront.
41. Kayak
42. Conquer a fear of heights at Busch Gardens.
43. Take a photo just as the sun has set at the Beach.
44. Eat at Luna Maya in Norfolk. It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not Mexican; it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Bolivian.
45. Hike at First Landing State Park in the Beach.
46. Laugh at the SUVs with flip-flop decals on their window.
47. Fish from a pier
48. Tour the Battleship Wisconsin in downtown Norfolk. Take a picture 49. Stop in the Planters Peanut Center in Suffolk.
50. Try to photograph (unsuccessfully) dolphins in the ocean.
51. Take a photo of Norfolk?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Scope. Say the aliens were not photogenic.
52. Attend a festival. There is practically one every week.
53. Wade away from a jellyfish ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú quickly.
54. Move your car based on tidal predictions.
55. Visit the old lighthouse at Cape Henry, site of the British landing in the New World in 1607.
56. Try on a Colonial tri corn hat in Williamsburg.
57. Stand atop Mount Trashmore in the Beach. Pose like Rocky. Then roll down.
58. Acknowledge the statues of Confederate soldiers. You can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t see those everywhere.
59. Eat a fried Twinkie at a Tides game.
Chesterfield Towne Center
Dillard?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, Hecht?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, Sears, JCPenny, and over 140 shops, services, and restaurants. Midlothian Turnpike at Huguenot.
(804) 794-4660
Regency Square Mall
Hecht?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, JCPenney, Sears, Cache, Brooks Brothers, Godiva Chocolatier, Warner Bros. Studio Store, Crabtree & Evelyn, Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, Williams-Sonoma, J. Crew, Guess, and Sephora. Northwest in 1420 N. Parham Road, Richmond, Virginia
(804) 740-1518
Shops at Willow Lawn
Dillard?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s and over 100 merchants.
1601 Willow Lawn Dr. Richmond, VA
(804) 282-7710
Short Pump Town Center
Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Hecht?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, Dillards Dick?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Sporting Goods and over 110 shops and stores. 11800 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA (804) 360-1700
SouthPark Mall
Dillard?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, Hecht?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, JCPenney, Sears and over 100 shops and department stores in Colonial Heights.
Stony Point Fashion Park
Stony Point Fashion Park is a 690,000 square foot, open-air shopping center located at Chippenham and Stony Point Parkway. 9200 Stony Point Parkway Richmond, Virginia 23235 (804) 740-1518
Virginia Center Commons
Hecht?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, Dillard?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, JCPenney and Sears, and more than 100 specialty stores. Route 1 (10101 Brook Rd.) in Glen Allen, Virginia, accessible through 1/2 mile off I-95 (Exit 86B) or I-295 (Exit 43C) (804) 266-9000


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