Cities nearby include Virginia Beach to the south and Norfolk to the west. The cape itself is within the boundaries of Fort Story.
The ships carrying the colonists of the Jamestown settlement made their first landfall at Cape Henry, April 26, 1607, explored the area, named the cape, and set up a cross before proceeding up the James River. The Cape Henry Memorial, a part of the Colonial Historical National Park, preserves the site; it includes a stone cross set up in 1935 by the Daughters of the American Colonists to commemorate the landing.
The Cape Henry Lighthouse was the first lighthouse authorized by the US government, dating from 1792.