Virginia Beach
Introduction
Virginia Beach sits on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the most populous city in the commonwealth, and a principal city of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.
Before you go
Virginia Beach is built around a classic family-friendly beach vacation, with a wide oceanfront beach backed by a concrete Boardwalk running along the shore. The resort enjoys a mild climate year-round, so you can plan around lazy days on the sand as easily as around the area's parks and wildlife refuge.
Beyond the beach, your itinerary can include hiking, kayaking and biking, plus fishing, golfing, whale watching and dolphin watching. Historic landmarks, attractions and popular events round out the Beach experience. The city dates to 1691 and later annexed the surrounding county, and today it holds the tallest building in Virginia, the Westin in Virginia Beach Town Center.
Getting there
Virginia Beach is served by Norfolk International Airport in neighboring Norfolk, just west of the city border. If you're driving from the Delmarva Peninsula or anywhere northeast of it, the fastest route runs down the peninsula onto U.S. Route 13 and across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. From the northwest or west, take Interstate 64; from the south or southwest, Interstate 85 or 95 to US 58 is easiest. Virginia Beach itself has no train station, but nearby Newport News has at least two daily trains to and from Boston, and there's also an Amtrak station in downtown Norfolk. Amtrak runs a connecting shuttle bus from both stations to Virginia Beach, so select Virginia Beach as your destination when booking. Sprinter Bus offers daily service from Dover, Delaware, and New York City, dropping passengers at Wesleyan Drive, about two miles east of Norfolk International Airport. To reach the beachfront by local bus, take the number 22 to Newtown Road light rail station and transfer to the 20 bus going east.Getting around
How you get around Virginia Beach depends on where you're staying and how far you want to roam. The Boardwalk is easily traversable on foot or by bicycle, and bike rentals line the Boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue. Surreys are a popular option along the same stretch and can carry between two and seven people. If you're staying at the Oceanfront, the trolley and bus system run by Hampton Roads Transit gives you convenient access to the beach area.
For the wider city, Hampton Roads Transit buses are the primary public transit option, and you can plan trips through the Hampton Roads Transit website, which is integrated with Google Maps. One useful connection is the number 22 bus to Newtown Road light rail station, where you can transfer to the number 20 bus heading east toward the Oceanfront. Driving is easy in the off-season but challenging during the main season because of congestion, so if you want to explore beyond the Oceanfront or elsewhere in Hampton Roads, renting a car is the most practical choice. From Norfolk International Airport, the Sprinter Bus stops about two miles east of the airport at 5461 Wesleyan Drive, where you can pick up local transit; renting a car at the airport gives you the most flexibility. Amtrak runs a connecting shuttle bus from stations in nearby Newport News and downtown Norfolk, and Sprinter Bus offers intercity service to Dover, Delaware and New York City, arriving at the same Wesleyan Drive stop.
Where to stay
Where you sleep in Virginia Beach depends largely on whether you want to be on the oceanfront or inland near the business and airport corridor. Along Atlantic Avenue and the Boardwalk, the resort area is dense with oceanfront hotels, many with private balconies overlooking the beach. Options range from the Holiday Inn Express & Suites VA Beach Oceanfront and the Holiday Inn VA Beach-Oceanside on 21st Street to the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel, and the Courtyard properties on Atlantic Avenue, including locations at 25th and 37th Streets. Several all-suite properties sit directly on the Boardwalk, such as the SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, and Fairfield Inn & Suites, the last offering a mix of rooms and suites with ocean views. For a smaller-scale stay, the Inn at Old Beach is an eight-room bed and breakfast a few blocks from the beach, while the Barclay Cottage Bed and Breakfast offers a Victorian alternative in a historic neighborhood within walking distance of the sand. The Cavalier Hotel and Turtle Cay Resort round out the higher-end oceanfront choices.
If you'd rather base yourself away from the shore, the Central Business District and Town Center area has its own cluster of hotels, including the Courtyard by Marriott Virginia Beach Norfolk, the Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach Town Center, and The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, set in a walkable district of business, retail, and dining. Near Norfolk International Airport you'll find the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Virginia Beach/Norfolk Airport. Budget travelers have two main options: the Red Roof Inn, with easy access to I-64 and I-264, an outdoor pool, and pet-friendly rooms, and Angie's Guest Cottage, the only hostel in Virginia Beach, which offers inexpensive beds in a convenient location.
Food & drink
For a casual lunch, Baker's Crust serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with specialty coffees and crepes for dessert. Gringo's Taqueria is a local hole-in-the-wall known for fish tacos and nightly chalkboard specials that sell out early. Waterman's Surfside Grille sits by the water and offers sandwiches and seafood, though waits can stretch to three hours, so arrive early.
- Baker's Crust – specialty coffees and crepes
- Gringo's Taqueria – fish tacos, nightly specials
- Waterman's Surfside Grille – waterside sandwiches and seafood
Town Center is generally vibrant at night. Catch 31 has indoor and outdoor bars with fire pits, and bands often play at the adjacent park. Lucky Oyster Seafood Grill pairs oysters and wings with corn bread and pretzel bread, plus happy hour discounts and big screens for sports. Three Amigo's is a Mexican bar and grill that stays packed with locals, Captain George's Seafood offers an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, and Rainbow Cactus is a local LGBTA club with two dancefloors and weekly drag shows.
What to see and do
Start at the Cape Henry Lighthouse, the first lighthouse built by the federal government, where you can climb to the summit for a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. It sits on the Fort Story military base, so access may be restricted and a valid picture ID is required; the newer Cape Henry Lighthouse, the tallest iron-encased lighthouse in the country, stands across the dune line. Adjacent to the lighthouses, you can tour the Cape Henry Memorial Park, which includes a replica of the First Landing Cross, marking where English settlers landed in 1607. Inland, the Association for Research and Enlightenment at 67th Street and Atlantic Avenue draws visitors for workshops, conferences and lectures based on the works of Edgar Cayce, and offers guided tours with films, lectures, meditation classes and ESP demonstrations. Other stops include the Old Coast Guard Station, a museum in a former U.S. Life Saving Station filled with rescue equipment and shipwreck history, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum in the historic DeWitt cottage, and the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, with aquariums, live animal habitats, hands-on exhibits, an IMAX 3D Theater and a nature trail linking its two pavilions.
For outdoor time, Mount Trashmore Park offers lakes, picnic shelters, a skate park, playgrounds, courts and a walking trail, while the Virginia Beach Farmers Market shows the rural side of the city with locally grown produce, dairy, a meat market and special events through the year. The Military Aviation Museum and the Naval Air Station Oceana viewing area appeal to aviation fans, and the Convention Center hosts trade shows, tournaments and festivals. Natural areas are a major draw: First Landing State Park protects salt marsh, maritime forest and freshwater ponds with hiking and biking trails and a campground; Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge spreads across barrier islands, dunes, marshes and ocean beaches; and False Cape State Park offers unspoiled beaches in an ocean-to-freshwater bay habitat, where wild horses, feral pigs, loggerhead turtles, bald eagles and migratory birds live. You can also visit the Tidewater Arboretum and the North Landing River Natural Area Preserve. For activity, golf courses around the city suit every handicap and mild weather allows play almost year-round; surfing is usually rideable, with Croatan a favored spot and surf camps available for all ages; and the region's waterways, channels, bays and lagoons are well suited to kayaking and canoeing. The Virginia Beach Amphitheater hosts major music acts outdoors, with lawn seating under the stars.
When to go
Virginia Beach has a humid subtropical climate, with a long, hot, humid summer and mild winters. It sits in a favorable spot between northern storm tracks and tropical storm tracks, which helps make it a vacation destination.
- Late May through late September: The weather is often hot and humid, with frequent but brief late-day thundershowers. This is the wettest stretch of the year, especially from July into early September, and August is the single wettest month. Summer nights are sometimes really hot.
- Winter: Winters are cool with little frozen precipitation, and snowfall is light, averaging only a few inches. Even so, most years record at least one ice day despite the mild normals.
- October to June: Outside the summer wet season, average monthly precipitation is remarkably consistent, so rain is spread fairly evenly across these months. Much of the year in Virginia Beach is mild to warm.
Three days in Virginia Beach
Day one: Arrive at Norfolk International Airport and make your way into Virginia Beach, whether by rental car, taxi or Hampton Roads Transit. Once you are settled, head for the Boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue, where you can rent a surrey and roll along the Oceanfront at your own pace. Keep the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the bustle of the resort strip on the other, and stop whenever something catches your eye.
Day two: Give the day to the water. The Atlantic Ocean side offers the classic Oceanfront scene, while the Chesapeake Bay side is calmer and better suited to a slower pace. In the evening, head inland to Virginia Beach Town Center for dinner and a walk among the shops and lights, a change of scene from the beachfront.
Day three: If you have time before your flight, use the morning for one last stroll along the Boardwalk, then plan your route back to Norfolk International Airport. Drivers can reach the city via Interstate routes through Hampton Roads, with connections from Newport News, Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel; those coming from further afield can look into Amtrak or the Sprinter Bus from places such as New York City, Newark, Dover, Delaware or Boston. Check schedules and routes on Google Maps before you set out.