Virginia Beach is more than just another beach town. It’s a city with beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, The Chesapeake Bay, and a ton of rivers! It’s a fisherman’s dream, a beach bums Mecca, and a water sport paradise. But sun and fun isn’t all this city has to offer.
The main strip of Virginia Beach features a 40 block boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean. Wide sandy beaches sprawl into the refreshing water, while high rise hotels and restaurants tower above the boardwalk. At the 1st street jetty, surfers will find plenty of waves for everyone to ride. The 14th street pier offers fantastic fishing. And from 40th street all the way past 86th street and onto the Cape Henry lighthouse, there’s nothing but quiet beautiful beaches for a nice walk.
Around Cape Henry, visitors will find themselves on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Both Chic’s beach and the First Landing beaches are where you’ll find the locals. These beaches are ideal for small craft sailboats, windsurfing, and jet skiing. While the beaches are dog friendly, we highly recommend taking your four legged friends into Seashore State Park. This massive section of The Great Dismal Swamp butts up against the Chesapeake Bay and offers miles of easy trails around the back bays and straights of Virginia Beach.
Speaking of back bays and straights. If you’re a seafood lover, you’ll want to take that last curve around yet another cape to the shores of Broad Bay. Here you will find the best restaurants in the area. Although they’re not very fancy, restaurants like Dockside get their seafood delivered straight off the boat and into the kitchen! You can buy the best oysters you’ve ever had in the restaurant with a frosty cold beer or buy a bunch in the market and take them home. There’s also fresh crab, fish, shrimp, and much more!
After a day in the sun go to https://www.ridester.com/ and catch a ride into downtown Norfolk. This harbor city is one of the biggest ports in the country and often shelters three masted ships, cruise ships, and Navy ships. The USS Wisconsin is permanently docked outside of Norfolk’s Nauticus museum, a museum dedicated to the rich naval history of the city. In the heart of downtown, you’ll find St. Paul’s Episcopal Church which still has a cannonball from the Revolutionary War lodged in its wall!
Leaving downtown Norfolk, you’ll pass the Chrysler Museum. This elite museum regularly trades work with the likes of The Louvre in Paris. It’s Tiffany glass collection is the largest in the world. The Chrysler Museum also serves as the gateway from downtown to Ghent, Norfolk’s arts district. Here you will find bistros, bars, breweries, galleries, and shopping!
Finally, head back to Virginia Beach and catch the sunset on The Bay Bridge Tunnel. This 27 mile road spans the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and leads to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The Bay Bridge Tunnel consists of Two tunnels and three bridges. There is an island in the middle of the bridge-tunnel system where visitors can park and walk around. From here you can’t see any signs of land, which makes for a truly majestic sunset (or sunrise!).
Virginia Beach has something to offer everyone. The more you explore the more you’ll want to stay. Make sure to take advantage of Ridester to get where you need to go safely and on time.