Virginia Beach Virginia Boardwalk and Lynnhaven Oysters

Why visit Virginia Beach

Few East Coast resorts give you this much variety within a single city limit. In one day you can swim in the Atlantic, walk a boardwalk trail through a bald cypress swamp, climb a lighthouse that predates most American states, and watch dolphins feeding off the inlet at sunset.

Virginia Beach also has real natural depth. More than eighteen thousand acres of state parks and national wildlife refuge protect marsh, dunes and maritime forest, and migrating birds pour through in spring and fall.

The oceanfront and Boardwalk

The resort area runs along Atlantic Avenue, with numbered streets counting north from Rudee Inlet. This is the busiest part of the city in summer and the easiest place to base yourself without a car.

The Virginia Beach Boardwalk

The concrete Boardwalk follows the beach for about three miles, from the southern end of the resort near Rudee Inlet to around 40th Street. A separate bike path runs beside the walking lane, and you can rent bikes and multi-seat surreys from shops along Atlantic Avenue.

King Neptune and Neptune Park

At 31st Street, a towering bronze statue of King Neptune holding his trident rises over a small plaza beside the Boardwalk. It has become the city's signature photo spot and anchors Neptune Park, where outdoor concerts and events take place.

Virginia Beach Surf and Rescue Museum

Housed in a former United States Life-Saving Station from 1903 at 24th Street, this small museum tells the story of the surfmen who rowed out to shipwrecks off this coast, with rescue boats, equipment and accounts of local wrecks.

The fishing pier and Rudee Inlet

The fishing pier near 15th Street lets you walk out over the surf to watch anglers pull in spot and croaker, even if you never cast a line yourself.

Museums near the oceanfront

The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art on Parks Avenue presents rotating exhibitions by living artists and is a good rainy-day stop of an hour or two.

Cape Henry and the Chesapeake Bay shore

North of the oceanfront, the coastline curves around Cape Henry and turns west along the Chesapeake Bay. The water here is calmer and the beaches are quieter.

Cape Henry Lighthouses and First Landing Cross

The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, completed in 1792, was the first lighthouse built by the new federal government, and you can climb its interior stairs for a view across the mouth of the bay. Across the dunes stands the taller iron-clad lighthouse from 1881, still an active aid to navigation and not open to climbers.

First Landing State Park

Virginia's most visited state park covers about 2,700 acres of salt marsh, freshwater ponds and maritime forest, with a sheltered beach on the Chesapeake Bay. The Bald Cypress Trail is the classic walk, looping on boardwalks and paths through dark cypress swamp draped with Spanish moss.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Even if you are not driving to the Eastern Shore, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is an impressive sight: a long chain of low trestles and two tunnels that cross open water at the mouth of the bay. The crossing is a toll road.

Aquarium, Sandbridge and the wild south

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

On General Booth Boulevard just south of Rudee Inlet, the aquarium is spread over two buildings connected by a nature trail beside the marsh of Owls Creek. Exhibits cover the Chesapeake Bay, sea turtles, river otters and the open ocean, and there is an outdoor aviary with marsh birds.

Sandbridge Beach

About fifteen miles south of the resort strip, Sandbridge is a community of beach houses set behind tall dunes. There are no high-rise hotels and only a handful of shops and restaurants, which gives the beach a calm, local feel.

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Just past Sandbridge, the refuge protects a narrow barrier island of dunes, maritime forest, freshwater marsh and empty ocean beach.

Military Aviation Museum

Inland on Princess Anne Road, this museum keeps a remarkable collection of restored aircraft from the First and Second World Wars, many of them flight-worthy. Hangars hold fighters, bombers and trainers, and the museum hosts airshows on selected weekends.

Food and local flavors

Seafood is the backbone of eating in Virginia Beach. The Lynnhaven River gives its name to one of the best-known oysters on the East Coast, salty and briny, served raw, roasted or fried.

The best areas to eat are not always on the oceanfront. Shore Drive and the Lynnhaven Inlet area have waterside seafood houses with decks over the water, while the ViBe Creative District has coffee shops, bakeries and casual modern places.

Where to stay

The oceanfront resort strip along Atlantic Avenue suits first-time visitors and families who want to walk to the beach, the Boardwalk and restaurants. Rooms facing the ocean book out early for summer weekends, and the area can be loud at night in peak season.

North End, the residential area above about 40th Street, is quieter, with mostly vacation rental homes close to a less crowded stretch of beach. The Chesapeake Bay side around Shore Drive and Chicks Beach suits travelers who want calm water and sunsets over the bay, and it is close to First Landing State Park.

Best time to visit

Summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is peak season.

September and early October are many locals' favorite months. The water stays warm, crowds thin out once schools are back, and the Neptune Festival fills the oceanfront with a sandcastle competition, a boardwalk art show and music.

Getting there and getting around

Norfolk International Airport sits just west of the city line and is about a twenty-five minute drive from the oceanfront outside rush hour.

Along the oceanfront you can walk, bike or use the Hampton Roads Transit buses and seasonal trolley along Atlantic Avenue. To reach First Landing State Park, Cape Henry, Sandbridge and Back Bay you will need a car.

A suggested itinerary

First day

Start with a sunrise walk or bike ride along the Boardwalk, stopping at King Neptune and the Surf and Rescue Museum.

Second day

Drive north to the Cape Henry lighthouses and memorial in the morning, bringing photo ID.

Third day

Spend the morning at the Virginia Aquarium, then drive south to Sandbridge for lunch and a quiet afternoon on the sand.

Fourth day

Visit the Military Aviation Museum, stop at the farmers market for local produce and snacks, and pick a final beach session or a drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Practical tips

• Book summer lodging and Sandbridge rentals months ahead, especially for weekends and holiday weeks.
• Carry a valid photo ID for every adult if you plan to visit the Cape Henry lighthouses on the military base.
• Swim near lifeguard stands and watch for rip current warnings; lifeguards cover the resort beaches mainly in the summer season.
• Alcohol is not allowed on the public beaches or the Boardwalk, and the city enforces local beach rules on items like tents and pets in summer.
• Arrive early at First Landing State Park and Back Bay on summer weekends, when parking can fill.
• Pack insect repellent for the state parks and refuge, where mosquitoes and ticks are common in warm months.

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