anyone been to/know about virginia beach?

randp · March 2012

my mom is renting a a house by the beach for her, me & my siblings & our families for a week this summer. we've never been. (my kids are 4 & 2)

aside from going to the beach, what else is there to do. i did read there is an aquarium. are there any websites you would recommend to find activities/information?

we are staying in the more quiet part of virginia beach, but the realtor said it is ~15min drive to the boardwalk.

thanks!!!

madladybride · March 2012

They also have a Children's Museum and a zoo. This page has some information about family-friendly activities there, but I can't vouch for the validity of it.

cwm11985 · March 2012

Yep! Grew up going there every summer (we're from Richmond). Up where the houses are is great because its quiet and not touristy (no fighting for a spot on the beach); but, the boardwalk is great fun at night or for trying out different restaurants. The aquarium is really fun, there is also a place called Rudee's Inlet that has activities like jet skiing. Also, Grommet Island Park, some water parks, LOTS of puttputts, pier fishing, charter boats, you can also rent bikes to ride the boardwalk. Oh, there's also like a carnival/fair thing. Have fun!!!

vedwards · March 2012

I live in Georgia now, but Virginia will always be home. I grew up in the Hampton Roads area and loved it.

The aquarium is great and has only improved with the expansion a few years ago. It's not far from the beach at all - if you take the main road (can't remember if it's Atlantic or Pacific) down to the bridge where it curves to the right, it turns in to General Booth Blvd and the aquarium is just a little way down that road on the right. I would definitely recommend going there. I worked at Nauticus for a few years (in Norfolk, not too far away) and that's a pretty cool place to visit too.

If you enjoy history, or even if you don't, I highly recommend taking a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown. There is a fee for both, but it's free to walk around CW and you can go in shops where you buy things without having a ticket. Busch Gardens is also in Williamsburg and they have a kid section. I think my first trip to BG was when I was 2. Williamsburg is only about an hour up I64.

Of course hanging out at the beach is always fun and if you're at the higher numbered streets, those tend to be less crowded.

This post is making me want to go home!! I hope you have fun!

vedwards · March 2012

I forgot about the zoo - it's small but really fun. They've done a lot of updating in the last few years and it's a really nice, clean zoo. One of the animals just had babies and I think they're on display now. The zoo is in Norfolk.

cedenton · March 2012

I live in Hampton Roads now. Let's see...

? Aquarium

? Zoo

? dolphin tours

? fishing charters

? Navy base tour from Norfolk by boat

? USS Winsconsin

? Nauticus

? Colonial Williamsburg (45 min.)

? Busch Gardens (45 min.) (Not sure if it?s open, yet)

? MacArthur Memorial

? Contemporary Art Museum (VB)

? Chrysler Museum (Norfolk)

? Dismal Swamp Trail (Chesapeake)

aliska · March 2012

VA Beach is a lot of fun. I'll 2nd the USS Wisconsin. There is a great museum, and you can wonder the ship. We also did the harbor tour of the different navy ships. The museum has a lot of stuff for kids. The harbor tour might get a little long, but the boat was 2 stories...so you could go to the lower deck if the little one needs a break.