Virginia Beach: A great vacation spot for families

My husband and I are always looking for ways to enjoy our family and relax while away from home. Virginia Beach offers a great getaway vacation spot for families that is both beautiful and enjoyable. Especially, if you live in the DC metro area. The best part is you won’t need to buy a plan ticket to have great vacation, because the beach is only a short drive away, which allows you to have more fun for less money.

SAFETY FIRST

Many of the hotels in the area participate in the voluntary Find-A-Kid Wristband Program, very similar to the one on cruises, where each child 10 and under receive an identification wristband when they arrive.

THINGS TO DO

Of course if you’re going to the beach, one of the best things to do is chill-out and relax in the sand and water. Luckily, VA has 3 beautiful beaches, which is over 35 miles of fun and adventure.

The beaches are great, but if you don’t want to spend all your time having fun in the sun other options include:

Resort Accommodations, which give you the option to go camping, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, Para-sailing, etc.

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center 717 General Booth Blvd. (757) 385-FISH

It is great to be able to play near the ocean, but even better to see the animals that live in the ocean. The Aquarium provides a window into marine life. It also has an IMAX center, summer day camps, play date with animals, seafood fest, and more.

Contemporary Art Center of Virginia 2200 Parks Avenue. 757-425-0000

Their art classes are recommended for ages 2+

Some other kids activities include painting, drawing, ceramics, crafts etc.

FREE/LOW COST ACTIVITIES

Check out their parks and wildlife (trials, waterways, state parks, etc)

Cape Henry Lighthouse & Memorial Park ($5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3-12, opened and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The light house is over 200 years old and is a great historic American relic.

Virginia Beach Amusement Park Admission to the park is free and ride tickets range from 70 cents to $1, but most rides require four to six tickets. Some of their rides include:

  • Hurricane
  • Music Express
  • Comic Storm
  • Inverter
  • and Skyscraper

Oceanfront Festivals and Events Depending on which time of year you choose to go their will be a festival planned for your enjoyment. Some of the festivals include:

Historic Homes Virginia is a state with an abundance of rich history and historic homes that have been preserved. Some of the homes include: (Admissions prices range for $5 to $2 per person, see links for exact details)

Military Aviation Museum If you’re fascinated by aviation history, this is the place for you and your family because this museum has one of the largest private collections of World War I and World War II era military aircrafts in the world. (Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and seniors and active duty military is $9.)

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum This musuem is designed to help preserve wildfowl art, carvings, artifacts and photographs.The cottage is historically registered and was built in 1895. (Admission to the museum is FREE.)

Old Coast Guard Station Visitors are encouraged to learn more about shipwrecks, the coast guard, and World War II when they visit this museum. ( Admission to the museum is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-18.)

Virginia Legends Walk Do you like visiting hollywood’s Walk of fame; similarly, Virginia has a legends walk that honors notable Virginians. This Walk is currently located in Virginia Beach’s resort area on 13th Street, between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue.

Beach Street U.S.A. During the summer months Beach Street U.S.A becomes an art district with puppets, bands, jugglers, magicians and more, which can all be viewed and experienced by cruising along on the sidewalk.

Virginia Beach Farmers Market and Coastal Food Tours and more

 “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

About Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” year-round! Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less for two-thirds of the U.S. population. For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800-822-3224) or visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com for online trip planning. For media information and digital images, click on www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/pressroom.

Virginia Beach Resources

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