Things to do in Virginia Beach

There is so much to see and do around Virginia Beach you will be amazed, from the historical sites and museums to of course the ocean you will not be able to do everything in just one vacation.

Some of the most popular places to visit in Virginia Beach include:

The Virginia Marine Science Museum: This aquarium is one of the most top ten visited in all of the United States. The reasons are very simple, they have 800,000 gallons of aquariums, live animal habitats, over 300 hands on exhibits for the children, a 1/3 mile long nature trail, a ½-acre aviary, and unique movies on their IMAX movie screen.
The museum is located at 717 General Booth Boulevard and is very easy to get to, all you have to do from interstate 64 is to take interstate 264 east towards Virginia Beach until you reach Birdneck Road which is ext Number 22. From there you turn right onto Birdneck Rock and keep going until you get to General Booth Blvd and then turn left. The main building is about ½ mile down the road. For more information, you can call them at 757-425-FISH.

What would a trip to Virginia Beach be without a visit to the First Landing State Park? This is the original landing of the pilgrims that settled Jamestown and the beginning of Virginia Beach. The park serves as a Virginia Beach Tourism satellite location and has several wonderful attractions that the entire family is sure to love. They even have weekly cabins you can rent and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
To get to this unique and historical park from Interstate 64, take the Northampton Blvd exit, which is exit 282. Go through eight traffic lights and then turn right onto Shore Drive, which is US 60. This is the last exit just before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. When you are on Shore Drive you will drive about 4 ½ miles to the parks entrance. For more information, you should call them at 1-800-933-PARK.

If you enjoy historical sites and conservation topics then you will really want to visit Back Bay Refuge. This refuge is located on a thin strip of coastline that is over 8,000 acres in size. You will be able to get up close and personal to beach, dunes, woodlands, marsh and fields. Among the animals that call this area home, you will see 10,000 snow geese, several varieties of ducks, and some endangered animals such as the loggerhead sea turtles, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and piping plovers.

All of the outdoor facilities including their rustic trails are open every day from dawn to dusk. The visitor’s station is open from 8am to 4pm through the week and on weekends 9am to 4 pm. During December through March the contact, station is closed on Saturdays and is also closed for holidays except for Day, July 4 and Labor Day. For more information concerning the refuge, you can call 757-721-2412.

The only waterpark in Virginia is the Ocean Breeze Waterpark. This is one place the kids will beg to go. They offer the 1 million-gallon Runaway Bay wave pool, 16 waterslides, the Buccaneer Bay children's area and more great activities that will give your vacation a pleasurable experience. While you are there, you can also visit the Island Trader gift shop, the West Indies BBQ and play a game or two at Shipwreck Island Arcade. They are open from Memorial Day through Labor Day and you can call them at 757-422-4444.

Another very popular historical place to visit in Virginia Beach is the Old Coast Guard Station. Here you will find two floors of exhibits, which include the old boat room, in the lower gallery and explains the life-saving service. It has some of the rescue equipment and the methods that were used during the early 1900’s. The surfmen during their time slept on the second floor of this building. This is where you will all the tales of shipwrecks and the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. History has never been as close as it is when you can reach out and touch it from the Old Coast Guard Station. To learn more about their exhibits you can reach them by calling 757-422-1587.