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Virginia Beach
Live Your Dream Vacation

The activities at Virginia Beach begin on the sunny sand, but there are also museums, lighthouses, water and amusements parks, and much more...

Get up at dawn and watch the sun splash its golden colors over the early morning sky. Or stay up late and entice your date for a romantic stroll along the moonlit beach.

It’s your Virginia Beach vacation – do what you like! You define your dream vacation – that’s the mystique of this city by the sea. If you care for some suggestions on what to do – well, we’ve got plenty of them!

In Virginia Beach, the museums are intriguing, the attractions are thrilling and the sights are as appealing as the sunny beaches. From sites that interpret the city’s early sea-faring history to a nationally-renowned aquarium, Virginia Beach beckons you to “live the life!”

The Old Coast Guard Station
Step back in time at The Old Coast Guard Station on 24th Street. Housed in a 1903 former U.S. Life Saving Station, this quaint, oceanfront museum is chock-full of rescue equipment used by turn-of-the-century surf men to save shipwrecked crews from a watery grave. Learn about shipwrecks that occurred just off the Virginia Beach coast and the history of life saving service from World War II to the present day. Don’t leave without taking a peek through TOWERCAM, a roof-mounted video camera that zooms in on passing ships dotting the Virginia Beach horizon. The camera transmits its pictures to a 27-inch television monitor, affording museum visitors the same view crewmen had from the tower nearly 100 years ago.

Virginia Marine Science Museum
No stay in Virginia Beach is complete without a trip to the Virginia Marine Science Museum, the state’s largest and one of the most-visited aquariums in the nation. It is an authority on the state’s various aquatic and marine environments and features more than 800,000 gallons of aquariums and live animal habitats, more than 300 hands-on exhibits and The ABC Family IMAX® 3D Theater. A one-third mile-long nature trail connects the two Pavilions that make up this “must sea” museum, and an outdoor aviary offers an up-close glimpse of the marsh birds seen along Virginia Beach’s shore.

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum
Just a short stroll up the Boardwalk from the Old Coast Guard Station, discover another Virginia Beach treasure - the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. Located in the historically registered DeWitt cottage built in 1895, the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum displays art and artifacts documenting migratory wildfowl that pass through Eastern Virginia. Exhibits of wildfowl and shorebird carvings trace the evolution of this unique American art form. Enjoy on-site wood-carving demonstrations, interactive computer programs, decoys dating from ancient times to present day and a collection of exhibits covering the history of Virginia Beach.

Ocean Breeze Waterpark
You don’t need a passport to escape to the Caribbean. Ocean Breeze Waterpark has invested more than $1 million to transform the park into a tropical paradise. Approximately $385,000 was spent on renovating the children’s section to include a new pirate ship with water slides. Inside the 19-acre park, visitors will find brilliant, colorful water slides and tubes for all-day excitement, featuring a million-gallon Runaway Bay wave pool and 13 water slides. Shoot the rushing Rocky River Rapids on an inner tube or soar down the Maui-Wowie speed slide. Relax with an ice-cold drink under one of the festive umbrellas or cabana huts that provide shade from the sun. The West Indies Grill features scrumptious Caribbean delicacies such as pulled pork sandwiches and Jamaican jerk chicken.

Motorworld Family Thrill Park
Rev up your engine at the Motorworld Family Thrill Park. If you’ve ever wanted to get behind the wheel of a race car, this will fulfill your fantasy. The park recently added four new tracks to the existing six racetracks and 200 additional go-karts for the young at heart. With speed in mind, get behind the wheel of a Formula One Racer and navigate the park’s Grand Prix Raceway. Move on to the race-style “Bullit” cars on the Speed Track or the two-seater racer on the Family Track. For younger drivers, the park offers the Mini-Ferrari, Suped-up Semis and Mini Moto cars. The park also features batting cages; a 36-hole miniature golf course complete with sunken ships, caves and waterfalls; and an amphitheater for live performances.

Historic Home Tours
For a peek into the lives of Virginia Beach’s earliest residents, visitors may enter a number of historic homes located throughout the city: the Adam Thoroughgood House (circa 1680) stands on land that was part of the original land grant. Other historic homes still standing in Virginia Beach were constructed later in the colonial period such as the Lynnhaven House (1725) and the Francis Land House (late 1700s). All homes are open to the public for tours and host special interpretative programs throughout the year.

Cape Henry Lighthouses
Climb into the past with a visit to the original Cape Henry Lighthouse. Dating to 1791, it’s the oldest government-built lighthouse in America, and the traditional symbol of Virginia Beach. Once you reach the summit, enjoy a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay – the same view once seen by ship watchers more than 200 years ago. Located on the Fort Story military base, the original Cape Henry Lighthouse is open to the public.
Across the dune line, you’ll find the new Cape Henry Lighthouse. Built in 1881, it’s the tallest iron-encased lighthouse in the country, and is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. Adjacent to the lighthouses, visitors also can tour the Cape Henry Memorial Park which includes a replica of the First Landing Cross, planted by the first settlers to give thanks for a safe voyage after arriving on our shore in 1607. Note: Access to military bases may be restricted for public tours and a valid picture ID is required.

Association for Research and Enlightenment
Visitors from around the world gather at the Association for Research and Enlightenment at 67th Street and Atlantic Avenue to attend workshops, conferences and lectures based on the works of Edgar Cayce, one of the most documented clairvoyants of the 20th century. As a young man, Cayce found that by placing himself in a self-induced trance, he could answer questions or give accurate information on any topic. Today, physicians are finding Cayce's “readings” to be on the cutting edge of many health care concerns, particularly the mind-body relationship to health and healing. Founded in 1931, his Virginia Beach headquarters houses 14,000 readings (on everything from medicine to world affairs) and one of the most extensive metaphysical libraries in the world. Guided tours that include films, lectures, meditation classes and ESP demonstrations are offered daily, as well as a full menu of health services including massage, facials and reflexology.

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” every season of the year! Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of Washington, D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population.

Source: Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau