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Virginia Beach Attractions
The Sound of Freedom
The Naval Air Station Oceana is home to those low-flying U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet fighter planes whose thundering jets disturb the peace over the beach. That's the "sound of freedom" to patriotic locals; the "sound of money" to wags who emphasize that Oceana is the city's largest employer. Other than when they roar over at a 600-foot altitude, the best way for us civilians to see them up close is on a NAS Oceana Master Jet Base Tour offered by Carey Transportation in cooperation with the city of Virginia Beach (tel. 757/491-7866; www.beachstreetusa.com).The tours depart from the visitor information kiosk at Atlantic Avenue and 24th Street from mid-June through Labor Day weekend, Monday through Friday at 9:30 and 11:30am. Fares are $11 for adults; $9 for seniors and children 3 to 11, free for kids 2 and under. Everyone older than 18 years old will need a picture ID to get on the base. Do not bring backpacks.
Dolphin-Watching & Splashing with the Seals
Provided you're not overly prone to seasickness, one of the most interesting things to do here is to take an offshore dolphin-watching cruise given by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center (daily June-Sept, Sat-Sun in spring and fall). The center also has whale-watching cruises in winter (also offshore) and sea life-collecting trips in summer. The trips cost $19 to $28 for adults, $14 to $24 for children 11 and under. The boats leave from Rudee Inlet. Call the aquarium or check its website for schedules (tel. 757/425-3474; www.virginiaaquarium.com). To make reservations, which are required, call (tel. 757/385-3474).
Another marvelous experience at the center, especially for children 8 and older, is its Harbor Seal Splash. Accompanied by an animal-care specialist, you actually get into a pool and splash around with the resident harbor seals and participate in a training session. The 2-hour sessions take place April through September. If you can afford it, the $125 per person is worth it. Call tel. 757/385-0300 for reservations, which are required.
Historic Homes
After touring Williamsburg, I am seldom in the mood to traipse through more old houses. Nevertheless, Virginia Beach has three to offer, two of which are somewhat different than those in Williamsburg. Dating to around 1680 and 1725, respectively, the Adam Thoroughgood and Lynnhaven houses are interesting because they were both built in the fashion of English farm cottages of Elizabethan times, years before Georgian architecture became prevalent elsewhere in Colonial Virginia.
Rather than drive yourself through Virginia Beach's sometimes horrific traffic, you can take a Summer History Tour offered by Carey Transportation in cooperation with the city of Virginia Beach (tel. 757/491-7866; www.beachstreetusa.com), which goes to the three historic homes reviewed below plus the Cape Henry Lighthouse and the Old Coast Guard Museum. The tours depart from the visitor information kiosk at Atlantic Avenue and 24th Street from mid-June through Labor Day weekend, Wednesday and Thursday at 10am. Fares are $10 for adults; $7 for students.
8 Results
- Historic Site
Adam Thoroughgood House
One of the oldest homes in Virginia and the most interesting of the trio, this medieval English-style cottage sits on 4 1/2 acres of lawn and garden overlooking the Lynnhaven River. It was built around 1719 by one of Adam Thoroughgood's grandsons (historians believe its namesake… - Cooking Class
Edgar Cayce Visitors Center
You don't have to be the least bit psychic to visit this center carrying on the work of the late Edgar Cayce, who settled in Virginia Beach and built his Psychic Hospital here in 1928. Cayce's own psychic talent manifested itself when he found he could enter into an altered state of… - Historic Site
Francis Land House
Built as a plantation manor in the early 19th century (now beside one of the region's busiest highways), this Georgian-style brick house is a restoration work in progress. Some rooms are furnished with antiques and reproductions. The highlights here are 7 acres of herb, vegetable,… - Historic Site
Lynnhaven House
Built in 1725, this medieval-style cottage still doesn't have running water or electricity. When the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities took the house over in 1971, it stripped away plaster and discovered the Champford ceiling beams in their original condition… - Landmark
Old Cape Henry Lighthouse
Built in 1791-92, this picturesque brick structure was the first lighthouse authorized by the U.S. Congress. It marked the southern entrance to Chesapeake Bay until 1881, when the "new" lighthouse across the road took over. If you're in shape, you can climb the 191 steps to the top… - Museum
Old Coast Guard Station Museum
This 1903 Life-Saving Station turned museum tells the history of Virginia's coastal communities and its maritime heritage. The white clapboard structure looks like a comfortable house, except for the four-story tower where the crew used to watch for foundering ships. The …$Boardwalk
- Zoo/Aquarium
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
This entertaining, educational facility focusing on Virginia's marine environment is a wonderful place to take the kids. Its 45 acres are beside Owl Creek salt marsh, a wildlife habitat. You can easily spend half a day here, a full day to see -- and learn -- it all. Plan to spend at… - Museum
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
How's this for a devotion to contemporary art: to make sure that it's always on the cutting edge, this museum doesn't collect art at all (though it does have a nifty Dale Chihuly chandelier that's permanent). Instead, it puts its energies into curating shows that best illuminate the…$$One mile from beach
Virginia Beach Nightlife
The prime performing arts venue is the 20,000-seat, open-air Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, inland at Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads (tel. 757/368-8888 for schedule, 757/671-8100 for tickets). Big-name singers and bands appear here as well as more highbrow acts like the Virginia Symphony. About 7,500 seats are under cover, with some 12,500 spaces out on the lawn. Big TV screens and a state-of-the-art sound system let everyone see and hear what's going on. The season runs April through October.
During summer, there is nightly entertainment in Neptune Park, on the oceanfront at 30th Street, and frequent outdoor concerts on stages at 7th, 17th, and 24th streets along the Boardwalk (the visitor information center can tell you when and where). The biggest is the annual Verizon Wireless American Music Festival (tel. 757/425-3111) over Labor Day weekend on the beach at 5th Street. You might catch KC & the Sunshine Band on one stage, the Steve Miller Band on another.
The visitor center can tell you what's on, or go to www.beachstreetusa.com, the city's official entertainment site. As in Norfolk, Veer Magazine (www.veermag.com), and the "Daily Break" section in the local rag, The Virginian-Pilot (www.pilotonline.com), are good sources of entertainment information.
Hotels and restaurants all along the beach have live music for nighttime dancing during the summer. Just follow your ears along the Boardwalk -- but remember, some pubs along Atlantic Avenue can get rough late at night.
