BOARDWALK BOON: Virginia Beach offers lots to do

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It wasn’t long after settling next to my beachfront hotel’s pool that my morning coffee was accompanied by a thunderous roar overhead.

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That noise, our guide told us, is what many locals in Virginia Beach call “the sound of freedom,” and specifically the calling cry of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets.

The supersonic booms are just a part of life in this city situated where Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean as it’s home to Naval Air Station Oceana, the U.S. Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base.

Indeed, the region has a total of 15 military installations, including the world’s largest naval base in neighbouring Norfolk, representing all branches of the U.S. military and sporting more than 80,000 active-duty personnel.

For Virginia Beach, the military is a proud aspect of its identity right alongside its famous seafood and boardwalk.

There’s plenty to see and do in the city of 455,000, as I discovered during a recent weekend visit. Here are some ideas for your Virginia Beach adventure:

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HISTORY LESSON

Although Virginia Beach only turned 60 years old as a city in 2023, the first landing of the English colonialists happened here on April 26, 1607.

First Landing Cross marks the site where the crewmen from the three ships made landfall at Cape Henry. (Jamestown, Va. was the first permanent English settlement in May 1607.)

Across the road is Cape Henry Lighthouse 1792, which was the first lighthouse authorized by the first Congress of the newly founded United States. Today you can climb its winding metal staircase 194 steps to the top, where you have a great view of the New Cape Henry lighthouse, which was built in 1881 after cracks (now known to be superficial) appeared in the old one. Typically, old towers would be demolished but due to Cape Henry Lighthouse’s historic significance it was preserved.

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To visit these sites, you must go through security as this area is an active military base, Fort Story. Be sure to bring ID, and you’ll be instructed to leave military personnel out of your vacation photos.

BEACH TIME

The oceanfront has always been the tourism breadwinner for Virginia Beach and for good reason. It’s simply stunning. The famous boardwalk stretches nearly five kilometres, from 1st Street to 42nd Street, and the sandy shoreline in front of it reaches up to 300 feet wide at low tide.

We rented bikes via Cherie’s Bicycle & Blade Rentals and peddled our way along a dedicated bike path to explore the boardwalk’s many historical monuments and whimsical sculptures, including the impressive King Neptune, and the Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum. The walkways to the boardwalk — which has nearly 50 oceanfront hotels — are marked by signs naming the street which makes it easy to keep track of your location.

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Between 14th and 15th Streets is the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier which you pay to access for either fishing or just walking to capture the amazing views of the beachfront. If you want to try to catch something, no fishing licence is required, and rods and equipment are available to rent at a tackle shop. Be sure to stop at Ocean Eddie’s Seafood Restaurant before leaving the pier for some grub and beer. We sat outside for the breeze and the view.

Oh, and don’t miss getting in the water for a swim!

SEAFOOD AND SUNSETS

Being on the East Coast, the sunrise is spectacular, of course, but it was the sunsets I enjoyed the most while dining on the region’s fresh seafood.

Orion’s Roof atop the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort offers Asian-fusion fare (the Peruvian Roll of tempura shrimp, avocado, tuna, fried Japanese sweet potatoes and a citrus sauce was a favourite) and with a dining space with three-sided windows has a view of the boardwalk, ocean, and the sunset. (If you sit facing the ocean, you might get lucky and see dolphins, as some at our table did!)

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No sunset view but the seafood, outdoor garden setting and history make Becca Restaurant & Garden worthy of a meal. It’s in the Historic Cavalier Hotel, opened on a hill in 1927 and recently restored to its original grandeur as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation.

Tides Coastal Kitchen is ground level inside the Delta Marriott hotel on Chesapeake Bay. It serves casual American fare and seafood favourites, and has an outdoor porch with an amazing sunset and live music.

There are two staples not to miss when visiting Virginia Beach. The first is oysters, which are a part of the region’s economic, historical and cultural heritage, and play an important role in the bay by keeping the water clean for other aquatic life. I learned while dining at Tides that one oyster filters 50 gallons of water a day!

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The second staple is the local cocktail, the Virginia Beach Orange Crush. The recipe calls for one to two freshly squeezed oranges, vodka, triple sec and lemon-lime soda served over ice. Quite refreshing!

FEEL THE VIBE

A neighbourhood just a few blocks from the boardwalk that was once on the rougher side is now a flourishing artistic haven called ViBe Creative District. Since 2016 the area has had 63 new businesses and more than 400 works of art added — even the infrastructure is planned to fit with the arts theme with painted pillars on street corners, building murals, and bricks laid into patterns at intersections. We enjoyed a light breakfast at Java Surf Cafe and Espresso Bar and got our meat sweats on with lunch at Beach Bully BBQ.

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FESTS ARE BEST

There were two festivals happening in ViBe during our tour, but that’s not too surprising as Virginia Beach hosts about 20 major festivals each year in addition to more than 100 special oceanfront and boardwalk events including concerts, sports and outdoor movies.

Upcoming highlights include the 50th anniversary of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), which spans 32 oceanfront blocks with concerts, an art and craft show, athletic competitions and a sand sculpting championship, and the Something in the Water Festival (Oct. 12-13) that is organized by Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams and brings a star-studded lineup of musical guests annually to the beach.

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SURF CITY

Speaking of Pharrell, the singer-rapper-music producer-fashion designer is part of the $350-million Atlantic Park surf park and resort project that is currently under construction, with the first of two phases on the 10-acre playground set to open in 2025. A surf park in an oceanfront community might sound strange, but, as we were told, though the area has a real surf vibe, it doesn’t have consistent waves for surfing.

In addition to a two-acre surf lagoon that will produce waves for all skill levels, there will be restaurants, retail and an indoor/outdoor entertainment venue with the capacity for up to 5,000 spectators.

IF YOU GO

The streets are in a grid with those parallel to the ocean named after bodies of water like Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean, and those perpendicular numbered from 1 to 61.

The Virginia Beach Loonie Savers pass gathers exclusive offers and experiences at attractions, retailers, hotels, and restaurants for Canadians. The mobile exclusive passport is available via the tourism website.

There are no direct flights from Toronto to Norfolk, so we flew American Airlines with a connection on the way down via Philadelphia and on the return in Charlotte.

Find out more at visitvirginiabeach.com.

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