How do you create perfect family beach vacations? Choose Virginia Beach.

No matter what your age or interests, you can create perfect family beach vacations here. That's because the Virginia Beach area lives up to its motto "all kinds of fun!"

The World's Tallest Sandcastle at a Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.

Beaches, Beaches, and More Beaches...

With 35 miles of wide, sandy coastline to choose from, you'll find just the right place to plant your beach blanket.

How you create your perfect vacation is up to you...

Quiet beaches -- Looking for a quiet beach where all you hear is the wind blowing through your hair? The rhythmic roar of the waves lulling you to relax?... it's here at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge (find the details by clicking on the "Attractions" button on the left).

Adventure beaches -- the Virginia Beach boardwalk... parasailing...roller blading...waterslides... fishing...concerts and festivals...fantastic restaurants...if you want non-stop excitement and adventure, Virginia Beach is the place for family beach vacations!

Photo by Eileen Mundok ©

Surf's up! Virginia Beach has some of the best surfing spots on the Atlantic seaboard. Click here for a link to the local weather forecast and the Virginia Beach surf cam.

Family Beach Vacations go beyond the beach...

Not a beach lover? Need a beach-break? Vacations need more than just great beaches... and the Virginia Beach area has so much to choose from.

• World-class museums -- from the Virginia Living Museum, where you can touch horseshoe crabs and watch bees make honey...to the Virginia Air and Space Museum, where you can "fly" three different flight simulators, including a Boeing 717 (and if you're like us, crash and burn on every single one of them!)  

Photo by Eileen Mundok ©2008

• History galore -- where else in the world can you wake up by the beach...and visit Colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil War America before bed? Want to hear our top picks for what to see at Colonial Williamsburg? (Plus how to see this attraction for free.) Or do you want to know why Jamestown attraction is best for you? 

• Cruises -- from pirate cruises, to whale-watching cruises, to luxurious dinner cruises, to tours of the largest naval bases in the world...to cruises to Bermuda, it's your choice.
  
  
• Adventure fun -- play paintball in the Virginia Beach Splat Zone...free fall 130 feet from the Skycoaster...get wet and wild and Ocean Breeze Water Park...brave a world of caves, waterfalls and lost ships at Shipwreck Golf. Want Busch Gardens Discount Tickets and "inside" info? Click here. Maybe roller coasters at Paramount's Kings Dominion are more your speed?
  
  
  
  Perfect vacations go way beyond sand...
  
  For full reviews of attractions in Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and beyond, go to our Attractions page. 

Shop til you drop

Looking for cool beach gear, suntan lotion, a unique gift, or a quirky souvenir to remember your stay? The Virginia Beach area has enough choices to keep even die-hard shoppers satisfied.

Just want to take an hour or two off from some serious suntanning? A block over from the Virginia Beach boardwalk is Atlantic Avenue, home to shops selling everything from... 

• beachwear, bikinis, boogie boards and other necessities for family beach vacations...
  
  
• to freshly-made fudge, sticky salt water taffy, and cool shaved ice...
  
  
• to one-of-a-kind, nautical-themed gold, silver and pewter jewelry
  
  
• to Harley Haven, where you can check out the latest Harley-Davidson leather vests...
  
  
• to Mrs. Bones' Bowtique ("Where the best-dressed dogs are shopping")...
  
  
  
  More of a mall-rat? Venture just a few miles from the beach and you'll find three malls to choose from: the upscale La Promenade Distinctive Shoppes, Red Mill Commons, and the Shops at Hilltop.
  
  Want some serious bargain-hunting to round out your family beach vacation? Just 60 minutes from the beach is Williamsburg, home to Prime Outlets at Williamsburg, Yankee Candle, and Williamsburg Pottery. 

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