As a year-round destination,
Virginia Beach beckons travelers looking to escape
hectic routines and enjoy quality time with family
and loved ones. Centrally located on the East
Coast, Virginia Beach is within a day's drive of
one-third of the U.S. population and easily
accessible to an additional one-third via major
interstate highways. Less time in the car means
more time in Virginia Beach!
Top 10 reasons for families to
visit Virginia Beach:
1. Virginia Beach is the
"World's Largest Pleasure Beach," according to the
"Guinness Book of World Records." It boasts more
than 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches stretching
from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to Virginia's
southern border.
2. The beach was widened to the
length of a football field in 2001. The "Big
Beach" project expanded the shore's width to more
than 300 feet using 3.2 million cubic yards of
sand -- enough to fill 15,000 residential swimming
pools.
3. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk
is nearly three miles long, complete with a
separate bike path. Originally built in 1888,
today's concrete thoroughfare stretches from Rudee
Inlet to 40th Street, and is a perfect place for
biking, jogging, rollerblading, strolling or
people-watching.
4. Virginia Beach has more than
18,000 acres of state parks and wildlife refuges,
and 121 navigable miles of waterways perfect for
boating, kayaking or canoeing.
5. The city's nationally
renowned Virginia Marine Science Museum is one of
the top 10 most-visited aquariums in the country,
contains 800,000 gallons of water and more than
350 hands-on exhibits, and is home to the only 3D
IMAX(R) theater in Virginia.
6. The mid-Atlantic's largest
population of bottlenose dolphins makes its summer
residence in Virginia Beach.
7. Virginia Beach was the
landing site of Capt. John Smith in 1607 before he
continued north to Jamestown. Pay homage at the
First Landing Cross commemorating this significant
event or climb the Cape Henry Lighthouse, the
oldest government-built lighthouse in America, to
overlook the spot.
8. Enjoy free daily tours and
lectures, extra-sensory perception (ESP)
demonstrations or spa services at the Association
for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.). The late
psychic Edgar Cayce selected Virginia Beach as the
headquarters for his research because he believed
it to be a safe haven from storms.
9. Quaint museums dot the
oceanfront including The Old Coast Guard Station,
a former U.S. Life Saving Station that dates to
1903, and the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum,
dedicated to decoy-carving and preserving and
promoting wildfowl of the Atlantic Flyway.
10. Exciting annual events
splash the calendar, such as the Polar Plunge,
Pungo Strawberry Festival, Viva Elvis Festival,
Boardwalk Art Show, East Coast Surfing
Championships, American Music Festival, Neptune
Festival and Holiday Lights at the Beach.
Courtesy of ARA Content
