Virginia Beach is a resort town located in the southeastern portion of Virginia that lures close to 3 million vacationers every year. It's best known as a scenic community, with dozens of hotels in Virginia Beach, restaurants, world-class golf, and just about every water sport you can imagine. The Virginia Beach boardwalk is one of its main attractions.
The Virginia Beach boardwalk, first constructed in 1888, has received national acclaim in recent times as one of America's favorite boardwalks by the Discovery Channel and in magazines such as Coastal Living, Southern Living and National Geographic Traveler. Today's boardwalk is now a 28-foot wide and 3-mile long concrete promenade, which affords easy access to the inviting beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Virginia Beach boardwalk starts roughly between 2nd Street in the South end, and ends at 40th Street North. At the southern end of the boardwalk, the section of beach from 2nd to 5th Streets, the surfers hang out and enjoy the waves. Heading toward the northern end you'll see the boardwalk's dominant feature - a 26-foot-tall bronze statue of King Neptune. Along the way, the boardwalk at the Virginia Beach oceanfront is often packed with tourists as events take place every weekend from late spring to early fall.
Every year the Virginia Beach boardwalk is host to arts-and-crafts shows, and incredible sculpted sand castles on the beach nearby. Many free, family-oriented events take place such as the North American Sand Soccer Championships, the Boardwalk Art Show & Festival Weekend, and Viva Elvis & the Legends of Rock and Roll.
One of the many things to do on the Virginia Beach boardwalk is rent a Surry bike with your family. You can generally fit 4-6 people on a Surrey bike and, since the boardwalk offers a bike path, you'll have plenty of room to ride.
For those who love to stroll, there are boardwalk trails with overlooks and a handicapped-accessible visitor center. There are handicapped ramps at every boardwalk access from Fifth to 58th Street, and wooden walkways straight to the water at Eighth, 17th, 24th and 30th streets. Along the way are restrooms, outdoor shower spigots, and lots of places to wash off sandy feet.
The Virginia Beach nighttime activities include hip-hop, jazz, and rock music in dozens of clubs throughout the city and on several stages along the boardwalk (nightly in the summer). You can kick up your heels at a concert at the 17th and 24th Street stages, and then cool off with refreshments at an outdoor cafe. The Neptune Boardwalk festival is the final event of a summer-long series of ways to have fun.
With more than 20 miles of white sandy beaches and pleasant, sunny weather much of the year, Virginia Beach is a great place for the all American family vacation. However, no Virginia Beach vacation is complete without a stroll on the famous boardwalk, which has remained an enduring symbol of Virginia over the years.
