Virginia Beach- Love The Moment
Many of you, like us, are military families. As military families we make our home in the moment, wherever the Navy decides we need to be. For two years, shortly after the birth of our daughter, that moment was in Virginia Beach, VA. I can’t think of a better place to land with children in tow!
As we settled in and started venturing out to explore, it became clear that there would be lots of family fun, and plenty of lasting memories made in Virginia Beach. For those of you who are new to the area or who are considering Virginia Beach for a vacation, here are some of our favorite places to get you started!
When most people think of Virginia Beach the first thing that comes to mind is the beach! The Virginia Beach oceanfront is a great place for the kids, as well as the whole family. Running and playing in the water, building castles and forts in the sand, and making your way up and down the boardwalk on bicycles can entertain the family for hours. For kids who love the playground there is an amazing play area right on the beach, Grommet Island Park. Grommet Island is full of creative, soft play surfaces and is ADA accessible so that ALL families can enjoy playtime at the beach.
Virginia Beach has many local companies ready to help you explore the beautiful coastline through surfing, sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, and tours. If you are lucky enough to be in Virginia Beach in from April to October you may even catch site of dolphins while out on one of the local boat tours!
If you stay down on the boardwalk into the evening hours be sure to take notice of the street performers that entertain visitors and locals alike. These puppets, musicians, magicians (and more) are part of BeachStreetUSA and the variety of entertainment they provide will amaze you. We were lucky enough to catch one of the Pirate Shows last summer! BeachStreetUSA is a great resource to explore for events on the oceanfront. They coordinate festivals, concerts and entertainment through all seasons at the oceanfront.
When (and if!) you need a break from the sand you can still soak up the water based attractions over at the Virginia Aquarium and Ocean Breeze Water Park. The Virginia Aquarium has long been one of our favorites. The marine life fascinated my kids when they were infants and as my daughter got older she would run ahead to “find more fish!” There are touch tanks, activities that explore both underwater and beach front aspects of marine life, and huge tanks of fascinating animals. One draw for us has always been the turtles… even my busy little ones take a moment to watch the turtles as they swim right up to check out their visitors. The Aquarium can be a perfect getaway from the heat during Summer and the rain or cooler temperatures in the Fall/Winter.
During warm weather Ocean Breeze Water Park is also a great fit for families of all ages. A portion of the water park (Buccaneer Bay Water Playground) is designed just for little ones to splash and play. For older kids and adults there are 16 water slides, a wave pool and many other attractions to supply endless water adventures.
If your family loves animals another great Virginia Beach attraction is Hunt Club Farm where the kids can experience the animals at their petting farm, and take a pony ride. They have a wide variety of farm friends to visit with including llamas, chickens, pigs, horses, ducks, rabbits….the list goes on. There is a play area on site for the kids and on hot days they even turn on the sprinklers. Hunt Club Farm also puts on many seasonal special events for holidays like Easter, Halloween and Christmas!
These are just a few of the many attractions that draw so many to live and vacation in Virginia Beach. For help in planning your time in the area make sure to check out www.visitvirginiabeach.com and the great listing of resources they have put together for you. You can also find them on Facebook.
For an extensive list of daily activities for the kids throughout Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area you can also check out the MyActiveChild.com Daily Calendar.
We have made lasting friendships and built beautiful family memories in Virginia Beach. Wherever the Navy takes us I know we will continue to come back to visit our family, friends, and of course as our kids get older, explore the endless opportunities for moments of fun, and memories to last a lifetime.
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on the topic, visit http://visitvirginiabeach.socialmoms.com”
Recent Posts:
-
Autism Superheroes vs. Villains 5K & Lil Hero Fun RunApril 26, 2024 -
Newport News Festival of Friends 2024April 26, 2024 -
Free Iconicon Event (Suffolk)April 26, 2024 -
AHOY! Pirate Invasion In Yorktown This Weekend!April 26, 2024 -
A NEW Pizza Giveaway (and Discounts!) From Papa Johns of Hampton Roads!April 26, 2024 -
Spring Fest – Isle of Wight County FairgroundsApril 25, 2024