Virginia Beach Zoo Daily
Natural Bridge Virginia Zoo
Spotlight
Located about four hours west of beautiful Virginia Beach Virginia, Natural Bridge Virginia Zoo offers more animal variety than you have ever experienced. Their program for rare and endangered species allows you to see many animals that may not be available in any other facility. Many of the zoo animals are bottle fed from birth which creates closer, more friendly encounters than you have ever experienced. On your visit, you will encounter a variety of exhibits and wide open regions that offer the maximum in up close experiences. Natural Bridge VA Zoo in Natural Bridge VA is one of the few zoological parks in the US to offer an African elephant ride with an opportunity for hands-on interaction. Feed a family of Giraffe, and see more baby animals more »Live the Life
Virginia Beach VA
Local Business
Jobs
Virginia Beach Virginia
Introduction to Virginia Beach, VA
20 miles East of Norfolk; 110 miles East of Richmond; 207 miles South of Washington, D.C, 250 miles East of Natural Bridge Va.
Just as Norfolk has given itself a major face-lift in recent years, so has Virginia Beach had a bit of cosmetic surgery. The city's 20 miles of unbroken sand and surf have always lured families from throughout the region to take their annual beach vacations here. Many of them are of modest means, and traditionally the beach takes on a certain "Redneck Riviera" flavor from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But that image is changing as new hotels and surfside parks add luster to the oceanfront area.
Although resorts line the beachfront and obscure ocean views from everywhere except their own rooms, the 59-block-long Boardwalk (it's actually concrete) boasts immaculate landscaping, wood benches, small parks, a bike-skating path, public restrooms, and attractive white Colonial-style street lamps. And during the summer, the Boardwalk hosts free live entertainment most evenings.
There is more to do in Virginia Beach than lying on the sand, swimming, kayaking, fishing, and chasing dolphins offshore. Nature lovers can drive a few miles south to the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which attracts migrating birds and protects several miles of beach and marshlands from development, and to the deserted beaches of False Cape State Park down by the North Carolina border. History lovers will find several sites of interest, including the First Landing Cross, where the Jamestown settlers planted their own cross on April 26, 1607.
Some Virginia Beach attractions include the Virginia Beach Ocean Breeze Waterpark, Motor World go-carts and the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.
Most of the city's visitors are drawn to the 3-mile oceanfront Boardwalk, where numerous hotels and restaurants overlook the beach. Many free, family oriented events take place every weekend from late spring to early fall, such as the North American Sand Soccer Championships, the Boardwalk Art Show & Festival Weekend, and Viva Elvis & the Legends of Rock and Roll.
Visitors can rent bikes, tandems and roller blades or bring their own. Other biking and hiking trails can be enjoyed at First Landing State Park, which winds through the wetlands and along Broad Bay.
Virginia Beach VA Headlines
and Va Beach VA Area Headlines
Virginia Beach Virginia
notables about Virginia Beach VA & surroundings
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the most populous city in Virginia and the 40th largest city in the United States, with an estimated population of 440,415 in 2008.
Virginia Beach is the easternmost of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads that make up the core of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA. This area, known as "America's First Region", also includes the independent cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk, as well as other smaller cities, counties and towns of Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. Every year the city hosts the East Coast Surfing Championship as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championship. It is also home to several state parks, several long-protected beach areas, three military bases, a number of large corporations, two universities, and numerous historic sites. Near the point where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of the English colonists, who eventually settled in Jamestown, on April 26, 1607.
The city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world. It is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the longest bridge-tunnel complex in the world.
Visitor Information
For information on planning your trip or assistance while you're here, contact the Visitor Information Center, 2100 Parks Ave., Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (tel. 800/822-3224; www.vbfun.com). A large board has phones connected to the reservations desks of major hotels and resorts. Particularly helpful are the center's annual "Vacation Guide" and a free map showing public restrooms and municipal parking lots in the resort area. The center is at the eastern end of I-264. It's open daily from 9am to 5pm, to 8pm from Father's Day through Labor Day weekend.
A satellite office is in First Landing State Park's Chesapeake Bay Center, 2500 Shore Dr. (U.S. 60; tel. 757/412-2316). It's open daily from 9am to 5pm.
There are information kiosks at the beach on Atlantic Avenue at 17th and 24th streets from late spring through October. Note: These are the only official visitor information booths at the beach; most others with "tourist information" signs are come-ons for the many timeshare sales operations here.
Racks at the visitor information center and elsewhere contain several slick give-away tourist publications packed with information and money-saving coupons.
Hotels & Lodging
hotels near Virginia Beach, VA
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
Nightlife
The prime performing arts venue is the 20,000-seat, open-air Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, inland at Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads (tel. 757/368-8888 for schedule, 757/671-8100 for tickets). Big-name singers and bands appear here as well as more highbrow acts like the Virginia Symphony. About 7,500 seats are under cover, with some 12,500 spaces out on the lawn. Big TV screens and a state-of-the-art sound system let everyone see and hear what's going on. The season runs April through October.
During summer, there is nightly entertainment in Neptune Park, on the oceanfront at 30th Street, and frequent outdoor concerts on stages at 7th, 17th, and 24th streets along the Boardwalk (the visitor information center can tell you when and where). The biggest is the annual Verizon Wireless American Music Festival (tel. 757/425-3111; www.beachstreetusa.com) over Labor Day weekend on the beach at 5th Street. You might catch the KC & the Sunshine Band on one stage, the Steve Miller Band on another.
Hotels and restaurants all along the beach have live music for nighttime dancing during the summer. Just follow your ears along the Boardwalk -- but remember, some pubs along Atlantic Avenue can get rough late at night.
Getting There
By Plane -- Virginia Beach is served by Norfolk International Airport (ORF), about 15 miles west of the oceanfront resort area.
By Car -- Follow I-64 to I-264 East. I-264 ends near the heart of the oceanfront resort area. Also from the west, U.S. 60 becomes the scenic Shore Drive, which dead-ends at Pacific Avenue on the northern end of the ocean beach; a right turn takes you along this main north-south drag through the resort area. From the north or south, U.S. 13 and 17 will take you to I-64.
Getting Around
IGet around on the VB Wave Trolley (www.vbwave.com), whose Route 30 runs from May through September, about every 15 minutes from 8am to 2am along Atlantic Avenue between Rudee Inlet and 42nd Street. You can transfer at 40th Street to the regular Route 33 bus for First Landing State Park and other points to the north.
Fare on any VB Wave Trolley is $1 per ride except for children shorter than 38 inches tall, who ride free. It's more economical to buy a 1-, 3-, and 5-day Discount Fare Card for $3, $5, and $8, respectively. All permit unlimited rides. Buy them at the automated blue-and-yellow dispensing machines at the trolley stops or at the transit kiosk on Atlantic Avenue at 24th Street.
For a taxi, call Andy's Cab Co. (tel. 757/495-3300).