Beyond the Beach

When you’re an adventure-first traveler, you want your beach vacations to come with a side of outdoor action. That means finding the right beach. Virginia Beach, with its vibrant wildlife sanctuaries, glassy waterways that snake through tidal marshes and shady inland forests, and trails that span diverse habitats in only a few miles, makes it easy to indulge your inner explorer while mixing in some good old-fashioned R&R.

A Patchwork of Ecosystems

As every nature photographer knows, it’s all about the light. Virginia Beach delivers with watercolor sunrises and sunsets all over the place. The trails here bring an understated sort of majesty as they weave from one ecosystem to another, traveling through shady maritime forests and cypress swamps one moment and sandy dunes the next.

First Landing State Park at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, is an oasis of life just miles from Virginia Beach proper. Among the seaside swamps, shady lagoons, and open beaches are 20 miles of hiking and biking trails, along with some rich history that includes early English settlers and lost Blackbeard treasure. Some standout trails include White Hall Lake and Osprey for birders, Osmanthus for secluded trail running, and the Cape Henry Trail, which is open to bikes and can be combined with an Oceanfront Boardwalk ride.

Farther south, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park offer a unique natural experience along a largely undeveloped spit of land bordering North Carolina. No public roads lead to False Cape (although there is an $8 tram), so you need to travel through the wildlife refuge to get there. Combining the two parks makes for an unforgettable day outside, especially when traveling by bike and keeping an eye out for more than 300 species of birds. Both First Landing and False Cape parks also offer a camping refuge away from the Boardwalk lights.

Where the Ocean Meets the Bay

From the brackish tides of the Chesapeake Bay to the wide waters of the Atlantic, Virginia Beach is a hub for just-off-the-coast adventures. Anglers will find an abundance of local guides and charters cruising everywhere from shallow shorelines to deeper waters in search of black sea bass, flounder, triggerfish, small sharks, and much more. The region also offers excellent (and affordable) wildlife watching tours, with up-close views of whales and dolphins all but guaranteed. And thanks to the mild climate and a variety of fish and whale migrations at different times of the year, there are all-season endeavors.

Wandering the Waterways

As the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay—the largest estuary in the United States—Virginia Beach serves up world-class paddling adventures. Calm bays, quiet creeks, and winding rivers cut through the land at nearly every turn, giving paddlers the chance to experience tidal marshes transforming into lush forests on a single outing.

For those on stand-up paddleboards, the waters behind First Landing State Park provide an easygoing, low-traffic environment that both beginners and vets will enjoy. This area features Broad Bay, Linkhorn Bay, the Narrows, plus numerous creeks, streams, and coves off those main channels, providing a full day of mix-and-match adventures.

Back Bay, in the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, is also a peaceful spot for SUP-ing and kayaking, especially when you take a guided kayak tour from False Cape State Park. Distance-minded paddlers might have the most fun in Virginia Beach. Between the Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, which travels up North Landing River into the Chesapeake Bay, and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, which offers a blueprint for 3,000 miles of adventure across the Chesapeake region, there’s a playground of both seaside and inland waterways to explore.

Surf and Sun

As the Guinness-certified longest pleasure beach in the world—38 miles of shoreline—Virginia Beach has your off-day relaxation covered. It’s also the unofficially official birthplace of East Coast surfing. That means surfing is in the DNA of this town, and whether you’re bringing your own board or sneaking in lessons between inland adventures, experts and novices alike will find waves. Visit in late August to see the Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships, the longest-running surf competition in the world.

Beach days also give you the chance to stretch your legs. Along the three-mile Oceanfront Boardwalk, you’ll have stunning ocean views to one side and bustling seaside restaurants and resorts to the other, with lots of eye-popping public art in between. You’re likely to hear live music from a local watering hole or Boardwalk busker along the way, and you’ll definitely hear it on Wednesdays in summer at the popular Oceanfront Concert Series.

Whatever your action-to-relaxation ratio, you can find the perfect mix in Virginia Beach.

Time It Right

Boost the fun factor with one of these outdoor festivals, concerts, and events.

The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Virginia Beach, responsible for promoting year-round leisure, business, meetings and conventions, international, and sports travel to Virginia’s most populous city. For more information, visit Virginia Beach.