Virginia Beach has been a vacation spot for over a century,
and with good reason. There are endless ways to enjoy outdoor adventure
by sea or by shore and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. Though this
6-mile stretch of developed beach does get a little crowded with youngsters
in the peak months, it’s definitely worth visiting.
Visitors are spoiled for choices when it comes to water-sports at Virginia
Beach. Boating, swimming, parasailing and jet skiing are only a few
of the options. Dolphin watching tours are available through the Virginia
Marine Museum June through September. Divers can snorkel or scuba around
the shipwrecks off the coast. Surfers can shoot the curls on the south
end near Rudee Inlet. Kayaking and canoeing is especially good in Broad
Bay, Owl Creek or 3,1000-acre Lake Drummond. Anglers are bound to be
pleased with Virginia Beach’s reputation as the Striped Bass Capital
of the World.
There are several state parks in and around Virginia Beach to enjoy.
Camping is permitted with a permit at False Cape State Park and it’s
prettier, bay-front cousin First Landing State Park. Bird watchers will
love Virginia Beach’s Seashore to Cypress Birding Trail, the migratory
bird habitat in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the 200+ bird
species in Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Hikers, hunters
and paddlers alike will find plenty to do in the 111,000 acres of Great
Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge’s forested wetlands, which
is home to Lake Drummond, miles of hiking trails and lots of whitetail
deer.
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is, among other things,
a registered part of the Underground Railroad, the traditional route
to freedom for runaway slaves.
