I lived in Virginia Beach for right at two years and my condo was two blocks from Virginia Beach. There are a lot of activities on the beach year round and I enjoyed many of them! My favorite was the "Neptune Festival" which was around Labor Day and signified the locals "taking the beach back" from the tourists! I do like the Neptune statue on the beach! I took some free yoga classed offered on the beach, enjoyed watching professional sand sculpture competitions, professional beach volleyball tournaments, and much more! I could have sworn the boardwalk was wooden back then. Regardless if it was wooden or concrete, the boardwalk would open for vehicles every Christmas to enjoy the Christmas lights on the beach! That was always a fun time and Virginia Beach does a great job with this lighting display! It's a must see! We enjoyed rollerblading, bike riding, jogging, and walking along the beach and boardwalk. Why no fifth star? The Atlantic water is ice cold! I did enjoy the beach itself, despite the sand not being as brightly white colored as I'm accustomed to at Orange Beach, Alabama. However, I did not enjoy the ice cold water! Also, during peak tourist season, the beach gets super crowded! read more

I sure do love my city. VB is such a vibe and really comes alive during the summer. It still offers so much fun in the off season and truly is a fabulous place to raise a family. read more

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The parking situation here is absolutely horrible. The signs clearly say parking is free, but if you go to the aquarium, they end up putting a huge parking ticket on your car. It feels completely unfair and misleading. This honestly seems like a scam to trick people into getting parking tickets. Be very careful if you decide to come here and make sure you fully understand the parking rules before leaving your car. read more

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Came here to visit Steven while he ran the Shamrock marathon, and it was nice. Very sunny and warm during March 2026 time. I liked the Neptune statue because good reference point when I would try to meet up with him. I like that there is a park for people to play in and benches for people to sit on while they enjoy the sun and really take in the beautifully blue waves crashing in on the sand. Lots of real estate to settle down and spend time at while you admire the beach. Nice trail that run along the sand on elevated level, so great for running, walking, etc, especially if you have a walker, wheelchair, or stroller to commute with. The width of the trails are accommodating, yes. Very neat to have a navy seal and other military statues to honor the forces and those who have fallen for our nation. Makes you appreciate not just the aesthetics of the beach, but the community who comes by to visit and train here. Would be nice if there was a surfing or water sport scene here because saw only people playing in the water...but no one catching the waves. read more

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Virginia Beach was a great place to bring our kids when they were younger, but it has changed. Notably, the presence of marijuana everywhere we go, people are smoking and the air is filled with it. I don't want to be around that. Make a designated beach area for pot smokers. I also don't want to walk through 20 souvenir shops along the way with profanity on half the shirts and genitalia figurines on shelves. That is not what I want to see and I wouldn't want to bring my kids around this. Make a separate area for those things out of sight from kids as well. The beach itself is pretty clean as crews are out daily each morning cleaning and grooming the beach before folks come out. plenty of rentals if needed, and room to bring your own chairs or tent shade. Occassionally someone booms their music for all to hear, but rare. Most are respectful of others. Hopefully, the boardwalk benches are replaced as they are well used and have seen better days. Neptune is a great site, and there are some nice places to eat in walking distance, as well as some dessert stops, and other family entertainment. Movie nights are great, and concerts or performers too. Plenty of hotel choices and places to park. There are plenty of positives, and VA Beach would be greater for me with some changes. Yes, worth going with family or without, but be aware of some things if you do have young kids. read more

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There was a time that I came almost every year. This is a fairly clean beach and doesn't get as much traffic as other beaches nearby. There is a very long board walk with some interesting elements like the Poseidon statue. There was also a jungle gym on the beach when I came earlier this year. They also have horses that you can pay to ride along the beach. But other than that the boardwalk doesn't have arcades or carnival rides. There are a number of indy shops and restaurants on the road that runs parallel to the shoreline. You can find mostly paid parking every few blocks near the beach. read more

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Neptune Statue at Neptune Park on Boardwalk at Virginia Beach, VA. Great park to visit Free to enjoy. A favorite spot that brings back many memories from my childhood. Tony had never visited the park or the Virginia Beach boardwalk area. I love Virginia Beach VA and I have always had many great memories there. read more

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I have not been to Va Beach in decades. It was quite a pleasant surprise to walk the sands and see the sun rise and set. Great place to hang out and have a good time. Plenty of places to eat and drink. Fun for all. read more

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This is a nice beach with caramel colored sand and it looks like they are always making sure the sand is in good condition by the big mountain of it not too far from the pier. Social distancing and masks are encouraged during the pandemic. One thing to note, is that with the lack of public parking, it's best to enjoy this beach while staying at one the beachfront hotels. The Hilton is nice, and right near the Neptune statue. There's a small park are near the statue and restrooms too; which were clean when we popped in. read more

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The oceanfront is always nice to visit. There is a variety of shops and restaraunts and lots to see and do. Fun for all ages. They also have alot of events at the oceanfront. I follow Live! On Atlantic on facebook. You can also look up on (visitvirginiabeach.com). Some of our favorite events are the Neptune Festival and The Boardwalk Art show. The last couple of years we have been enjoying the MOCA art show the best. There is always lots of concerts and music to enjoy. There are play areas for kids. Our favorite is Grommet Island Park. It is also made to accomidate kids with dissabilities There is lots of parking everywhere. My personal favorite is sunrise. I have seen a million at the ocean front and the view is always awesome read more

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Just call it home! Great place to live or visit. Plenty to do, especially in the summer! Clean, friendly!

After having been to Mayland, Delaware and New Jersey beaches this place was a disappointment. The boardwalk is really a bike trail/walkway on cement. Others refer to the streets of shops, over priced restaurants, ice cream places and a small amusement park. Ocean didnt smell like the Atlantic as up north and wasnt as salty. Many highrise touristy hotels. We stayed in an airbnb 1 block away which was nice. No seashells on the beach which was disappointing. Won't go back. read more

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I always enjoy my time at Virginia Beach. It's not as packed as other beaches I've been too and it's very chill when you go early in the morning. There's lots of cool large wall paintings to go around the city and take pictures. There isn't really a boardwalk like other places and I like that. Cool sculptures in-between some buildings to pose at and great nom's all around. read more

Virginia Beach - Beaches Near Me

I LOVE the beach but was so disappointed with the crowds and the boardwalk. Obviously the shoreline was gorgeous but with the crowds of folks you could hardly get through to wade in the water. I'm sure summer months are the worse but in the future if I want to go to the beach, I would go elsewhere. There are just way too many people at Virginia Beach. read more

A trip to Virginia would not be complete until we visit the beach. It only took us 30 minutes from Norfolk. The boardwalk is cement, but wide and long along the beach. Easy walking and plenty wide for all the beach goers to maintain social distancing. There were quite a few sun worshipers on the sand that were spread out evenly. We managed to get our feet wet in the cool water but a bit rough due to the approaching storm. We witnessed a few military planes flying over the beach for maneuvers. All is all it was a great day spent by the seashore to end this day. read more

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Excellent beach. Great beach walk one for walkers and one for bikers. Clean along the beach walk. Lots of interesting sculptures along the walk. Plus access to bars , hotels , etc . I was amazed on how clean they keep it. Life guards are on duty up and down the beach. BTY: bring your sunscreen lotion. read more

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This beach isn't too far of a drive from us, so we generally go a few times a year (even in the off season). It's a nice beach. It's clean and the boardwalk is well maintained. I will say that it has its downfalls. One being the parking situation; especially during peak season, but it can also be tricky in the off season. You must pay for parking when you visit, whether it be street parking (which is often limited) or a parking garage. They can get very pricey. Also there are often a few porta potty's along the beach, but they are few and far between. There is absolutely no where for anyone to change, so we are often changing in a porta potty with almost no space. It's just such a hassle! During the off season, they are pet friendly, but otherwise they are not. There are plenty of great restaurants to choose from along the boardwalk during peak season. On one end of the beach, there is a children's playground. There are lots of interesting statues along the beach and plenty of places to shop, rent a bicycle, get pictures taken, etc. During peak season, you can expect a lot of local acts offering free concerts along the boardwalk. Grab an ice cream cone and cop a squat along the boardwalk and enjoy. I know some have mentioned crime being an issue at this beach, and like any beach, it's going to be around; especially during peak season when tourists are rampant. But we have been going here several times for the past 5 years and have never felt unsafe or witnessed crime ourselves. read more

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Step up from Myrtle Beach, step down from Hilton Head. So many buildings on beachfront, and across from those are the sad tourist shops typical to beach locals. And pizza...lots and lots of pizza. And fudge. We go every October and have peeled the layers away to find some great restaurants and craft bars. But it's about the beach and this one is great. Little crowded on weekends, very private during week in October. I highly recommend. read more

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Wow this is great escape from all the COVID impacts across the nation. The beach in Virginia Beach has improved over the recent years. Been a reside for over 30 years of Virginia Beach. When my children were young the Beach was a nice escape to take our children for the day. In recent years with the beach replenishment and upgrades to the hotels and restaurant on the strip it has something for everyone. Parts of the strip will deliver classic board walk and shopping like other destinations and some parts are more relaxing to enjoy the sand and surf. With the additional upscale hotels and dining my local beach is a great getaway without the hassle of the long trip. As a resident and visitor of the beach, I look forward the changes to come in the next few years. This is a must go. Well done. read more

What can I say, we drove 24 hours round trip to get to Virginia Beach from Atlanta. 11 hours to Williamsburg and 1 hour to Virginia Beach and back, but it was worth it. My wife and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary and we wanted to spend some good quality time with our family, so we drove up here. I did not realize that about 90% of all of the shops off Atlantic Avenue would be closed. We stayed for about 5 hours and so many places were closed, so I guess this must have been off season and the shops do not make enough money to stay open. However, it was nice because there was plenty of parking and there was very few people, so we kind of had the beach all to ourselves. The beach is very nice and I was surprised to see that the waves here are quite big, compared to what I have seen at Venice Beach in Cali or Miami. There was a few guys riding the waves on body boards. My young boys really enjoyed walking up the fishing pier and I thought it was worth the $2 per person, evening though we did not go fishing. If you like to fish, I would definitely recommend fishing off the pier as I saw a lot of people catching fish. The pier was loaded with fishers catching a lot of spots, some trout, speckled and croakers. We also saw a guy catch a nice size sand shark, which he tossed back right away and also a skate fish. Overall, this is a great beach that seems very clean, with great surf and a wonderful cycling and running trail. I would recommend checking out. [Review #497] (82nd Review of 2017) read more

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Let me start by saying they really take pride in maintaining the beach and the boardwalk! Every morning while we were there, they had heavy equipment out there manicuring the beach & sand. It was VERY clean. The boardwalk was nice and wide and is about 3 miles long. They even have a separate bike path so the cyclists aren't coming at you while you're walking along. There is so much to do here... The shops and restaurants are endless, the food was great & the people were very friendly. read more

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Impressions of Virgina Beach: Wide boardwalk with hotels. . Beautiful ocean vistas. Separate bike lanes away from walkers ensuring pedestrian safety. Retail like the Wildwoods, NJ which is my only comparison for boardwalks is on the street in back of the hotels so as not to mar the oceanfront. Very pedestrian friendly town. Big Win. read more

Virginia Beach - Beaches Near Me

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This stretch of beach is visually stunning, with dolphins, great waves and pretty clean sand. It's not what's happening on the beach that is scary, it's what happens on the boardwalk and Atlantic Ave at night that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Let's see, on July 3rd, two people shot at the Best Western and on the evening of the 4th, 6 people shot...at random while walking on Atlantic. On the boardwalk, assault and robbery are common. As with most excellent things in this world, bad people have managed to ruin it. Shame that this aspect of VB isn't advertised. When we got there, you could almost feel it brewing, between the heat, booze and riff raff, a cultural boil over was to be expected and happened as anticipated. We made it a point to get back to our hotel by 11 at night with the expectation something would happen. Thankfully, we are out of here and never coming back. Virginia Beach - you are heretofore known as ghetto beach. Disaster...what a waste. read more

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I was weary about coming to this beach because I heard it is very busy. We came on a Saturday around 12 pm and again around 4 pm, both times were great. While there were many people there it was very comfortable. The lifeguards seem very attentive and there are several patrols and boats in the water. We were able to see several pods of dolphins swimming from the shore almost immediately upon arriving. There are many great shops places to eat along the boardwalk. I loved that there are 2 pathways, 1 for walking and 1 for bicycles. The area seemed very well kept. Some of the options at the washing station were not working. I would definitely recommend and return. read more

Virginia Beach - Beaches Near Me

Pros: close to home, maintained for the most part , nice boardwalk to walk and bike on , many choices of shops and trolly options, restrooms available, playgrounds for kids, dolphins every morning around 11am , lifeguards during the "IN" season. Cons: lots of homeless sleeping all over smoking weed and drinking alcohol, WAS VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED when the 911 PARADE being all about shriners and clowns and not about our first responders AT ALL I visit va beach often and they could have done WAY better for our first responders THEY DESERVED BETTER ! read more

We usually go to Myrtle Beach! Well, not after seeing this Boardwalk! It is clean,with beautiful flowers everywhere. It's own two way bike bath, serrated from the main walk. Easy access to beach. Porta potties everywhere. Restaurants galore as well as live entertainment every few blocks. This is 10x better than all the boardwalks we have been to! The beach is nice and clean as well as the sand. read more

I often wonder if the place is dying off since every window on the boardwalk calls for eating pizza (just pizza). I'm tired of pizza just by seeing all these windows showing not much else. I would think this place that do better having more eateries on the boardwalk itself. I do think this town has an image marketing problem and does have more entertaining places than where Neptune is all ways on duty. Few of the merchants wile more visiters are rude in a Virginia Smart way almost any part of town. I found Virginia Beach Boardwalk on Columbus Day or later could be disappointing. Though tide water is warm enough to swim and evenings are fair most restaurants are closed seasonally. The flyovers ad some excitement if you don't find it anoying. read more

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Walking on the beach New Yrs Eve at midnight was amazing and great start to a New year. Just had an amazing time with my wife and 2 fur babies. read more

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My favorite beach out of hundreds. This has been a family tradition for almost 50 years. On their way to and from Florida to see my great grandmother my grandparents used to stop in VA Beach with their kids to have their own vacation. My father, uncles, and aunt have all continued the tradition with their families and their families families. This has been passed down through the generations. I even had my wedding and honeymoon 11 years ago this summer on those sands. The important part I'm drilling home is how family oriented this place is. It's very well maintained,clean, monitored, and enforced. There are police on bikes, horses, motorcycles, and plain clothed on the board walk and strip especially at night. You're safe to take children and have a great time without getting your purse snatched or stepping on something gross or dangerous on the beach. The beach is cleaned nightly and there are garbage cans not far from you at all times ,not to mention the city empties them and picks up what little litter there is. On the board walk they have showers, foot showers, drinking fountains , and benches. There is also a separate bike lane. There are fireworks over the ocean, live music on the strip,cheap trollys, free concerts, fresh salt water taffy, and fun things to do. My favorite hotel is the Best Western plus because before it was that it was the Colonial Inn. I have been going there since before I was born haha. The family that owns and runs it is amazing! read more

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Virginia Beach is a beautiful place to be in the summer. Whether you're looking to cut loose, or your looking to lay back and relax you will find it all down here. If you haven't been yet, you're doing yourself a disservice. The whole Hampton Roads area has a lot to offer. One of my favorite destination cities on the east coast. read more

Tourism hotbed- condos, hotels, shops and eateries galore! Loved seeing the Neptune sculpture, the boardwalk is a 4 star, the beach is dirty sand, it's really gross feeling, 1 star at best. Bustling ocean town, not the laid back, slow beach town I am used to in Jacksonville Beach. But- lively has it's merits too! I think the beach really is what stands out- I couldn't feel clean after walking on that beach- and it was HOT- so sweaty and dirty sand just makes you miserable! Next time I will stick to the boardwalk and the shops! read more

This is a decent location for a getaway. Prices for everything tend to be fairly expensive but that's expected in any area like this. The beach seems to be very well maintained and we've never felt that it was too crowded on our stays. We haven't found much along the lines of good shopping spots on our visits here. Much of the area is taken up by cheap souvenir chain stores although there are some hidden gems to find along the way. The Naval Air Station is right nearby so expect to see regular fly-overs, which never seems to get old especially if you have kids with you. read more

Virginia Beach - Beaches Near Me

Visiting from Richmond, VA. I have been here many times, but first time with my parents and my 3 year old daughter. The ocean is magical to experience through the eyes of a child. We stayed in Hampton Inn, which was close to the playground in the sand. Also, there was an amazing race, where runners ran in costume on Sat morning, then the Virginia Aquarium released sea turtles on the beach near us in the afternoon. I really love coming here in the late fall and winter season. I guess good company really helps shape your experience of a place. read more

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Virginia Beach hates its visitors and tourists. The City couldn't care less about your experience and strongly encourages you to go to any other beach. The City wants to make sure you are forced to walk several blocks to even get near the water, and when you do, the City wants to make sure you are as uncomfortable as possible as they force you to sit on top of other tourists and visitors fighting for space. Bottom line - go anywhere else but Virginia Beach. read more

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Good beach but the lady at the pier is really rude cus listen, she charged us for my child in a stroller right and then we went back the next day and the guy that was working didn't even charge us for her. Next we came back after getting a stamp for fishing and she was just rude about it bc we're not from here and we don't know how everything works she just explained everything very rudely like she wasn't gonna let us back in and then paused and said "well for future reference get your name wrote down when you leave the pier or we won't let you back in" like honey if you hate tourist don't work in a tourist city, literally won't go on the pier again when she's working cus she's rude read more

Virginia Beach - The pier - Beaches Near Me

There's a shaaaak in the waaaata! The sand is clean. The combination of beach and boardwalk is great. Spacious walk. Those electric kick back whoozing by a bit too fast. Not as trashy in terms of garbage trash or people trash as some might say. read more

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Loved this beach other than the fact that the sand during extremely hot days probably would've given me ridiculous 17th degree burns had I not just decided to do some light 10 second hiit cardio and run towards the water and then back to my towel, honestly! I came here twice this year all the way from Toronto - Yeah I know, who really drives 12 hours FOR A BEACH (tell that to my bf/part patient wolf with the great idea lol) but overall we enjoyed ourselves. The first time we went, we kind of got away with using someone else's unoccupied beach canopy cause when we left, the guys who set them up finally realized we did not pay the $25 lol - thankfully we were leaving so we spent about 6 hours with some nice shade, ha! Also, where we set up shop was great considering there was a family right by us who had some bangin' 80's-90's tunes that we were jamming with them to (good times). The next time we came, we brought more people with us and we all thoroughly enjoyed the beach for a few more days as the weather was just beautiful and the water was nice and cool, albeit violent at times lol. I liked how no one really cared how you looked cause everyone was more focused on just tanning or minding their own business - and you could leave your things where you were and not have to worry about random thieves trying to pry through your things. I felt safe and had a good time but overall always be careful with your belongings. read more

Had a blast visiting this beach! Incredible beach feel without the hassle of knowing you're going to be spending an arm and a leg. There are plenty of nearby restaurants that offer incredible seafood and overall ambience is something you'd have to witness in order to fully experience. Each bit of the boardwalk offers a unique experience. read more

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Hadn't been to Virginia Beach in at least 20 years and aside from the Aquarium it's a run down antiquated vacation location. The beach front area was disgusting. Shops were cheaply stocked and overpriced as were any arcade or amusement. Our recent vacation we stayed near there but I didn't want to stay there. In 20 years, nothing has really changed. Stores and arcades are the same. They're building new hotels which I'm sure will be beautiful inside and out but the problem is once you leave the hotel it's like visiting a country where if you leave the hotel at your own risk. Place is still dirty as ever. Son wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel but after entering the amusement area we said no, too run down. We were bombarded by carnies hounding us to play their concession. Now, I'm sure these people outside this element are very nice but inside they live up to their name. I'm also sure that the people of Virginia Beach are very friendly, warm and welcoming but it's not them that make the place disgusting, it's the many, not all, of the visitors who have no concern about making the place better. I saw visitors throwing trash on the ground a foot from a garbage can, changing their babies in parking lots and just leaving the dirty diaper right there. There appeared to be no pride in many of the visitors. I would say Virginia Beach is a poor mans Myrtle Beach but I'm not sure if even that's accurate and I'd be giving Virginia Beach too much credit. Any and all local persons I met away from the beach area were extremely nice and friendly. I feel bad for them to have to see their beautiful beach being abused. The actual beach is very nice and the 2 stars given are for that and the locals. read more

Nice beach and surrounding area, spoiled by brats driving loud mustangs down Atlantic Avenue. The jets from the naval air base flying over are really cool! That is until the 10th time that morning.... OK for a day trip but ruins your vacation if staying the week. Good luck getting breakfast at your hotel (they close early due to capacity or lack of supplies) or any place nearby... wait can be an hour long. The boardwalk is nice at night and peaceful (until jets fly by, but at least it's less frequent than daytime). Live music and performers are cool along the boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue. read more