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Virginia Beach & Vicinity My kids and I took a vote and decided that Virginia is our most recent favorite vacation spot. From the moment we looked out at the majestic Atlantic converging with Chesapeake Bay while crossing the awesome Chesapeake Bay/Tunnel Bridge... we were sure! 

We stopped at the Virginia Beach Information Center, where they provided us with a wonderful welcome package, including great brochures and moneysaving coupons. There are over 11,000 hotel rooms - from luxurious suites to efficiency units - as well as rental cottages, condominiums, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds. We checked in to our beach front hotel and immediately went out on our private balcony and witnessed several schools of playful dolphins. The 38-mile long stretch of clean sand is perfect for sailing, surfing, fishing, diving, playing volleyball or just chilling out. We were hooked!

In the summer VA Beach has great evening entertainment on the 3-mile long boardwalk with its fabulous new facelift. Take a spin on the carousel, enjoy live theater, concerts, clowns, jugglers and various activities. Best of all, it is all free. Rent bikes or roller blades and experience the salt spray on your face. VA Beach is a lively city with wonderful people. It is amazing to think that almost 400 yrs ago this was where the first English settlers arrived in America. There is always something going on.

There is every type of food imaginable there. Our favorite restaurant was called ABBEY ROAD. You guessed it, we are Beatles nuts! The memorabilia was impressive, but no more than the food and great service. Now for some great tips on what's around. Virginia Marine Science Museum was outstanding with 150 interactive exhibits. It boasts Virginia's only IMAX 3-D Theater. In a floor to ceiling aquarium sea turtles swim toward you. You can go to the Hatchling Lab how the young loggerhead sea turtles are cared for by a very dedicated staff of specialists. I love river otters and got my fill at the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion. We walked the 1/3-mile long Nature Trail to watch ospreys and other interesting birds nesting and feeding. We went back inside to the Norfolk Canyon Aquarium filled with sharks and very colorful fish. The touch tank was a warm and inviting place to feel the skin of stingrays as they swam by.

Knowledgeable staff were all around to answer any and all questions. For sports enthusiasts VA Beach has over 10+ golf courses, 200 public tennis courts; most are lighted and all are free. There is miniature golf for the younger crowd, paint ball, video arcades and much more. We used VA Beach as home base for most of our trip. We ventured north (approximately an hour and a half drive) for a day trip to Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. If you have ever read Marguerite Henry's enchanting horse stories, you will know that this was a huge highlight of our trip. We watched the wild ponies parade by us. The newborn foals were frolicking with each other. What a spectacle. My girls and I felt like we were reliving the pages of her books.

We then went on the have dinner at a wonderful restaurant and topped our day off with homemade ice cream in waffle cones at the Creamery. Another day we traveled 40 miles northwest to Hampton to visit Virginia's Air & Space Center. From historic air and space craft suspended below the 94-foot ceiling to the giant-screen Imax theater, your imagination will soar. This award winning museum includes the Apollo 12 Command Module and a three-billion-year-old moon rock. See what you look like as an astronaut and experience launching a rocket and take a ride on the motion stimulator. This place was definitely worth the drive!

On our last day in VA Beach we just decided to savor the life of beach bums. The beach was extremely clean and the walk back up to the boardwalk short; I liked that. We swam, built sand castles and again enjoyed watching the many dolphins at play.

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