Beaches Abound in Virginia

There's enormous variety in Virginia's beaches - from the action-packed shores of Virginia Beach's boardwalk to the uninhabited sands of Assateague Island and the terrific hideaways of Virginia's tidal rivers. Despite their remarkable differences, all Virginia beaches are pristine havens that cater to family fun.

Beach-bound visitors can choose from miles of shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay and major rivers that lead to the bay and ocean. In addition to the best-known beaches in Virginia Beach and on Assateague Island, visitors explore popular beaches at Kiptopeke, Norfolk, Hampton, Yorktown and in Surry County and Virginia's Chesapeake Bay region. Virginia Beach.

Starting in spring each year, sun lovers flock to Virginia Beach for a traditional beachfront vacation along the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the city's estimated 2.5 million annual visitors are drawn to the three-mile area along the city's oceanfront boardwalk where numerous hotels and restaurants overlook the beach. Parking is ample here with 5,000 on-street parking spaces and five municipal lots. Many visitors are surprised to find free access to the city's well-maintained beaches. Lifeguards are on duty from mid-May through mid-September. Vendors scattered along the oceanfront cater to the good life by renting expansive umbrellas and sling-back beach chairs.

Virginia Beach's pedestrian boardwalk and cycling path are magnets for physical fitness lovers who enjoy jogging, strolling, roller skating and cycling. The boardwalk is also the place for alfresco dining and free nightly entertainment. Visitors rent bikes and skates from many hotels and from Cherie's Bicycle and Blade Rental at 24th Street and the oceanfront to connect with miles of bike trails throughout the resort area. Among the most popular of the many Virginia Beach festivals are the June Boardwalk Art Show & Festival and the September Neptune Festival.

Fishermen amuse themselves for hours at the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier, which juts out from the boardwalk at 15th Street. For a deep-sea adventure hop on a charter boat at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center near Rudee Inlet. Even confirmed landlubbers will enjoy the daily dolphin-watching excursions sponsored by the Virginia Marine Science Museum. The boat trip lets passengers get a close look at playful dolphins that spend summers along the shore. In winter, the boat trips focus on the whales that spend colder months off Virginia Beach's coast. Those preferring a solo outing in the ocean or bay can rent a kayak from Outdoor Experience in Virginia Beach. South of the Virginia Beach boardwalk area is Croatan, an area popular with surfers.

Other secluded beaches in the area include Virginia Beach's North End where large oceanfront houses are both owner-occupied and rented by the week. Wooden walkways lead over the dunes from access streets with parking. Fort Story, a U.S. Army post at the far north end of the beach, welcomes visitors with a valid driver's license Friday through Monday to its Atlantic Ocean beach - a favorite of locals.

Adjacent to Fort Story, First Landing/Seashore State Park has a Chesapeake Bay shoreline accessible only to guests camping in the park or staying in its cabins. Reservations in peak months are a must. In June, the park will debut the Chesapeake Bay Center, a visitor center featuring aquariums, environmental displays and a touch tank filled with sea creatures. Along Shore Drive and bordering the park is Chick's Beach, home to several of Virginia Beach's best-known seafood restaurants. The beach attracts sun lovers, kayakers, sailors and windsurfers and rents water sports equipment.

The 800-acre Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge harbors an amazing collection of animals. A visitors center provides a good overview of the refuge's mission. Five miles beyond the refuge is False Cape State Park, a remote oasis along the Atlantic Ocean. Until recently, visitors could get to the park only by hiking, biking or boating to six miles of some of the most undeveloped oceanfront land on the East Coast. Now visitors can board a tram at Little Island Park in Sandbridge and ride to False Cape State Park from Memorial Day through October. Shelling, hiking and bird watching along the oceanfront are popular among visitors who stay for the two-hour oceanfront excursion. More adventuresome visitors can pitch a tent at 12 primitive camp sites.

Rain or shine, the Virginia Beach Marine Science Museum, ranked one of the top 10 marine science facilities in the country, is the place to go. Virginia Beach also affords numerous historic attractions, amusement parks, miniature golf courses and excellent 18-hole public courses with inexpensive greens fees. Visitors looking for family value packages should call the Virginia Beach toll-free number - (800)VABeach. Norfolk Just 15 miles to the west of Virginia Beach's resort area lie Norfolk's Ocean View beach, which stretches continuously along nearly eight miles of the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk's four city beaches are wide with gentle surf, lifeguards in the summer, picnic pavilions and free parking. Adventuresome types who long to get out on the water can rent sailboats, JetSkis, paddle boats and kayaks from Ocean View Watersports. Harrison Boat House gives anglers the option of going out to sea on a charter boat or fishing from its pier. Starting in May and running through summer months, a gazebo at Ocean View Beach Park is the site of free Sunday evening big band concerts. Family movies are featured one Saturday a month during the summer. Norfolk also is home to numerous museums located about 10 miles away in its downtown area. These include the Chrysler Museum of Art; Nauticus, The National Maritime Center; Hunter House Victorian Museum and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Memorial. Hampton P> The calm waters of the Chesapeake Bay also lap onto the shores of two, wide public beaches in Hampton, just across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel from Norfolk. Buckroe Beach offers Wednesday night movies and Sunday night live, big band music and dancing in summer months. Grandview Nature Preserve, a 578-acre city property, includes a 2-1/2-mile beach geared toward bird watchers and wildlife lovers.

Other Hampton attractions include the Virginia Air & Space Center, the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe and the restored Hampton Carousel.

Eastern Shore

Virginia's Eastern Shore, home to three notable beaches, is connected only to the state's mainland by the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which snakes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.

Approximately five miles past the bridge-tunnel, Kiptopeke State Park - best known for its fall birding festival - offers a placid beach on the Chesapeake Bay. The bay's gentle waters, a 1-1/2-mile nature trail and 142 campsites, make this a perfect spot for families with young children. Adults can usually walk out at least 200 feet and still be in waist-high water under the protection of lifeguards during summer months. A walkway along the dunes connects picnic areas to the beach. In the summer, the park's weekend programs include canoeing, crabbing and other beachfront activities.

About 10 miles to the north, Cape Charles - a Victorian town in the midst of renovation and replete with quaint bed-and-breakfast (B&B) establishments - affords a sandy beach perfect for strolling, watching the sunset or lolling in a beach chair. Take the wooden walkway to the beachfront gazebo or enjoy a bike ride courtesy of your innkeeper. Near the northern portion of Virginia's Eastern Shore, the peninsula's best-known attractions - the sister islands of Assateague and Chincoteague - attract an estimated 1.3 million visitors annually.

Chincoteague is the gateway to Assateague, an uninhabited barrier island with 37 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach. A short causeway connects the two islands. While Chincoteague offers no actual beachfront, the town and island feature charming B&Bs, motels, restaurants, shops, bicycle rentals, craft galleries and unusual museums.

Admission to Assateague is free for those who arrive by bicycle or on foot. In addition to the expansive beaches, reached from the four parking lots by wooden walkways, Assateague operates two visitor centers and miles of hiking trails. During warmer months interpreters lead various wildlife programs. Assateague harbors about 300 species of birds, including Canada geese and whistling swans that winter here. Its most famous residents are the wild horses that gained worldwide fame in "Misty of Chincoteague," a 1947 book written by Marguerite Henry, who visited Chincoteague. The horses have been the stars each July since 1924 of a popular pony penning, auction and carnival that raises funds for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

For a different perspective of the area, ride on a boat through the channels and inlets surrounding Chincoteague Island. Capt. Barry's Back Bay Cruises, Assateague Island Tours and Island Cruises are among the operators offering daily cruises during warmer months. Nearby entertainment options include the Oyster and Maritime Museum, Refuge Waterfowl Museum, Island Aquarium and the NASA/Wallops Visitor Center.

Virginia's River Beaches

You'll find some undiscovered jewels along the shorelines of Virginia's tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Beach. These small river beaches provide pleasant places to sun or to fish.

In rural Surry County in southeastern Virginia, Chippokes Plantation State Park maintains two miles of beach along the James River. Although swimming isn't allowed in the river, an Olympic-sized pool satisfies beachcombers ready for an afternoon swim following a morning of shelling and fossil hunting. Anglers reel in catfish and perch from the river's waters, and canoeists enjoy paddling the tidal creeks near picnic areas and hiking and biking trails. An exquisite 1850s mansion is open for tours, and three cabins that were once dependencies for the plantation are now for rent, along with 32 campsites. During the year Chippokes celebrates with three major festivals: June's Steam and Gas Engine Show; July's Pork, Peanut and Pine festival; and October's Plantation Christmas Craft Festival. The Northern Neck of Virginia, which stretches between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, has five small public beaches along the Potomac River. The largest is in Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County. During summer the beach has lifeguards on duty. Unguarded smaller beaches are found at Hughlett's Point Natural Area, Westmoreland State Park and VirMar Beach, both in Northumberland County, and Westland Beach in Lancaster County. Nearby attractions include George Washington's Birthplace; Stratford Hall, the childhood home of Gen. Robert E. Lee; and Ingleside Plantation Vineyards and Winery.

Whether it's windsurfing or sunbathing, bird watching or fossil hunting, you'll find it all at the beaches in Virginia.