My husband and I decided to take our daughter Emily on a last minute trip to Virginia Beach.
I recommend going to Virginia Beach if you want a quieter, more family-friendly atmosphere. I have been to beaches like Ocean City, MD before and Ocean City is definitely more flashing lights, arcades, and geared toward younger college students with loud bars on the boardwalk.
We opted for Virginia Beach this time since Emily is so young. We decided we could take her to Ocean City when she becomes a teenager and can enjoy the activities they have there.
This was Emily’s first ever trip to the beach, so we were excited to see what her reaction would be like. My husband held Emily so that her toes touched the wet sand. She shivered and looked anxious. The waves came splashing over her little legs, and she froze, not quite knowing what to do.
She enjoyed playing with sand toys under the beach umbrella more than seeing ocean waves for the first time.
Where to Stay
We researched hotels online at TripAdvisor.com and settled on the Four Points by Sheraton after reading reviews of the major hotels in the area. Four Points was an excellent choice! It was a clean hotel with friendly staff, an ocean front view and beach access. They also had a large garage, which is a plus compared to other hotels in the area that had limited parking spaces.
TripAdvisor.com is a great place to research places to stay and things to do. Thousands of people post reviews, so attractions have rankings based on what’s most popular.
Where to Eat
There was so much delicious food at Virginia Beach! For a bit of a foodie itinerary, read below:
Breakfast
Check out Scrambled for breakfast pancakes, eggs, breakfast burritos.
The Green Cat Juice Bar has some delicious smoothies, like the Pitaya Bowl, which is pitaya, banana, almond milk, vanilla protein topped with dried coconut, raw oats, banana and pineapple. We also tried their Blueberry and Flax Oatmeal, which was great, too.
Seafood
Stroll down to Ocean Eddies for delicious steamed crab legs, oysters, clams, and shrimp while looking out from the beach pier. Wonderful casual outdoor dining.
For a special “we’re on vacation” meal, get the Ultimate Just Seafood platter at the Waterman’s Surfside Grille. It was a great relaxing atmosphere and upscale restaurant.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Center
Emily was in awe looking up at the big sea turtle swimming around at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Center. We bought her a turtle stuffed animal and it is officially my daughter’s favorite animal now. There are so many different marine life to look at in the different viewing areas. The place was completely packed on a Friday full of children and their parents. Emily enjoyed people-watching just as much as animal-watching.
