Virginia Beach Virginia Tourism

Get up at dawn and watch the sun splash its golden colors over the early morning sky. Or stay up late and entice your date for a romantic stroll along the moonlit beach.

You define your dream vacation – that’s the mystique of Virginia Beach. If you care for suggestions – well, we’ve got plenty of them! In Virginia Beach, the Aquarium and museums are intriguing, while the attractions are as appealing as the sunny beaches. Virginia Beach beckons you to “live the life!”

Climb into the past with a visit to the original Cape Henry Lighthouse. Dating to 1791, it’s the oldest government-built lighthouse in America. Once you reach the summit, enjoy a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay – the same view once seen by ship watchers more than 200 years ago. Located on the Fort Story military base, the original Cape Henry Lighthouse is open to the public. Across the road, you’ll find the new Cape Henry Lighthouse. Built in 1881, it’s the tallest iron-encased lighthouse in the country, and is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Embark on a fantastic swashbuckling pirate adventure or step back in time at a museum. Stroll up the Boardwalk to discover another treasure - the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum on Atlantic Avenue. Located in the historically registered DeWitt cottage built in 1895, the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum displays art and artifacts documenting migratory wildfowl that pass through Eastern Virginia. Exhibits of wildfowl and shorebird carvings trace the evolution of this unique American art form. Enjoy on-site wood-carving demonstrations, decoys dating from historic times to present day and a collection of exhibits covering the history of Virginia Beach.

For a peek into the lives of Virginia Beach’s earliest residents, visitors may enter a number of historic homes located throughout the city: the Adam Thoroughgood House (circa 1680) stands on land that was part of the original land grant. Other historic homes still standing in Virginia Beach were constructed later in the colonial period such as the Lynnhaven House (1725), the Ferry Plantation House (1740) and the Francis Land House (late 1700s). All homes are open to the public for tours and host special interpretative programs throughout the year.

One of southeastern Virginia’s leading art institutions, CACV’s mission is to teach visitors about contemporary art through regularly scheduled changing exhibits, studio art classes, and special events.

With more than 18,000 acres of state parks and national wildlife refuges, certain areas in Virginia Beach remain almost identical to what the first English settlers viewed when they set foot on North American soil. First Landing State Park, the most visited state park in Virginia, contains 2,700 acres of protected salt marsh habitat, bay and dune maritime forests and freshwater ponds. A registered Natural Landmark, it fronts the Chesapeake Bay. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, an 8,500-acre plot is made up of barrier islands, dunes, freshwater marshes, maritime forests, ponds and ocean beaches. Sharing a border is the 4,321-acre False Cape State Park, featuring six miles of unspoiled beaches in an ocean-to-freshwater bay habitat. Both Back Bay and False Cape are home to wild horses, feral pigs, loggerhead turtles, American bald eagles and a large variety of migratory birds and endangered species. Additionally, the 2,907-acre North Landing River Natural Area Preserve, owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy, is one of the largest and most significant nature preserves in the state.