Virginia Coast Travel Guide

Virginia Beach, 119 miles (191km) east of Richmond, is one of the most popular holiday resorts on the East Coast, where thousands of sun lovers flock each spring and summer for a traditional beachfront vacation. Most visitors are drawn to the three-mile (5km) long boardwalk, lined with numerous hotels and restaurants overlooking part of the 20 miles (32km) of unbroken sand that covers the coastline here. The beaches are excellent, and the town hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships, as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championships each year. In fact, Virginia Beach is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest pleasure beach in the world.

Virginia Beach also has some interesting sightseeing attractions, particularly the Virginia Marine Science Museum, the most popular museum in the state. Historic landmarks include the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse dating from 1791 and Adam Thoroughgood House, built around 1680. There is also the First Landing Seashore State Park (where the Jamestown settlers came ashore) offering nature trails and boating. The Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater hosts a number of productions throughout the summer.

Virginia Beach is located at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, and is near to a number of interesting towns, including Chesapeake, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Suffolk. Its close proximity and resort town infrastructure make it an excellent base for exploring all of the towns and hamlets of the Virginia coast.

Near Virginia Beach, the three east-Virginian towns of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown make up a unique historical attraction where the clock has been turned back 200 years or more. The first British settlers in the 'New World' founded Jamestown in 1607. In nearby Yorktown in 1781 Americans won their independence during the last major battle of the Revolution.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation looks after 88 original buildings in the town, while 300 others have been reconstructed, including two taverns, a parish church, the courthouse and capitol building. Various local tour companies offer guided tours of the Historic Triangle, and group tours are available.