Located in the extreme southeast of the US state of Virginia, Virginia Beach is one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Atlantic coast of the United States. The sprawling resort town is just a few hours’ drive from the US capital, Washington, DC, and is very close to the famous Chesapeake Bay and the historic Virginia Triangle, which includes Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.
It’s easy to enjoy life and the moment in Virginia Beach. The lively coastal city is one of the most popular holiday areas in the USA and offers beach adventures and a lively city centre, as well as untouched nature, culinary delights in the form of fresh oysters and seafood from the region, and a carefree attitude to life.
The miles of white sandy beach, the elegant boardwalk and a variety of hotels in all categories with over 10,000 rooms invite you to Virginia Beach for a relaxing beach holiday, even as a stopover during a round trip. Nighttime entertainment is especially popular on Atlantic Avenue.
Ideal conditions for a perfect holiday: in addition to the numerous activities in and on the water – from kayaking to dolphin watching to tours on a pirate ship – there are exciting leisure activities such as a climbing tour through the high ropes course or skydiving, which ensure unforgettable holiday experiences.
Virginia Beach is a perfect place to enjoy the coast and have fun. Although Virginia doesn’t have any physical casinos, visitors can still try their luck online. For example, Crusino Casino offers a great match with the beach vibe, allowing players to enjoy a variety of games right from their devices. Whether you’re relaxing by the water or unwinding after a day of sightseeing, Crusino Casino login and exciting games bring a little extra thrill to your Virginia Beach experience.
Three beach experiences in one
Where the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay meet on the US East Coast, Virginia Beach promises three beach experiences in one holiday.
Resort Beach
The most famous and probably busiest stretch of beach is Resort Beach, which is right on the Atlantic Ocean and has plenty of restaurants, bars and souvenir shops. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the longest amusement beach in the world – ideal for those who want to experience a lot while on holiday.
Virginia Beach’s oceanfront boasts a beach promenade, the boardwalk, enchanting sunrises and the soothing sound of the sea, which is a haven of peace for body and soul. The boardwalk is the venue for daily concerts, shows and events that are popular with parents with teenage children.
Sandbridge Beach
On the other hand, Sandbridge Beach is quiet and secluded. If you like it a bit quieter, southern Virginia Beach is the place for you. Guests relax here in holiday homes or apartments and enjoy a picturesque view of the natural beach.
Chesapeake Bay Beach
Families with small children will feel particularly at home at Chesapeake Bay Beach with its gently sloping beach and shallow water. The calm waters of the beach on Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the USA, also make it particularly popular with water sports enthusiasts .
Sports and adrenaline kicks in the beach paradise on the US Atlantic coast
The popular resort on the US East Coast is the perfect place for a whole range of outdoor activities. The element of water offers many possibilities – from fishing, surfing, stand-up paddling and parasailing to kayaking. Extensive nature reserves, parks and wildlife sanctuaries, almost 200 kilometres of navigable waterways and a 56-kilometre-long ocean beach with dreamy coves invite you to go hiking, cycling, jogging or building sandcastles.
Indoor Sky Diving – flying without a parachute
Adrenalin rush guaranteed: If you’ve always wanted to know what a parachute jump feels like, you should visit iFLY Virginia Beach. In the indoor skydiving facility, you can experience what it’s like without having to jump out of an aeroplane. With the help of a wind tunnel generated by four extremely powerful fans, the free fall is simulated – without a parachute.
This attraction, which has been providing adrenaline kicks even in bad weather since January 2015, is where visitors to iFLY Virginia Beach can fulfil their dream of flying in a wind tunnel. A trained staff member is on hand to help every iFLY guest get the most out of the flight experience. No previous experience is necessary for the skydiving experience. Everyone, young or old, can ‘fly’ here. Beginners receive a detailed briefing and the necessary equipment.
Appointments can be easily made online. Holidaymakers can choose how long they want to fly for and how often they want to enter the wind tunnel – a range of packages are available. iFLY Virginia Beach is located in the Oceanfront Resort Area, just a few minutes from the three-mile-long beach promenade.
Climbing adventure in the high ropes course
Families with children are particularly fond of ‘The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium’, which opened at the end of 2014. In the high ropes course, various climbing trails with different levels of difficulty and an outdoor labyrinth can be explored. The park offers children from the age of five 15 colour-coded courses with different levels of difficulty to discover in the treetops. More than 160 exciting crossings between the platforms challenge young and old alike. In addition, a special ‘outdoor labyrinth’ with 40 additional levels awaits adventurers. In the high ropes course, climbing between the trees and ziplining (zip line) perfectly combine fresh air, fun and excitement.
Virginia Aquarium
A visit to the Adventure Park can be perfectly combined with a trip to the neighbouring Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. At Virginia’s largest aquarium, you can see more than 300 different species, including numerous sea creatures such as stingrays, cobras and Komodo dragons.
Interactive exhibits on the conservation of marine life
In addition to the aquariums, there are interactive exhibits on marine biology, veterinary medicine and insights into the work of the Virginia Aquarium.
Large windows offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the Virginia Aquarium, where you can watch the work in the veterinary department and in the water quality laboratory. This gives visitors exclusive insights into the work of the Virginia Aquarium & Science Center, which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of marine life.
Mini golf with light effects
A visit to King Neptune’s Mini Golf promises a special kind of family fun. This is not just any old indoor mini golf course; this one takes you through a colourful underwater world with special black light and 3D effects.
Adventure in the water park
No matter whether you are very young or a little older, the Ocean Breeze Waterpark offers fun for everyone and not only makes children’s hearts beat faster. The park’s highlight is the ‘Adventure River’. You can either drift along comfortably on the more than 300-metre-long river or cross areas with waves and fountains. The park offers a wide range of water-based attractions, including numerous action-packed water slides, tubing tours, a huge wave pool, special children’s areas, restaurants, etc.
The Atlantic Fun Park promises another adrenaline kick. The amusement park has rides for young and old, so there is something for everyone.
A paradise for animal and nature lovers
The centrepiece of the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is the ‘Restless Planet’ area. The animals live in their natural habitats, modelled on the humid swamps of Malaysia with the world’s most endangered crocodiles, the volcanic islands of Indonesia, home of the Komodo dragons, the deserts of North Africa, where scorpions and snakes live, and the Red Sea with its colourful coral fish, which can be viewed from a 12-metre-long glass tunnel.
At the scientific stations, visitors experience an appealing mix of educational programmes, entertainment, experiments, games and unique artefacts. For example, they can virtually produce coal, simulate a volcanic eruption, create an ocean and analyse 750-million-year-old rock. For children, there are plenty of games such as ‘Puzzled Earth’ and ‘Where in the World’. The gallery of ‘Restless Planet’ is a kaleidoscope of 100 still and moving images designed to encourage guests to reflect on our planet and their own environmental behaviour.
The ‘Restless Planet’ is accompanied by a gigantic holographic globe that illustrates how the American continent, including its flora, terrestrial and aquatic animals, has changed over millions of years.
Exploring marine life
Virginia’s largest aquarium has been offering boat trips from its own deck since 1989. As a leader in coastal and environmental conservation, the Virginia Aquarium’s staff is committed to sharing their knowledge. The interactive programme brings young and old closer to observing marine life and inspires enthusiasm for protecting aquatic life.
The ‘Atlantic Explorer’ takes visitors on a 90-minute excursion into the fish-rich waters off the coast, where bottlenose dolphins transform the sea area into a huge playground during their migration through the Atlantic in summer, without being disturbed by the boats. With the help of an underwater microphone, visitors can listen to the calls of the bottlenose dolphins. Experts talk about the unique behaviour of the animals and explain what is being done to protect this species. Attentive visitors may also catch a glimpse of brown pelicans, bald eagles and sea turtles.
And when the dolphins migrate in October, the fin and humpback whales head for Virginia’s coast, where they can be observed from December to March. During this time, the gigantic marine animals delight visitors as they jump out of the water in the wild. This unique natural spectacle is a highlight for the whole family and underlines Virginia Beach’s reputation as a holiday destination full of adventure and unforgettable experiences.
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