Virginia Beach isn’t just the largest resort city in the world. We’re more than the record holder for the longest pleasure beach in the world. Virginia Beach is THE place where the first permanent settlers set foot in the new world. On April 26th, 1607, the colonists who founded Jamestown came ashore at a spot near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Cape Henry, (just north of the resort area).

Take a break from the beach for some historical sites!

Visitors to a new town always love to check out the historical sites to get a glimpse into the past. Since the first American settlers stepped foot on our hallowed shores, Virginia Beach has been a historic meeting place for remarkable events and times. Check out the Cape Henry Lighthouse, retrace the footsteps of our forefathers at First Landing State Park, or Visit the Thoroughgood House to hear the great success story of Adam Thoroughgood, one of Virginia’s first colonists.

NAS Oceana

Enjoy a memorable, close-up tour of the US Navy’s Master Jet Base, NAS Oceana, home to almost 300 F/A 18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike fighter jets. Watch the awesome power of our military aboard a British-style double decker bus as these jets streak across the sky! And while on the NAS Oceana base tour, you’ll also have the unique opportunity to tour the Aviation Historical Park and see the jets that have been proud to call NAS Oceana their home base for more than 60 years. Get up-close and see the Tomcats, Panthers, Banshees and more… the aircraft that helped make US Naval aviation history!

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum

The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum is located in a historically registered and last remaining Virginia Beach Boardwalk cottage, de Witt Cottage, which was built in 1895. The theme of the museum is two-fold: First, the preservation, promotion, perpetuation and exhibition of wildfowl artifacts and contemporary wildfowl art forms. Secondly, provide an accurate representation of the early history of Virginia Beach captured through pictures, oral reports, and the physical presence of the de Witt Cottage amid the oceanfront. Free Admission.