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Escapes: Virginia Beach
400 years of history
by Mary Welch
January 1, 2007
On April 26, 1607, Admiral Christopher Newport and a party of 30 landed at Virginia Beach, Va., and the English settlers reported they saw dogwood trees, climbing yellow jasmines and green recesses of woodland. Contrary to some reports, one person on the ship who did not make that excursion with Newport was famed Capt. John Smith, who at that time was under arrest and in chains for taking part in mutinous disturbances. He later was freed and gets credit for founding Jamestown and wooing Pocahontas. But, as they say, that's another story.
Regardless, the British settlers picked a great place to visit and sightsee. Since then, Virginia Beach has been luring visitors and celebrities alike: everyone from Blackbeard to Will Rogers, Bette Davis and Hank Ketchum, who drew several of his “Dennis the Menace” cartoons based on his family's vacation adventures at the Cavalier Hotel. The Cavalier, which opened in 1927, is still welcoming guests.
Virginia Beach is one of only a handful of good old-fashioned seaside resorts complete with boardwalks remaining on the East Coast. There's Old Orchard Beach in Maine, Coney Island, N.Y., Ocean City, Md., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Daytona Beach, Fla. But even amongst these venerable attractions, Virginia Beach is special. Today its 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches continue to attract over 3 million visitors annually who often want nothing more to do than lounge on the white, soft sand and frolic waist deep on the gently sloping Atlantic Ocean shelf. The beach is so magnificently expansive that it's in the Guinness Book of Records for being the “World's Longest Pleasure Beach.”
The beach has been enhanced recently as six-and-a-half miles has been widened to more than 300 feet as part of a $22 million sand replenishment project that is part of a $125 million hurricane protection plan.
For some, even more enticing than the beach is Virginia Beach's famed boardwalk, which has been ranked among America's best by the Discovery Channel and Coasting Living magazine. The renowned boardwalk dates back to 1888 when it was a five-block-long walkway propped by wooden planks. Today the three-mile concrete thoroughfare is an impressive 28 feet wide with a much-appreciated separate bike path. The boardwalk is ideal for strolling, rollerblading and biking. Our favorite activity was the peddling on a surrey bike – as in “surrey with the fringe on top.” You can rent a two-person or four-person surrey by the hour to go up and down the boardwalk and people watch. Beware, just because you have others peddling doesn't seem to lessen the intensity you have to bike. It takes all feet on the peddles to move that cart and keep the momentum going. Slackers can't get away with letting the others pick up the slack!
People watching and window shopping are two favorite pedestrian activities on the town's main drag — Atlantic Avenue. The street is abuzz with activity of all sorts. The street is lined with eateries – all-you-can-eat seafood buffets, pancake palaces, and our favorite, authentic pizza, either New York City or Philly style.
Then there is the inevitable tacky T-shirt and souvenir shops that adorn the street like a bad tattoo. Next door are comedy clubs and haunted fun houses featuring live actors, special effects and theatrical scenes that create the ultimate experience in fear. We also were perversely attracted to those hotels whose swimming pools had large windows to the street so that we could watch swimmers frolicking in the pool much like we do the fish in an aquarium.
Regardless, the British settlers picked a great place to visit and sightsee. Since then, Virginia Beach has been luring visitors and celebrities alike: everyone from Blackbeard to Will Rogers, Bette Davis and Hank Ketchum, who drew several of his “Dennis the Menace” cartoons based on his family's vacation adventures at the Cavalier Hotel. The Cavalier, which opened in 1927, is still welcoming guests.
Virginia Beach is one of only a handful of good old-fashioned seaside resorts complete with boardwalks remaining on the East Coast. There's Old Orchard Beach in Maine, Coney Island, N.Y., Ocean City, Md., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Daytona Beach, Fla. But even amongst these venerable attractions, Virginia Beach is special. Today its 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches continue to attract over 3 million visitors annually who often want nothing more to do than lounge on the white, soft sand and frolic waist deep on the gently sloping Atlantic Ocean shelf. The beach is so magnificently expansive that it's in the Guinness Book of Records for being the “World's Longest Pleasure Beach.”
The beach has been enhanced recently as six-and-a-half miles has been widened to more than 300 feet as part of a $22 million sand replenishment project that is part of a $125 million hurricane protection plan.
For some, even more enticing than the beach is Virginia Beach's famed boardwalk, which has been ranked among America's best by the Discovery Channel and Coasting Living magazine. The renowned boardwalk dates back to 1888 when it was a five-block-long walkway propped by wooden planks. Today the three-mile concrete thoroughfare is an impressive 28 feet wide with a much-appreciated separate bike path. The boardwalk is ideal for strolling, rollerblading and biking. Our favorite activity was the peddling on a surrey bike – as in “surrey with the fringe on top.” You can rent a two-person or four-person surrey by the hour to go up and down the boardwalk and people watch. Beware, just because you have others peddling doesn't seem to lessen the intensity you have to bike. It takes all feet on the peddles to move that cart and keep the momentum going. Slackers can't get away with letting the others pick up the slack!
People watching and window shopping are two favorite pedestrian activities on the town's main drag — Atlantic Avenue. The street is abuzz with activity of all sorts. The street is lined with eateries – all-you-can-eat seafood buffets, pancake palaces, and our favorite, authentic pizza, either New York City or Philly style.
Then there is the inevitable tacky T-shirt and souvenir shops that adorn the street like a bad tattoo. Next door are comedy clubs and haunted fun houses featuring live actors, special effects and theatrical scenes that create the ultimate experience in fear. We also were perversely attracted to those hotels whose swimming pools had large windows to the street so that we could watch swimmers frolicking in the pool much like we do the fish in an aquarium.
Adding to the festive atmosphere is a variety of live entertainment along the boardwalk and at four oceanfront stages at 7 th 17 th 24 th and 31 st streets. Virginia Beach's convention and visitors bureau does a great job of bringing in entertainment, such as plays, circus acts and concerts, for tourists to enjoy. Most don't even require a seat – just a pause in one's stride. Our preference was sitting down at an outdoor café, ordering a drink and taking in the scene. And, it's not unusual to just find people getting into the spirit of the music and cutting a rug (or sand) doing the shag to beach music that got its start on the stretch of beaches from here to South Carolina and made famous by groups like the Drifters and the Cavaliers (named for the Virginia Beach hotel) who played -- and still do – at the Peppermint Beach Club on Atlantic Avenue.
since Virginia Beach attracted its fair share of pirates (Blackbeard's treasure supposedly is hidden in a nearby cove, a fun family adventure is going on a pirate-themed cruise on the 34.4- foot Sea Gypsy 5 or the 64-foot Pieces of Eight Eight. The pirate vessels . provide an enjoyable voyage for brave travelers of all ages who will decide if they want to endure face painting, pirate costumes and looking for sunken treasure – or walk the plank.
Don't want to do the pirate thing but still want an adventure at sea? Go on a guided dolphin-watching kayaking trip where you can get up close with the dolphins as the ocean waves challenge your strength. For those less adventurous, there are several dolphin watching boat trips that also are available, several complete with meals and drinks. And, you will see the world's most beloved mammals. The waters by Virginia Beach are home to the largest gathering of bottlenose dolphins in the Mid Atlantic. More than 650 bottlenose wonders have been cataloged by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center through a variety of observation and photo ID programs. During the winter, fin whales and humpback whales pay a visit.
Virginia Beach has a lot going for it besides the beach, namely history and location. The area is ripe with colonial, revolutionary and civil war history and Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are a few hours away. Another fun tour is visiting the Cape Henry Lighthouses. The first was built in 1791 and is the oldest government built lighthouse in the country. Located on Fort Story military base, the lighthouse is open to the public. Across the dune is the “newer” Cape Henry Lighthouse, built in 1881, which is the tallest iron-encased lighthouse in the country.
The military plays a large role in Virginia Beach and the area's economy. Base tours at Naval Air Station Ocean, home to both the F-14 Tomcat squadrons and the F/A-18 Super Hornet Aircraft, are available during the summer. Even if you don't visit the base, you know the planes are in the area as they soar (and roar) overhead practicing their landings and take-from off aircraft carriers.
If you want even more of the military experience, you should cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (a 17.6 mile tunnel-bridge that is one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world). On the Norfolk side, the military is front and center with attractions such as the Battleship Wisconsin, the MacArthur Memorial, the Naval Station Norfolk and the Victory Rover Naval Base Cruise.
If you are organizing a reunion or business meeting, Virginia Beach enjoys a strategic location situated almost midway up and down the Atlantic Coast. Although more than 90 percent of its visitors arrive by car, there are several nearby airports in Norfolk and Williamsburg. Virginia Beach is a little more than 550 miles from Atlanta.
The city is upping its convention status with a new $202.5 million convention center. The first phase opened in 2005 and upon completion this year, the facility will boast more than 500,000 gross square feet of space and allow the city to compete for more national and regional meetings and conventions. The center will include a 150,012 square-foot exhibition hall, a 31,029 square-foot ballroom and 28,929 square feet of meeting space.
Whether it's for a quick getaway, a convention or family gathering, Virginia Beach has it all – and if you're looking for beach – more than most. This year is a great time to visit as the city will celebrate 400 years of history starting with a reenactment of the First Landing in April. There will be a number of major events recognized throughout the year that shouldn't be missed.
