Family Vacation in Virginia Beach

Nudging my way to the front, I saw a peculiar sight of two heads behind a cardboard screen painted with caricatured bodies. On the monitor it showed them dancing to the music and it looked so ridiculous the crowd applauded. We had to try it. This was our last night in Virginia Beach and it was a great evening to wrap up a great vacation.

Arriving in Virginia Beach

We arrived in early August after a four-hour drive. Virginia Beach was our first vacation as a new family: Michel, my partner, his thirteen-year old son Alex, and me. We had spent every other weekend together, but a four-day vacation was a first and none of us had ever been to Virginia Beach.

The Comfort Inn nearly spilled onto the beach and after checking in, the bellman delivered us to our very comfortable suite. Michel and I had the bedroom and Alex had the pullout sofa in a separate living room area with a balcony overlooking the beach and boardwalk.

I immediately jerked myself into my swimsuit, Alex slipped into his and Michel promptly fell asleep, as expected. So, Alex and I rented a few cruiser bikes to explore the boardwalk along the beach. Weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic, we got the backside view of Atlantic Avenue and nearly ran into a few surreys along the way.

We rode in the direction of blaring music and joined a crowd listening to a blues band in front of King Neptune’s Park. It seemed everyone there was licking ice cream, which triggered the notorious ice cream craving in us. Riding a little further we found 15 cold, creamy delicious flavors and ordered two chocolate waffle cones with two scoops of our respective favorites. Cruiser bikes are great fun and effortless riding on flat surfaces while holding ice cream cones with no need to shift into a multitude of gears.

It was a beautiful sunny day as we rode back to the hotel to shake Michel from his sleep and drag him down to the beach -- a warm 83 degrees, a soft breeze and best of all, great waves. Alex and I ran through the sand and deposited our chairs, claiming our patch of prime beachfront property, and raced to the water while Michel slowly dragged himself to our spot and set up our homestead.

We slammed to an abrupt stop at the water's edge and instinctively reversed plans to charge into the waves: The water was a bit chilly. Wading into the sea a few steps at a time seemed more prudent and as we did so, we sucked in our breath and lifted our shoulders and diaphragm while raising our arms in a pathetic gesture, as though this movement would warm us.

It didn't, but with perseverance our bodies adjusted (numbed) and we chased the waves and played like puppies. We spent all afternoon alternately riding waves and collapsing on the beach and when Michel decided that it looked like too much fun to miss, he joined us in the water and we playfully drowned him.

Back at the Comfort Inn, a short nap developed into a long sleep.

Next Day- Parasailing

The next day was beautiful again, so after a delicious full breakfast at our hotel, we were anxious to hit the beach again only this time we tried to preserve some energy for the evening's parasail.

We arrived at 6:15 for a sunset parasail and boarded the boat. Alex launched first and soared a thousand feet into the air; he was a tiny smiling speck hovering above us. Then it was my turn to step into the harness that I knew would carry me without breaking. I whooshed into the sky and climbed higher, paused, and then higher still.

Birds passed me and nodded hello and I could see everything: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Cape Henry Lighthouse, the Virginia Beach skyline, the beautiful sea, all from a bird’s eye view, literally. What an advantage they have to see the whole picture. I started my descent, ending my musings, and landed almost gracefully on the rear of the boat. It was a delightful sojourn far away from the ordinary.

Gone Dolphin Watching and Old Coast Guard Station

On our third day, we changed our routine and had breakfast at Big Sam's on Rudee Inlet next to the Virginia Beach Fishing Center. We joined a dolphin-watching trip aboard the 65’ Rudee Flipper sponsored by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Center. Assured that the dark clouds on the horizon didn't mean rain, we anticipated viewing bottlenose dolphins.

Soon after speeding out into the ocean, it poured. Soon after that, Michel leaned over the back of the boat to assist with something, and his car keys fell overboard. Unfortunately, we got soaked and never saw any dolphins. I guess they’re smart enough to go under during the rain, which is more than I could say for us.

The Old Coast Guard Station was a great place to go on a rainy afternoon. This oceanfront museum featured rescue equipment used by 19th century surfers to save shipwrecked crews. Many shipwrecks occurred off Virginia Beach and the lifesaving services from World War II to the present are displayed. The Towercam, a roof-mounted video camera allowed us a zoom view of the passing ships on the Virginia Beach horizon, just as the crewmen saw a century ago.

Dinner found us rocking blithely in our rocking chairs on Rockafeller’s covered deck sipping daiquiris, (and a root beer) while the falling rain mesmerized us into a semi-comatose state. This beach cottage style restaurant captured the best in local seafood and we each ordered our favorites: crab cakes, salmon and cod.

Last Day's Fun - Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Running out of time is always a danger on vacation, so on the last day we managed to allow a few hours for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Ranked among the Top 10 marine science and aquarium facilities in the country, it is a must see since it has installed it’s newest exhibit, Restless Planet, featuring four modern-day habitats from Virginia’s ecological history.

It was time to return home and in four short hours we would return to a totally different environment in the city. But, that four-hour difference gave us a beach vacation that felt far, far away.

Read more about Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau or call 1-800-VA-Beach

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