A Visit to Virginia Beach

*photos from http://www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com

I lay back. A breeze shuffles the pages of my book. Seagulls call out to one another while a wave crashes against the sandy shore. Salted air fills my lungs and I exhale with pure, unadulterated relaxation. This is vacation. This is Virginia Beach.

In my everyday life, I’m a stay at home mom. I spend more time shoveling loads of laundry than sand for sand castles, but I’ve learned how important it is to take time to relax, to make time for family memories. The beach can be a place to build family memories that will last a lifetime. 

My husband grew up on the east coast and has fond memories of spending childhood summers playing on the beach. Unfortunately, we now live near the desert, and although there is a lot of sand there is very little water to go along with it. My boys have never seen the ocean, but we hope to remedy this soon.

Virginia Beach offers more than just sandy shores and ocean front views. There are also many fantastic, family-friendly activities right at your fingertips! I know my oldest son would love to check out the VirginiaAquarium (I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we’ve watched Finding Nemo.) I know he would be thrilled to see all of these fascinating, underwater creatures up close. In the summer months, Virginia Beach also offers whale watching expeditions.  If fish aren’t your kid’s thing, perhaps they would enjoy picking (and eating) fresh strawberries or kayaking with dolphins. There are some seriously fun things to choose from.

For the adventurous members of your family, try para-sailing. You can soar 1,000 feet above water and never even get wet. If getting soaked is your idea of a fun time, you could check out the Ocean Breeze Water Park. It features towering and twisting water slides for the courageous and even a fun “Buccaneer Bay” and lazy river called “Little Amazon” for the younger members of your family.

After a busy day of adventure seeking and memory making, enjoy one of my favorite parts of vacation . . . someone else cooking dinner. Virginia Beach is a foodie’s paradise. There are even Coastal Food Tours. I didn’t know such a magical thing existed. During the tours, you can learn about the history and heritage of Virginia Beach and taste some of the finest, fresh foods they have to offer.

There’s a little bit of something for every member of the family. Spend a day on the beach. Go hiking through a local park. Tour a local farmer’s market and enjoy a picnic lunch and an afternoon of strawberry picking. Wave hello to a pod of dolphins or soar above the water like a sea gull. Give your family a gift that never gets broken and never needs batteries – a family vacation and a lifetime of memories.  Happy Travels!

"I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach blogging program to earn My SocialMoms Rewards points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on the topic, click here.”