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25 must-try experiences in Virginia Beach for your summer bucket list
By Robyn Sidersky
The Virginian-Pilot |
Summer is one of the best times of the year to live in Virginia Beach. There are so many things going on that you won't have time to be bored. Here are 25 ideas to get you started. Next week, we'll have 25 more ideas. (But feel free to send us yours via the comment section below!)
1. Check out the circus at the Oceanfront. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday there are three free shows at 17th Street. The shows are at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Members of the Ocean Lakes High School cross country team head out for a trail run at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA, on Oct. 19. 2015. Vicki Cronis-Nohe | The Virginian-Pilot (Vicki Cronis-Nohe)
2. Walk the trails at First Landing State Park. There are nine of them, and they cover at least 19 miles, collectively.
3. Swing through the trees at The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium. Try out the park's newest Black Diamond course, Black Hawk.
4. Pick up locally-grown produce at the Shore Drive Farm Market. It's every Saturday from 9 a.m until noon at 2947 Shore Drive.
The Deloreans drew a bigger than usual crowd to the Town Center summer concert series on June 22, 2016, in Virginia Beach. (Jennifer Mason)
5. Ynot Wednesdays are back in Town Center every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bands play live all four hours, there's a little farmers market, plus food and drink vendors.
Wall to wall umbrellas: Virginia Beach at 33rd Street on Thursday, June 9, 2016. (Jane Cowan)
6. Watch a movie on the beach. The big screen will go up for a few Thursdays in August at 26th Street, and it's free.
7. Grab breakfast at the original Citrus on Shore Drive. The restaurant has an old-school beach vibe that can't be replicated.
8. Check out the growing craft beer scene. You have so many options now, just within the Beach: Young Veterans Brewing, Home Republic, Reaver Beach, Commonwealth, Back Bay, Pleasure House, Wasserhund and Gordon Biersch.
Creamwiched, at the Oceanfront, sells ice cream sandwiches made with non-traditional ingredients. (Robyn Sidersky)
9. Why just get ice cream when you can get a scoop between two cookies or Rice Krispy Treats? Creamwiched, on Atlantic Avenue, has sweet treats off the beaten path.
The Sandbridge Civic League adopted a resolution relating to the infringement of wind blown sand onto private property of certain ocean front homes in Sandbridge. The Civic League is asking City Council to issue an emergency declaration so that residents may remove this sand without the requisite permit from Wetlands Board. The sand is reducing the effective of fence height dangerous when pools are involved, exposing tops of fences and negating steps. Photo taken June 8, 2016, off Sandfiddler Road north of Sandbridge Road. (L. Todd Spencer)
10. Spend the day at Sandbridge's beaches. They're away from the tourist crowds and just as beautiful.
James Taylor was boating on the Chesapeake Bay when he photographed "Flipper and a friend" leaping out of the water with the old Cape Henry Lighthouse in the background. Warm water temperatures appear to be keeping lots of bait fish in the area, so the dolphins feel no need to migrate south either. All that food is keeping humpback whales traveling through the area happy, too. (James Taylor)
11. Take a boat trip from the aquarium. Dolphin sightseeing trips are offered multiple times per day in the summer. Keep an eye out for special trips.
Luke Hillier tests the strength of ropes installed for the Hillier Ignite Fitness Park on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia Beach on Thursday, June 9, 2016. (Kristen Zeis)
12. Check out the new fitness park at 36th Street. Swing across rows of rings or traverse the parallel bars.
A cottonmouth moccasin wandered out on a path at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. (Ronald Skasko)
13. Make the trip to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The more than 9,100 acres of land have more than 300 species of birds, plus reptiles, amphibians and other animals. Two boardwalk trails lead to the beach. You can also go fishing, cycling, hunting or even volunteer.
14. Sip on orange crushes at Waterman's. If orange isn't your jam, try some of the other flavors the popular restaurant offers, like grapefruit.
Once low tide comes to Virginia Beach, the head boats from Rudee Inlet need to have passed the shoals at its mouth to safely dock Friday, March 11, 2016. (Stephen Katz)
15. Want to get out on the water but don't have a boat? Not a problem. Take a half-day trip on Rudee Tours, leaving from Rudee's Inlet.
The November Project participants run a tic-tac-toe relay race as part of their work out early Wednesday, April 6, 2016, morning. The free fitness class is held weekly at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach. (Stephen Katz)
16. If you can climb out of bed early, take a free fitness class at Mount Trashmore. All you need is a good attitude.
Learn about the role of African Americans in the Coast Guard at The Old Coast Guard Station in Virginia Beach through March 2. (Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)
17. Take a "shipwrecks and ghost lore" tour at the Old Coast Guard Station. The tours are given at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday nights.
18. Open your mind at the Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.). The center offers free workshops, lectures, and gives guided tours daily.
19. Wander around the Old Beach Art Market at 620 19th Street. It's open from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday, June through September and from 9 a.m. to noon every third Saturday October through May.
Weekend Scoop Newsletter
Check out the latest entertainment and arts news, then plan your weekend with a look ahead at what's happening around Hampton Roads.
20. Landstown Commons Shopping Center will have a free children's festival on July 16. You'll find bounce houses, costumed characters, face painting, and other kids' activities. It's from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Taylor Wyant, left, is the lead singer in the band Straight from the Heart which performs classic country every Tuesday at the Indian River Road Hardee's. (Eric Hodies)
21. Check out free music at two Hardee's locations. Country bands perform at the restaurants at 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays at the one at 6075 Indian River Road and 7 pm. Thursdays 701 Independence Blvd. 6075 Indian River Road and 701 Independence Blvd.
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22. Artist talks at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art are held throughout the summer, usually in the evenings. Hear Q&As with visiting artists.
Here's the start/finish line at 31st Street and the Boardwalk for the summer running series in Virginia Beach. (Lee Belote)
23. Run in a 5k every week on the Boardwalk. The races start at 31st and are every Wednesday through August.
24. Step into your boots and head over to the Virginia Beach Farmers Market every Friday night for a hoedown. They last from 7 to 10 p.m. at 3640 Dam Neck Road.
25. Can you solve puzzles and piece together clues to solve a mystery? Try your hand at Escape Room Virginia Beach. It's at 408 Investors Place #107.
Robyn Sidersky, 757-222-5117, robyn.sidersky@pilotonline.com
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