Virginia Beach Oceanfront Areas

 

The Virginia Beach oceanfront is really divided up into multiple sections.

 

The NORTH END of Virginia Beach is residential and typically for locals. It ranges from about 40th street and Atlantic up north to Fort Story Military Base. Parking up on the North end of the beach is free but very hard to come by as it is mostly residential homes and side streets.

 

The Virginia Beach STRIP is located from 39th Street south down to 1st Street. There is a 3 mile boardwalk that runs parallel to the beach and has specific lanes for bikes and pedestrians. Restaurants with nice outdoor seating options line up along the boardwalk. In certain months, fesitvals and events happen on the boardwalk and are a lot of fun. Parking during the peak season is metered or you can pay for daily in garages and parking lots. The strip is where most of the hotels are located and where most tourists go to get access to the beach.

 

South of the Strip past the Rudee Inlet is a beach called CROATAN. Croatan is another residential neighborhood. Parking last we checked was fairly hard to come by and geared more towards the local residents. During the off season, you'll see a lot of surfers surfing at Croatan.

 

At the far south end of Virgnia Beach, you'll get to a beach / neighborhood called Sandbridge. Sandbridge in the summer time is a mix of tourists renting weekly housing for the a nice summer time vacation and year round residents. There are only a couple places to eat in Sandbridge and a tiny market. It is geared primarily to enjoy the beach itself and has no sidewalks. There is a place to park at the very entrance of Sandbridge and along the beach access road (Sandfiddler Rd) as well as the Little Island city park at the south end of Sandbridge. In the summertime there is usually a fee to park.

 

South of Sandbridge is the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge, which also requires an entrance fee. It is very secluded and has nature trails as well as a nice development free beach to walk along. Just beware, in the summertime the bugs are intense!

 

And if you have the gusto, you can walk about 5 - 7 miles further south down the beach or the inner dike road and reach the State Park known as False Cape State Park. You can't drive to get there, you must either hike, take the shuttle at the Little Island city park OR bike. IF you make reservations in advance, you can also camp overnight in the sand dunes. Just be sure to take plenty of food and water and bug repellant in the summertime - seriously!