Virginia Beach Vacation

This year we wanted a change of scenery from our normal beach getaway. Rather than head to Ocean City, we decided to go a bit south to Virginia Beach. After a thorough search of accommodations, we decided to stay at the Dolphin Inn. We had a wonderful oceanfront room which comfortably accommodated me, John, Emily and Joey.

We had heard so many wonderful things about Virginia Beach and we were excited to see for ourselves. Unlike Ocean City, the boardwalk does not have the stores, bars, and eateries. It is strictly the boardwalk. There are some oceanfront restaurants located within a hotel or resort. One of our favorite things was the fact there were actually two boardwalks - one for walking and a separate boardwalk for bikes. This meant you could ride the boardwalk at any time. In Ocean City, you can only ride bikes on the boardwalk in the early morning hours. Emily loves to ride her bike and took full advantage of this luxury.

The shops are located along Atlantic Avenue, which is the main drag of Virginia Beach. Atlantic Avenue runs parallel to the boardwalk and this is where you will find the shops, restaurants, and ice cream shops. We especially loved the ice cream shops, unfortunately for John, not many of them offered much of a variety of sugar free ice cream.

We tried to enjoy the beach early each day and then ventured out to check out the city. We enjoyed bowling, played pool, played arcade games, and our last day Emily and I went parasailing. Wow - what an adventure. We went 1200 feet up from the boat. I really think we shocked John, as I am sure he was thinking we would chicken out. It was very peaceful and relaxing, except for when we were dipped in the ocean. I would strongly recommend this adventure to everyone I know. Mom even mentioned she was envious and wants to go Parasailing. I will be happy to go with her whenever she wants!

Check out the link for the pictures! Double click on the slide show to view it in a larger format.