Virginia Beach, VA

This year for our family vacation we adventured to Virginia Beach.  My eldest brother lives here and since he had never participated in a family vacation, we brought a family vacation to him.  I have never done a beach on the east coast. This beach town was not anything like the west coast ones I am used to. I probably wouldn’t go to this location again but below is the itinerary and then a more in depth look of each of the places we went. I hope you enjoy it!

Itineary 

Day 1

• Fly to Virginia Beach (Flew in Norfolk)
• Get Rental (used Hertz)
• Check into the Hotel (stayed at Hyatt House)
• Dinner:  Fish Tails

 Day 2

• Coffee: Three Ships Coffee Roasters
• Walk on Boardwalk
• Virginia’s Aquarium and Marine Center
• Dinner:  Marge and Ray’s Crab House

Day 3

• Coffee: Perked Up Coffee
• Norfolk Zoo
• Lunch: Doumars BBQ
• Swam in the Ocean
• Dinner: Fire Brew

Day 4

• Coffee: VLove
• Busch Garden

Day 5

• Coffee: VLove
• Fly Home

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Center

Cost: $5 parking and $29.95 + tax for Adults

Important:  You can buy your tickets at the aquarium but you must reserve a time so there might be a wait for you.  I suggest buying online beforehand for ease of admissions.

This is actually a really cool aquarium.  This aquarium houses over 12,000 animals.  They also offer dolphin tours, which we could not do because Vacation Squish was just a little too small. There is an inside and an outside portion.  When you first walk up you are greeted by the cutest seal. The outside portion goes over the creatures you would find in the Virginia Beach area.  They had really cool activities for kids and employees had some really great facts about the area.  We walked around outside and took some pictures then returned to the air conditionong. We continued on through the aquarium, there is much to do and see.  They have done a really good job with their touch pool and photo opportunities.

Virginia Zoo

Cost: $19+tax for adults

Important: They no longer require timed reservations

This zoo is over 100 years old. It is home to over 700 animals and 150 different species. They have a great enclosure and the animals were pretty active. We had really good luck but we went first thing in the morning. We went on a very hot day and I will say this zoo is not very shaded. Make sure you stay hydrated and bring a travel fan!

Virginia Beach

Cost: free

Important Information:  We had parking at our hotel but the lots that I did see were quite a walk from the beach.

When we went it was really hot.  Laying out on the beach was not an option for us.  It was too hot for my 6 month old to be down at the beach. It was cool enough in the early morning or late evening. I slipped away to dip in the ocean midday and as long as we were in the ocean we were comfortable!  The water temp was perfect though! I would not say that this is a must see beach.  There are a lot of food choices in the area which is nice for beach goers.  I loved the snow cones!!  I did like the variety of souvenir shops down on the boardwalk.

Busch Gardens

Cost: $119

Important Information:  On top of your ticket prices you will still have to pay to park!  The lowest is $30.  You can pay more to park closer with less hassle. You can also purchase a ticket to skip the line which is almost as much as a daily ticket..  We went during the summer and on the day we went I would say this is not needed.

This was a fun day with some fun coasters. They even have some smaller rides and water rides that are worth trying out to cool down. The wait time were all pretty low even as the day went on. They also have little carnival games which are so hard they are a waste of money. They had some good theming.  We didn’t get to explore to the fullest since we were in the time crunch and roller coasters were our focus. Food here is also really pricey and was okay at best.  This was no Disney dining. I think the coasters were worth it to spend the money to go.  If you don’t like coasters I would say skip this!

Hertz Car Rental- We used Hertz Car Rental.  It cost $598 for the car.  The customer experience that we had was terrible.  We waited almost 2 hours for our car. We got a tank gas for the wait.  The staff was really rude to another pair of travelers.  They were telling them that they didn’t have the suv they had rented. When asked what they could do they said don’t book through a 3rd party.  The issue was not with the 3rd party; they had the reservation; they just didn’t have the cars to fulfill. But wait there’s more.  The whole time we kept smelling weed in the car.  It wasn’t until the end of the trip did we know that there was weed in the glove box.  So our car was not cleaned. We did an incident report and I wrote a complaint.  Never heard from Hertz.  I will probably never rent from them again.

Hyatt House

This hotel was clean and had convenient parking.  Parking was $25 a day. I feel like this is a standard fee in large cities. All rooms here face the beach and have balconies. I loved staying on the beach. It was a little pricey but for us it is worth the cost to stay in the action. I felt safe and the rooms were clean. Our room had two queen beds with a walk in shower. 

Coffee and Food

Fish Tails

The food here was alright. It was next door to our hotel and we just wanted to eat.  I got the french onion soup (gotta love soup in the summer) and cheese sticks.  It was reasonably priced but I wouldn’t say this is a must go. 

Three Ships Coffee and Roaster

It was alright.  I wouldn’t go again.  The menu was limited and only had one small size for ice.  Pretty pricey and not very tasty for what you pay.  

Marge and Ray’s Crab House

THIS IS A MUST EAT PLACE!!!  I am not a seafood lover but they have such a great menu for all.  I got the best chicken tenders!  My family loves seafood and they all loved their food.  I tried swordfish for the first time and it was delicious. This place is reasonably priced and laid back.  It did have a little wait but it is definitely worth the wait. 

Perked Up Coffee

It was good. They have a wide variety of items on the menu.  My Caramel Latte was the right amount of sweet and the prices were good.

Doumar’s BBQ

This place has been serving ice cream since 1905!  It was a cute little place that gave off big diner vibes.  It was super cheap and really close to the zoo.  It was a great stop for a little pick me up.  The Milkshakes were delicious!!

Fire Brew

This is also a must eat place if you are visiting Virginia.  I had an amazing burger and Adam had the best ribs he has ever had.  It is reasonably priced and has a fun atmosphere.  You can call ahead for reservations which is always a plus. 

VLove

This was the best coffee shop we had in Virginia Beach and it happened to be right next door to the hotel.  This place even had great food.  I had a sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and it was so good!  This would be the coffee shop I would recommend.  Great variety in drinks! 

This was a fun trip and our first trip traveling with a baby. Our Itinerary was not as jammed packed and left time for the family to explore things on their own.  I enjoyed my time with my family but I wouldn’t say that this is a must do place and their are probably other cool places in Virginia that would be better to visit.