Norfolk/Hampton/VA Beach-area Dopers - beaches?

In My Humble Opinion
1

The Zappa/Knig kids are at summer camp on the Eastern Shore, not too far away from Norfolk. We pick them up tomorrow morning.

Depending on how everyone is feeling, we might want to pop by a beach and paddle in the ocean for a few hours before heading home late afternoon.

Well, we know nothing of the area around Virginia Beach and have no idea where there is public beach access - parking, restaurants, whatever.

The kids have never actually swum in the ocean; despite living just 3ish hours away, we’ve never made that a vacation destination.

So anyway - suggestions?

2

The Virginia Beach oceanfront area (Atlantic Avenue) is pretty nice. A little urban compared to somewhere like Nags Head, but it has a long wide sandy beach, and clean water. Shouldn’t be too crowded on a weekday. Lots of different restaurants, including unique pizza places, a Greek restaurant, various seafood restaurants, etc.

I’m not sure there’s any free parking, but I stayed near the fishing pier and that lot didn’t seem to get too full.

3

Thanks! We’ll be there tomorrow (Saturday) so it may be a bit more crowded but we’re looking forward to it (if we get the chance).

4

If you drive up the main road (Ocean Blvd?), you’ll see signs for free parking. I think it’s around the 34th street block, but I could be completely off on that. I do know that there’s public parking.

5

If you’re looking for a more relaxed and calm atmoshpere (and keep in mind even the main beach at Va Beach is rather tame), Chicks Beach is natural, quiet and non-commercialized (I typically prefer commercial, but I know some don’t). And there’s plenty of free parking.

6

Is that on the Chesapeake rather than the ocean?

We wound up going to the main ocean beach area; found a public parking lot at 25th and Pacific and walking the block and a half to the beach. The boardwalk there didn’t look too commercialized; probably just as well as we didn’t feel like wrestling the kids out of crappy souvenir shops. The kids a blast swimming in the ocean (and Typo and I realized we hadn’t swum in the ocean since our honeymoon, 25 years ago!).

We’re definitely planning on heading down there next summer at some point so we can have a more relaxed visit.