The Boardwalk was the best part of our 4 day trip to Virginia Beach. The 28 foot wide boardwalk stretches three miles and features a separate bike path for rollerblading, biking or surrey rentals. Rather than traditional wooden planks, Virginia Beach’s famous boardwalk is concrete. The 59 blocks are lined with quaint benches, Colonial-style street lamps, and nice walking paths.
The Boardwalk also hosts various events and festivals at different points throughout the year, though street performers can be found entertaining passersby most every day. And similar to other Eastern Shore beach destinations, there are many restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels along the Boardwalk. King Neptune stands tall at 31st Street and overlooks a range of events that occur in the small park surrounding him.
We arrived at the hotel around 5 at the evening, so the beach wasn’t crowded at this time. Here is the view of the beach from the hotel’s balcony.
We saw a wedding take place on the beach.
Girls played music on the Boardwalk.
Running next to the boardwalk and separated from it by flower beds is a two lane bike path. The boardwalk is very wide and could easily accommodate the volume of pedestrian and bike traffic we saw. But keeping them separate is the safest thing to do. The bike path is very popular. We saw bikes and surreys travel this path from daybreak until late at night. Parents and kids love the four-seat surrey bikes.
The boardwalk is cocrete, which makes it perfect for skating and rollerbladering. We enjoyed it very much.
During our walks along the Boardwalk, we viewed a variety of public art, including a Monument to Naval Aviation inside the Naval Aviation Monument Park. It is located right where 25th Street and Atlantic Avenue meet. This monument was officially dedicated in 2006, by the Hampton Roads Squadron of the Naval Aviation Foundation Association.
The park also features other hero statuary. There are actually three bronze statues to look at here and the total price of this astonishing monument is $1.5 million. The intent is to show three eras of naval aviation, starting in the early 20th century, and then progressing to World War II and then to modern times. Here is the Naval Aviation Monument Park Street view link.
Also along the boardwalk, next to a Monument to Naval Aviation is the Norwegian Lady Statue. What is the history behind the Norwegian Lady Statue? In 1891 a Norwegian ship, the Dictator, ran aground near Virginia Beach. Seven people including the captain’s wife and son were killed.
In 1962 two identical Norwegian Lady Statues were erected, one in Virginia Beach and the other in Moss, Norway. They face each other across the Atlantic Ocean. Queen Sonja of Norway came here in 1995 to lay flowers at the Lady’s feet. A Virginia Beach delegation has been sent to Norway to do the same.
The following words are inscribed on the pedestal of the statue: “I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home.”
Of course, we spent some time at the beach. It was always crowded during the day.
Atlantic Avenue with the numerous gift shops and restaurants runs parallel to the Boardwalk. It looks very similar to the Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, or other beach towns on the US East coast.
There is a strange Haunted House attraction on Atlantic Ave.
Badass Hawaiian coffee is our favorite coffee place in VA Beach. It is a hike from the beach, but it is well worth it.
The oceanfront comes alive with special themed entertainment along the sidewalks of Atlantic Avenue from 17th to 25th Streets nightly during the summer months. Free live concerts and theatrical productions take place seven nights a week along the oceanfront.
The boardwalk is most famous for its three open-air stages and the festivals it hosts there each year. We enjoyed The Sandstock music festival during our stay in Virginia Beach.
Sandstock – A Tribute to Rock & Roll, is a beach-inspired variation on “Woodstock.” National and regional tribute artists who cover performers from Pink Floyd to the Allman Brothers to Journey cranked out hit after hit on two beach stages at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The Pink Floyd performance was the best!
Little things like this huge inflated octopus and the big TV screen on the beach like in the following photo make the Boardwalk area so charming.
A sculpture of Neptune, a Roman mythological god of the sea, was rercted in 2005 along the boardwalk to commemorate the founding of the city of Virginia Beach. It is now one of the most populous cities of the Commonwealth of Virginia. King Neptune – a twenty-four foot, twelve-ton bronze statue that stands at the gateway to Neptune Festival Park on 31st Street. This is perhaps one of the most popular photo opportunities in the resort area.
There were other bands playing down the boardwalk. This one was close to King Neptune’s statue and specialized in 80s Rock.
Of course, we enjoyed watching a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. We will definitely visit Virginia Beach again!
