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Suggest a Feature →Virginia Beach & Hampton Roads
F/A-18s landing over the beach. The Navy's East Coast air city.
NAS Oceana sits in the middle of Virginia Beach — the largest city by land area in the US and a city where military culture and resort beach culture coexist awkwardly and sometimes magnificently. The oceanfront is 15 minutes from the base. The famous Virginia Beach resort strip is accessible but offers more hotels per square foot than restaurants worth eating at. The real Virginia Beach is elsewhere.
Hampton Roads is the largest naval installation complex in the world — Oceana, NS Norfolk, NS Little Creek, and Fort Story all cluster here with the Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The area has 1.7 million people, a growing food and arts scene in the ViBe Creative District, and easy access to the Outer Banks to the south and the DC metro to the north.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Eurasia (Virginia Beach)
"ViBe District's best restaurant. Pan-Asian with local seafood."
The ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach has become the arts and food hub, and Eurasia is its anchor restaurant — creative Asian-influenced cooking with Virginia seafood (oysters, crab, tuna) at the center. One of the most interesting restaurants in Hampton Roads.
Rappahannock Oyster Bar (Norfolk)
"Chesapeake oysters farmed to order. The best oyster experience in Hampton Roads."
Rappahannock River Oysters, farmed in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, are among the finest in the country. The oyster bar in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk serves them raw, grilled, and in preparations that showcase their distinctive brininess. A counter seat and a dozen raw oysters is the move.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
"Wild beach, migratory birds, and loggerhead sea turtles. 10 miles south."
South of the Virginia Beach resort strip, Back Bay NWR protects undeveloped barrier island beach, freshwater impoundments for migrating waterfowl, and sea turtle nesting habitat. Vehicle access is restricted — walk or bike from Little Island Park. The contrast with the resort strip 5 miles north is dramatic.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Nauticus & Battleship Wisconsin (Norfolk)
"The Iowa-class battleship Wisconsin. Walk the deck."
The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is moored at Nauticus in downtown Norfolk — one of the last surviving Iowa-class battleships. You can tour the teak deck, gun turrets, and combat information center. Nauticus inside covers maritime history and the Hampton Roads naval heritage.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
"The Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, explored."
A well-done aquarium focused on Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic marine life — loggerhead sea turtles, Atlantic stingrays, cownose rays in a touchable ray pool, and an IMAX theater. Good half-day family option.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"Wild barrier islands. Wright Brothers, lighthouses, and wild horses."
The Outer Banks of North Carolina start 85 miles south of Virginia Beach. Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills (where the Wright Brothers first flew) are the anchor points. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the US. Wild horses on the northern banks near Corolla.
The oceanfront resort strip is tourist territory. The ViBe Creative District (19th Street and Baltic Ave area) is where locals eat and shop.
Virginia oysters are exceptional. The Chesapeake Bay watershed produces some of the finest on the East Coast.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (17 miles long) is worth driving for the experience — you go underwater twice.
Norfolk has a better arts and restaurant scene than Virginia Beach. Don't ignore it.
F/A-18 carrier approaches over the beach at dusk are spectacular. Learn the base flight patterns and find the right beach.
The Virginia Beach resort strip is a managed tourist environment. The quality-of-life for military families who stay only in the resort area is poor. Explore Ghent, Granby Street, and the ViBe District for anything approaching actual city life.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.