Public beaches in Va Beach?

My husband found out a few days ago that he will be at Langley for approximately 4 weeks in July and has requested an extended stay-type accommodation so that my two children(ages 5 %26amp; 7) and I can accompany him.

My plan was to hang out with my kids on the beach every day. However, now that I look at the map, I see that

A. VA Beach is not really that close to Langley and

B. I don%26#39;t see any public access beaches :(

Any suggestions as to where I can take my kids during the day while hubs is working? Thanks!

Public beaches in Va Beach?

I will let others do the majority of the replying, but there is PLENTY of public beach access in VA Beach, so don%26#39;t worry.

The rest will tell you exactly where. I haven%26#39;t been there in 6+ years, and we were staying in a hotel, so it wasn%26#39;t a concern.

Public beaches in Va Beach?

At least along the 3 miles of boardwalk, all of VA beach is public access, to my knowledge. You may not want to go over there every day, but while you are in the area you should definitely check it out. You will probably have to pay to park, however.

http://www.vbfun.com/visitors/beaches.aspx

If you wait until after rush hour, you should be able to drive over to VA beach in about 45 minutes.

If you want to go somewhere that%26#39;s closer to Langley, you can go to Buckroe Beach, which is in Hampton, on the Chesapeake Bay, or Yorktown, on the York River. Not nearly as nice as the ocean beaches, and without the nice facilities and boardwalk, but handy.

As for other things to do, your children may be old enough to appreciate Jamestown Settlement, which is not far away.

http://www.historyisfun.org/

If the weather isn%26#39;t nice, maybe you can check for programs at the local public library:

hamptonpubliclibrary.org/allages/children_pr…

OK, so I just figured out that the whole Boardwalk area is public and the hotels are located on another part of the beach. Sorry. Duh. This is a long beach, apparently!

The North end of the beach is also public streets 45th-82nd or so.

Just adhere to the parking signs by people%26#39;s homes. It is a far less crowded beach, but there are no lifeguards.

Thanks for the replies. Buckroe Beach sounds great! My kids are too little to care if its a fancy beach or not! I%26#39;m thinking 45 min in the car with my 5-year-old might be OK once or twice :0 and after that, I%26#39;ll stick to the closer spots. Actually, my 5-year-old is fascinated with the idea of the tunnel and can%26#39;t wait to drive through it. He%26#39;s also very excited about driving the Chesapeake Bay bridge, so maybe we%26#39;ll spend some time in Cape Charles as well.

Thanks, Lynn. We don%26#39;t need lifeguards, really. My kids are deathly afraid of sharks and whales and won%26#39;t go in more than ankle deep. They just want to dig in the sand. Those less crowded beaches are probably perfect for us.

Another beach with public access is just across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in Norfolk at Ocean View. If you are interested, there is free parking and it%26#39;s 20 minutes from Langley (unless traffic problems which are frequent during the summer...also avoid rush hours and Fridays). From the HRBT take the 4th View exit, turn left off the exit, turn right onto Ocean View Ave (the Fishing Pier is in front of you, this might be a nice spot to visit one day also), bear right and proceed up and over the overpass, continue on Ocean View Ave about 1/2 mi and you%26#39;ll see parking lot on left for the beach and a strip shopping area on right. If this lot is full continue about 1-2 miles on OV Ave to next parking area (free also). The Ocean View beaches are on the Chesapeake Bay. At the spot of the first parking area is a grandstand where free concerts are performed on Fridays during the summer, see website for details, festeventsva.org/ocean-view/….

Also, there are several cool spots in Newport News that you and the kids may enjoy....Mariners Museum is great and there is a free 5 mile trail around Lake Maury (Noland Trail) on the property, wonderful adventure hike...can%26#39;t miss the signs, easy, free parking. There are also rowboat, paddleboat, etc rentals onsite. Va Living Museum quite interesting too especially for your kids ages. Hope this helps.

Happy trails

Hi, Karen...use your google satellite or birdseye and you%26#39;ll see the Virginia Beach boardwalk is sort of the backyard for the oceanfront hotels. The front of those hotels is the main drag, Atlantic Ave. and there are hotels across the street and several other streets.

Virginia Beach is a city with lots of economic undergirding including the beachside. Unlike many beach areas where the beach is the main thing.

It%26#39;s very child friendly since as you say your little ones are looking forward to the tunnel:)

I second Ocean View on the VB side (still peaceful bay water, not ocean waves) and Buckroe, probably the closest to where you%26#39;ll be staying.

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll quickly meet people more than happy to exchange further info and ideas on the area as soon as you get there.

I understand Buckroe can get crowded in the afternoon and the morning is the better time for some. There are paddle boats, pavillion, picnic area, etc. The water will be nice for little ones. Do remember that high spf. Our group, including little ones, always enjoy binoculars too to see what%26#39;s out on the water.

Here%26#39;s pix to get you and your family excited about it: visithampton.com/go/…revive-at-the-beach There%26#39;s also free family movies Tuesday nights there in the summer.

Here is a list of Hampton%26#39;s Parks and REcreation waterfront parks and what they call the feature parks:

hampton.gov/PARKS/waterfront_and_feature_par…

Airpower Park might be fun for your adventurous little boy too.

Carousel Park has a 1920 wooden carousel with 48 horses.

This place is really great for families...walking in nature, discovery, etc...it%26#39;s part of the parks system on that list:

http://www.hampton.gov/sandybottom/

Here%26#39;s another beach idea. [I like pictures. I even order off menus by the picture. I guess that tells the high end places we frequent:)] So here are pix to tell you about it. There%26#39;s a nature trail to a beach ... I think 2 1/2 miles long ... and it%26#39;s all a nature preserve. Again, it%26#39;s part of the parks system:

http://www.drgnrbrn.com/grandview.html

ps...in re-reading (when I already posted, of course) so as not to confuse, Ocean View is in Nofolk. I was thinking of one side of the bay vs the other when I described it.

ALL beaches in Virginia Beach are public with the exception of the ones on the military bases.

Don%26#39;t ever let anyone tell you that you can%26#39;t be on the beach, whether it is along the bay or the oceanfront. The city has spent millions in preserving the public%26#39;s right to the beach.

The only restriction is parking!