Day Trips from Virginia Beach
The best excursions and trips you can do in a day
Full-Day Trips
Worth dedicating a whole day to explore.
Colonial Williamsburg
$50-75 (gas + single-day ticket)Step into America's largest living history museum where costumed interpreters fire muskets, shape red-hot iron, and debate taxation without representation. The restored colonial capital feels less like a theme park and more like stumbling through a time portal.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
$30-40 (gas + refuge entry fee)Cross the causeway to Virginia's wild pony island, where salt marsh air carries the sound of migrating snow geese and the famous Chincoteague ponies graze against backdrops of loblolly pine.
Norfolk Botanical Garden
$25-35 (gas + garden admission)170 themed gardens spread across 175 acres, where the rose garden releases waves of perfume and the Japanese garden's koi create ripples across mirror-still ponds.
Historic Yorktown
$35-50 (gas + battlefield admission)Walk the actual battlefield where British soldiers surrendered to Washington, then explore the riverside village where 18th-century homes still bear cannon scars.
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
$40-60 (gas + kayak rental if needed)Paddle through mysterious blackwater canals where cypress knees rise like petrified fingers and the only sounds are the splash of your paddle and the call of pileated woodpeckers.
Smithfield Historic District
$30-45 (gas + lunch + church tour)This ham town's colonial main street curves past 18th-century homes and the world's oldest ham, while the scent of curing pork drifts from the Smithfield Foods facility.
Half-Day Options
Shorter excursions when time is limited.
First Landing State Park
$10-15 (parking + trail map)Where English settlers first touched Virginia soil in 1607, now a quiet oasis of maritime forest trails ending at Chesapeake Bay beaches.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
$5-10 (bike rental + refuge entry)Bike the gravel road through coastal dunes where osprey nests crown telephone poles and the Atlantic crashes just beyond the dunes.
Military Aviation Museum
$15-20 (museum admission)Hangars full of flying World War II aircraft with propellers that still spin and engines that still roar during weekend flight demonstrations.
Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Visitor Center
$5-10 (suggested donation)Explore the archives of America's most famous psychic, including his medical readings and the meditation garden where his followers still practice.
Day Trip Tips
Make the most of your excursions.
- ✓ Traffic patterns favor early departures from Virginia Beach, leave by 8 AM to beat military base rush hours
- ✓ Many historic sites offer combination tickets if you're visiting multiple locations in Williamsburg/Yorktown/Jamestown triangle
- ✓ Bring cash for tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, it's $14 each way for cars but the views are worth every penny
- ✓ State parks fill up on summer weekends, arrive before 10 AM or you'll circle the parking lot for 30 minutes
- ✓ Download offline maps before heading to the Great Dismal Swamp, cell service disappears faster than you can say 'blackwater'
- ✓ Most museums close by 5 PM sharp, plan your route backwards from closing time rather than forward from your departure
- ✓ Pack layers even in summer, these excursions take you from humid coast to pine forest where evenings can drop 10-15 degrees
- ✓ Check ferry schedules for Chincoteague, the last boat back leaves at 6 PM sharp and they don't wait for stragglers
Book These Day Trips
Top-rated excursions you can book now.
Sunset Dolphin Kayak Tours
Take a small-group guided dolphin kayak tour along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay at sunset to combine gorgeous visuals with epic dolphin experiences. Little or no experience is necessary to use our
Wetland Zip Tour
At Adventureworks Virginia Beach, we offer a one-of-a-kind ziplining experience that combines coastal beauty with heart-pumping fun. Our course is located in a lush forest just minutes from the beach,
Buried Beneath the Boardwalk: Neptune Ghouls and Ghost Tours
Dive into the spine-chilling history of Virginia Beach with our ghostly walking tour, designed to thrill and educate! Guided by a local haunt expert, this mile-long journey takes you through haunted
Small Group Dolphin Kayak Eco-Tour
9:30am & 2pm Dolphin Kayak Tour: Enjoy the thrill of kayaking with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay with a company that's been specializing in dolphin Eco-tours for 25+ years. These
Ziplining and Climbing at The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium
Are you ready for the best climbing and zip line adventure Virginia Beach has to offer? Get outside and into The Adventure Park to experience our self-guided tree-to-tree climbing adventure. The Aeria
Private Vacation Photoshoot with Photographer in Virginia Beach
⭐ Top-Rated Vacation Photoshoots 2025 We're not just photographers, we're storytellers capturing your holiday exactly as it feels. With over six years of experience photographing travellers around t
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