Things to Do at Virginia Beach Boardwalk

Virginia Beach Boardwalk rolls three miles along the Atlantic on a 28-foot-wide concrete ribbon. A separate bike path runs parallel, so you can rollerblade past a grandmother pushing a stroller without anyone getting clipped. From 2nd to 40th Street, mid-rise hotels line one side while the open ocean fills the other. The air carries that particular mid-Atlantic mix of salt spray, Coppertone, and funnel-cake sugar. Waves crash against tinny cover bands at oceanfront stages. Gulls squabble over dropped fries. Mounted police clop by, a fixture for decades. Public art punctuates the walk every few blocks. The 24-foot King Neptune statue at 31st Street steals the show. Tributes to Norwegian shipwreck victims, Navy aviators, and a moving Vietnam memorial follow. The southern stretch near Rudee Inlet feels rowdy, packed with t-shirt shops and charcoal smoke from open-air grills. North past 25th Street quiets down. Locals walk dogs at dawn. It's touristy, obviously. Some hate that. I say it's touristy for good reason. The wooden fishing pier at 15th Street has been rebuilt after hurricanes more times than anyone can count. The boardwalk itself was originally laid in 1888. Working-class beach-town honesty rules here. This isn't the Hamptons, and it never pretends to be.

From Norfolk International Airport, expect 25 minutes by car or rideshare via I-264 East. Rideshare is usually cheaper than a taxi and more reliable than limited public transit. The HRT 960 Express bus runs from Norfolk in summer but service is seasonal and slow. Once at the oceanfront, ditch the car. The Atlantic Avenue Trolley loops the resort strip for a low per-ride fare. It runs roughly every 15 minutes during summer. Parking garages cluster at 9th, 19th, 25th, and 31st Streets. Metered street spots vanish by 9am on summer weekends.