Virginia Beach Attractions

Have you ever wanted to know more about the natural heritage of Virginia? If you have The Virginia Living Museum is the place to go. You will learn about everything that surrounds you in Virginia. From sea creatures to animals of the sky, you will be able to enjoy watching many animals in their natural habitats, and learn all about the Virginia area.

The Virginia Living museum is great for the whole family. Watch your children stand in awe while watching the live animal habitats. The Appalachian Cove and Cypress Swamp is the closest I have ever come to a live alligator in a relatively open environment. As well as the Alligator in the swamp if you keep a look out you will see turtles, birds and fish in this big glass room.

If you take a walk outside you can walk along the elevated board walk that takes you over the Deer Park Lake and to the large Aviary and into the forestry area. The aviary is a 5,500 square foot netted enclosure that houses coastal birds that you would expect to see in the wilds of the Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach area. There are Egrets, Pelicans, Ducks and more.

The board walk takes you into the forestry area giving you a tour of some of the animals that are found locally, there are different breeds of foxes, wolves, deer and others. It is not just the animals that live at the museum that you will see while walking along the broad walk, but all the animals and birds that enjoy the natural habitat that surrounds the museum.

The Virginia Living Museum is located in Newport News near Virginia Beach. A few other places to visit in the nearby area are the Oyster Point City Center shops, Yorktown Battle Fields and The Casemate Museum.

If you like watching The Ultimate Fighting Championships on Television, then you are most likely going to enjoy the King Of the Ring tournaments held in Virginia.

King of the Ring is a mixed martial arts contest which was started in 2001 by William Varner. The first tournament was held In Virginia Beach at the Surfside Ocean Front Inn. The tournaments are now held at Hampton University’s Convention Center, which is a short drive from Virginia Beach.

King of the Ring is a fun way to spend the evening; all the usual snacks and drinks are available for you while you watch the fights. There are normally about 15 fights per night; each fight is professional with two fighters and the referee in the ring.

In the past the fights have been held in a standard boxing ring, but at the next fight on May 3, 2008 they are introducing a caged ring, just like they have on the television.

I had never heard of UFC or mixed martial arts fighting, before going to a tournament so I had no idea what to expect, but the first time I went I had a great evening. I went along with a group of friends and we paid a little bit extra to get ring side seats, we had a table for our drinks and food, the view of the ring was perfect and the atmosphere was great.

For information about upcoming fights visit click here

In Virginia we are lucky to have Historic St Luke’s Church. It is a beautiful red brick church that was originally built in 1632. St Luke’s is the oldest English built church in America; the church has a beautiful Gothic structure, and stained glass windows which are very similar to many of the old churches and cathedrals in England. The church is not only the oldest English built church in America, it also contains America’s oldest wooden organ, the organ is no longer played but you can hear a recording of its last performance.

During the civil war the insides of the church were ripped out so the soldiers could keep there horses locked up, this prevented the horses being stolen. If only the walls of this church could talk…I wonder what stories they would tell.

In the 50’s restoration started and the church was restored to its full former glory. The church now is full usable, although it’s only used for special services or events. It can be hired out for weddings.

When you visit Historic St Luke’s Church be sure to stop in at the gift shop first and speak to the attendants. They will offer you a tour and tell you about the church and the surrounding area.

When I first visited the church it was because I was looking for somewhere to get married, my husband and I took a tour around the church and grounds, we had found the perfect place to get married. Each time I have gone back to St Luke’s, the staff are amazingly friendly. They even gave our families a tour on the night of our wedding rehearsal. On my most recent visit to the church I took two friends who are very interested in history, we had a great guide to give us our tour, and he was so informative and had lots of little stories to tell.

Historic St Luke’s Church is in Smithfield, and is about a forty five minute drive from Virginia Beach, it’s defiantly worth the drive to see this beautiful place.

Visit St Luke’s Church

Harbor Park is the home of the Norfolk Tides, a minor league baseball team who are the AAA farm team for the Baltimore Orioles. Harbor Park was opened in 1993, the stadium is located on the edge of the Elizabeth River, near the busy downtown Norfolk city center, shipyards and near Virginia Beach

This was my first ever Baseball game that I attended, so as you can probably guess I know nothing about the sport. I am from England where we are much more focused on our football (soccer), rugby, cricket and tennis.

The whole evening at Harbor Park was relaxed and enjoyable, we had purchased seats a few rows from the front near third base along the foul line which meant we had to keep our eyes open for wayward baseballs!

Harbor Park has a wonderful food selection, expect to be tempted by the wonderful smells as you walk past the food stalls, if you’re not hungry, the tempting smells will soon have you filling up on delicious snacks. You will find Funnel Cake, Hot Dogs, Cotton Candy, Ice cream, Peanuts, Burgers, BBQ, Pretzels and more. If you’re looking for something more substantial then take a walk to the far side of the stadium there is a restaurant with huge glass windows and an all you can eat buffet so you can enjoy a full meal with the all the creature comforts while you watch the game in tiered seating.

In-between each inning the crowd is kept amused by Rip Tide the mascot, games and challenges that are taken up by the fans watching the game. They had a make a burger challenge, which involved two teams with four people dressed up as burger buns, there was dancing for children to take part in and lots more.

Parking at the stadium is $4.00 extra so remember to take some cash with you, there is plenty of parking and seemingly good security through out the parking lot and the stadium. Harbor Park is only 20 minutes away from Virginia Beach Ocean Front.

For more information on the Tides or Harbor park, click here

Newport News is a 40 minute drive from Virginia Beach. Minutes from I64.you will find Oyster Point City Center. Since its development began in 2004 the city center has become a platform for events, a meeting place and a shopping district for everyone to enjoy.

Oyster Point City Center would be the perfect place to visit after visiting one of the other Hampton or Newport News or Williamsburg attractions. There are plenty of stores to browse through, also an attractive pond with fountains to walk around and a few waterside eateries.

There is a lovely selection of stores, from traditional clothes stores such as Talbots to interesting furnishing stores like Sisters Unique that sells beautiful and somewhat eclectic home furnishings and accessories. As the center becomes fully developed more and more stores will be coming to this trendy city center, so expect to see a lot more happening here in the future.

If you’re feeling hungry for a meal, or fancy a small snack your taste buds should find something to satisfy them here. There are a number of quality places to choose from. When we visit we try to always stop by Colangelo’s Gelato, they sell scrumptious freshly made ice cream from natural ingredients, they often have new flavours to try too. The firkin Pub offers a delicious selection of food in a relaxed happy atmosphere with pool tables and TV’s offering a selection of sports. If you’re looking for something a bit different try the Hayashi Japanese Steak House and Sushi Restaurant, here you can choose to have your food cooked in front of you or have it served to you at a table in the dining room.

Through many of the Weekends during the Spring and Summer Oyster Point City Center holds special events; these can be anything from live music and dancing, food festivals, or open air films. You can expect a good time at any event at the City Center.

For more information visit City Center at Oyster Point

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is a short drive from the Virginia Beach ocean front, it’s a perfect place to visit when the sun gets too much for you, the air-conditioning provides a welcome break form the hot Virginia weather.

Your visit to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center starts before you walk through the doors, there is a large pool near the entrance which houses Harbour Seals. Every day at 10 am and 3 pm the Seals are fed and put through their paces with their training sessions.

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Center easily navigated around; there are different areas for different habitats. Making it easy for children to follow and understand. While we visited the children were quietly observing the aquariums and were enjoying many of the hands on experiences with the exhibits and fish.

With over 700,000 gallons of aquarium and animal habitats you can expect to be amazed by the different animals and fish they have swimming around. There are Loggerhead Turtles, Sand Tiger Sharks and even Otters. Over 50 different species of fish occupy the aquariums.

If you’re feeling brave then reach down into the Stingray tank and feel them brush against your hand, there are two touch tanks that allow you to feel exactly what some of the creatures feel like. Children squeal with excitement through these exhibits.

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is split up into two buildings the March Pavilion and the Bay and Ocean Pavilion, they are joined by a 1/3 mile nature trail. The trail takes you along the waters edge over marshland and through a forestry area. Along the trail is a 30ft observation tower, which gives you a great view of Owls Creek, you can spot different species of trees an plants as well as birds and other wildlife.

In the Marsh Pavilion you will find the River Otters, Seahorses, Snakes, the Marsh Theatre, and the Discovery Room. Just outside of the Marsh Pavilion is the half acre aviary, which has a selection of native birds.

The Bay and Ocean Pavilion explores the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, it is here you find the touch pools as well as the huge aquariums that house the sharks and turtles. Throughout the year you will also find ‘changing exhibits’ the current exhibit, Alligators: Dragons in Paradise will run until May 4^th 2008. This fascinating exhibit includes a rare albino alligator. The exhibition also shows about 10 young alligators from South America with displays of alligator skins and the products made by them.

There is plenty to see and do at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, we had a lovely morning looking around at all the displays and watching the fish and marine animals.

If you would like more information visit www.virginiaaquarium.com