If you haven’t experienced spring in Virginia Beach, you need to add it to your bucket list.

Trees and flowers are abloom. The beaches are empty (the water’s a mite cold, but if you love the shore, walking along our beach in the spring is delightful!).  As for things to do, well, just bring a light sweater or jacket (and perhaps a rain slicker) and come on down and enjoy all that Virginia Beach offers during the “cool” season.

The annual Virginia Arts Festival runs from about mid-April through May. It takes place in concert halls, performing arts centers, theaters, museums, outdoor stages, opera houses and other arts venues in 10 cities, including Virginia Beach. Top artists from around the globe come to the festival. In addition, the Virginia International Tattoo brings in more than 850 performers such as pipe and drum corps, military bands, dancers, acrobats, and more at the same time as the festival. If you love cars, you must come see the Wild Wheels Cruisin’ Weekend. Held in late April, the weekend features classic cars, hot rods, all-decked-out trucks at the municipal parking lot 19th Street and Pacific Avenue. More than 300 vehicles are on display. Bring your motorhead friends and family members and enjoy!

Oh, go fly a kite! Really! The Atlantic Coast Kite Festival flies into town in late April on the beach itself between 16th and 18th streets and the 17th Street Park. Come enjoy sports kite flying, dual and quad line kites, kite building workshops, kite ballets, and more. Bring the kids and don’t forget to bring your kite! Get ready for summer by dancing at the Beach Music Weekend in May. What could be better? The beach and cutting a rug! You can boogie to the “oldies” under the stars. Some of the best “beach music” bands travel up and down the coast to play at the festival in May. You can also get some hot rod thrills by looking at the many tricked out cars hot rod enthusiasts bring to the event, too.

If you’ve visited the Virginia Beach Boardwalk in the summer, you undoubtedly saw the bicycle and surrey rentals. But the boardwalk and surrounding streets may have been overly crowded. You won’t have that problem in the spring. Renting a bicycle or surrey (with the fringe on top) can be a terrific way to see the boardwalk, get some exercise and laugh like crazy with your friends as you pedal. And you won’t be dodging as many people, either.

Speaking of uncrowded beaches, why not build that large sandcastle you’ve always wanted to construct? You’ll have plenty of room on the shore, cool-ish temperatures and fewer distracting crowds. Take a sweatshirt as well as sunblock and take in some ocean fishing! Charters galore are available for the experienced as well as novice angler. And don’t forget just casting a line from the shore itself. Shore fishing can be one of the most relaxing things a person can do. What’s more, no one can accuse you of “doing nothing:” You’re not doing nothing, you’re fishing!

Virginia Beach is popular with the college crowd during Spring Break season. Book your Virginia Beach spring vacation today!