ohmommy2

Any suggestions for the best kid friendly beaches along the VA coastline? We are planning on visiting Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown and then spending a few days in the VA Beach / Norfolk area. I would like to take my infant and toddler to the beach on a couple of these days, but would like a quieter area where my son can explore and perhaps find some treasures (shells, etc.)

Thanks for any help you can provide in our planning!

Birdie

There isn't a lot of ocean beach in Virgina because a lot of it on the Eastern Shore is protected. In Virginia, there is only Virginia Beach and the Sandbridge portion of VA Beach. VA Beach is a nice beach. It is just commercial, lined with a boardwalk, hotels, and expensive homes. Sandbridge is a little quieter but also lined with homes.
You don't have to go far from Williamsburg for non-ocean beaches. Both the James and York Rivers have small beaches along them that are great for beach combing. Yorktown has a roped off area for swimming. You can also go to the Chesapeake Bay beaches at Grandview, Virginia Beach, or the Eastern Shore.

trippinkpj

The Chincoteague/ Assateague Island area is very nice. There are nices beaches, though is probably 1 1/2 to 2 hours from the VA Beach area. Slow roads as I recall. See link: http://www.chincoteague.com/

mindylt1

We my kids were preschool aged, we lived in the "Chick's Beach" part of Virginia Beach. The beaches there are on the Chesapeake Bay rather than on the ocean, and are great for the little ones. My girls could wade and dig without worrying about being knocked down by waves, and it wasn't nearly as crowded as the oceanfront. If I remember correctly, you can go quite a distance from the shore before the water starts to get deep. I have such great memories of spending the summer relaxing on the beach and watching my girls play.

It is more of a "local's" beach, so there's not really many "tourist" things to do....just nice people, a nice beach, and some pretty good restaurants.

Have fun in VA beach! We loved living there!

Jill2

The Chesapeake Bay side of Virginia Beach is a good suggestion. We've stayed at the Virginia Beach Resort & Conference Center there. My kids loved the indoor/outdoor pool and the beach is super there (no real waves).

But if you're going off-seaon (not mid June- August)the main section of Virginia Beach shouldn't be crowded and you could stay anywhere along "the strip." The strip is Atlantic Ave. and it runs from 1st Street to 70th Street and beyond. If you're going in-season and want to be on the strip, you may want to stay north of 23rd Street since that's generally a little more family-oriented.

Some of our favorite, mid-level hotels on the strip are Fairfield Inn & Suites (1901 Atlantic), Econolodge on the Ocean (2707 Atlantic) Residence Inn (3217 Atlantic) and Courtyard by Marriott (3737 Atlantic). For reference, 2707 is at Atlantic & 27th. 3737 would be at Atlantic & 37th. etc.
Be sure to check www.tripadvisor.com for recent hotel reviews. Have a great trip!! - Jill