What to do in Virginia

The Virginia Beach Boardwalk stretches for 3 miles (5 kilometers) along Virginia Beach. Lined with bars, restaurants and hotels, this concrete esplanade features an adjacent bike path for cyclists and skaters. Enjoy a meal at a charming restaurant overlooking the ocean, watch buskers perform and inspect the sculptures and monuments along the boardwalk.

Sandbridge Beach is a serene, golden-sand beach just south of busy Virginia Beach. A secluded alternative to its popular neighbor, Sandbridge Beach is an ideal place to get away from the crowds. Kayak or hike in nearby Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, dine on fresh seafood and spend an evening stargazing.

Get close to destroyers, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault vehicles, submarines and frigates by taking a bus tour of Naval Station Norfolk. Navy personnel narrate details of vessels, their histories and roles, as well as providing a few insights into life at this sprawling military base.

As you travel along Skyline Drive on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park, stop to enjoy views of forested ridges, one behind the other. Challenge the family with the question, “How many ridges can you see?” As you observe hills near and far, you’re likely to see nothing but forest stretching for miles and merging into a blue haze at the far horizon.

For many, the most sobering experience of their Washington is gazing across the seemingly endless rows of small, white headstones, all marked with U.S. flags. Here, in the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, the graves of veterans from America’s wars, past and present, are lined up in military precision.