virginia beach,, good family destination?

trying to come up with a summer trip with the family, been to myrtle beach kids loved it. wondering if virginia beach is similar,worse or better.


Thanks in advance Greg

I'd recommend The Outer Banks of NC over VA Beach. It's about an hour south, and is perfect for a family vacation. We go there annually.

If you settle on VA Beach,,,,,check into renting a place at Sandbridge, just south of but still considered part of,,,,Va Beach.

Lot's of great stuff to do along the Mid-Atlantic coasts,,,,,including doing absolutely nothing but relaxing.

I wouldn't recommend Va beach. Doesn't even compare to Myrtle Beach. Not the best place to take the family. Kinda gone down hill in the last 10 years. But the Outer Banks rock. Its all families down there. Beautiful houses and beaches. Seems alot safer there too. Better waves also.

I'm not a big fan of VA Beach and would prefer the Outer Banks, but you (and your family) may have different interests. It will probably depend more on the ages of your kids. Very young kids are very content with just playing in the water and on the beach. Older kids will rarely want to have anything to do with their parents and will much prefer to hang with their peers. No boardwalk, no peers; no/very little boardwalks in the Outer Banks. Since you are coming from Michigan, just about any place between North Carolina and New Jersey are the same trip. You might want to also look into Cape May, New Jersey. Great Victorian homes/stores/B&Bs/resturants for the adults, good beaches for young kids (the disadvantage is you need to purchase beach passes), good zoo close by for inclement days, Wildwood boardwalk area about 20 minutes North for teens. It just depends on what you are looking for.

Outer Banks much better.

VA beach isn't bad imo. Mostly families there too. Its much more built up and city like than the outerbanks. It all depends on what you want to do. VA beach is sorta like a minature ocean city I guess while obx is more rual. Both are totally overun with yuppy soccer mom types though.

Surfing pretty much sucks at VA beach and better (but still not great) at obx.

VA Beach has improved from what it was just a few years ago and there are tons of things for the kiddies to do. I personaly like OBX more, but it does not leave much for the little ones to do.

VB is a great family destination. 42 blocks of boardwalk and miles of public beach. There's a ton of touristy shops, hotels, restaurants along the Atlantic Ave and the conveniences of a city. Head down to Sandbridge in VB and it's like a mini OBX with nice beach houses for rent. Not a bad deal if you've got a big family and staying for a week. If you're the camping type family, there's two campgrounds really close to the beach.

There's also a amusement park (mini golf,go-cart tracks,waterpark) - look for the big gorilla and a marine science museum (kids can gawk at the seals and other critters up close). First Landing State Park and Ft Story with its two lighthouses are cool places to visit. Damn... I sound like I work for the VB tourism commitee. BTW - I grew up there, thats how I know so much

My family spent a week at VA Beach every summer when I was growing up. Some of my fondest memories of summer were staying at the Dolphin Run (at the end of the strip - rental condos) with my best friend in tow and hanging out on the beach.

Not to forget that Wiliamsburg is an easy day trip drive where you can check out the historic area or go to Busch Gardens for some roller coaster fun.

If you go, you'll find plenty of things to do with the family.

Riderchick

As others have said, you'd really need to say WHAT it is your family is looking for. What did they like about Myrtle Beach?

I love the Outer Banks, but then again that's because I absolutely HATE those commercial boardwalks lined with tee-shirt shop, pizza parlor, tee-shirt shop, dippin dots stand, tee-shirt shop, arcade, tee-shirt shop, etc. etc. And did I mention I hate crowds?

OTOH if you have kids of a certain age and taste that want "amusements" then your choice of destinations would be different. My family, including two high school aged teens, really enjoyed Hilton Head (Coligny Circle area). They could go off by themselves, there was a small commercial center in the neighborhood, but it was not so crowded or honky tonk to piss off me & the wife.