With the economy in shambles, many Americans are looking for a way to cut back. For a lot of people, that means cutting out expensive vacations to Mexico and the Caribbean in favor of local "staycations" or zipping over to a nearby state and enjoying a spa package Massachusetts style. If you find yourself in this category, don't despair of ever lounging on the beach during your vacation again. There are options for Eastern Seaboard residents that won't break the bank. One of them is Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Think about how much money you spend on a trip overseas when you live in the Washington, D.C. area. There's the flight, which is several hundred to a thousand dollars, the travel insurance, which is several hundred extra, and the condo rentals in Puerto Vallarta, which will run into the thousands of dollars even in the off season. Now compare this with a quick four hour drive down the interstate to Virginia Beach. Getting there and back costs about a tank of gas.
So your options are either to take a second job in the food publicity sector solely to fund your vacations in Mexico or Fiji, or aim closer to home. You may think that the quality of your vacations will suffer from staying local, but actually Virginia Beach is an immensely popular tourist destination among both other Americans and foreigners. Its golden, sandy beaches and balmy summer weather (it hardly even snows in winter) make it the ideal place to lounge and swim.
You won't have much trouble finding a place to stay. Hotels line the Oceanfront and the beachside neighborhoods like Croatan Beach and Oceana are littered with rental properties just a short walk to the ocean. More active vacationers can leave their personal trainer in Toronto and check out popular Virginia Beach activities like surfing, wind surfing, sand soccer, or golf. The city is also home to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which has great scenery and local animal life to see while on a hike or bike ride.
It's not just the beaches that draw tourists in, either. Virginia Beach is part of one of the earliest European settled areas of the United States, and there are plenty if historic museums, battlefields, monuments, and lighthouses to visit. If you're a retail junkie, take your Valentines gift certificate to the Lynnhaven Mall to update your wardrobe, or simply stroll the oceanfront for trinkets, treasures, and souvenirs from the specialty shops.
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