18:59 here. My thing with Virginia Beach is I don't like highrises towering over me at the beach. And on my first visit we were bringing our boat up the ICW and stopped in Portsmouth. Portsmouth has some great restaurants and marinas but it's kind of the working class backside of Norfolk. Because there are so many sailors there are a lot of strip clubs in Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. So when we were driving over to check it out I got this seedy feeling from the surrounding neighborhoods. On the plus side the walkable waterfront and Nautica museum in nearby Norfolk is really great. And Sandbridge is very quiet and nice but 20 minutes from anything.
OC, Rehoboth, Bethany, they don't really have neighborhoods that feel sketchy the way VB has. Chincoteague isn't sketchy, it's more in an evolution from working fisherman poor to quaint NASA/beach town. I talked to some locals there and along with the pretty Victorians and the ponies, they have employment problems for the young people. It's actually a thing there to get pregnant right after high school and not marry the boyfriend so you can get welfare benefits because there are so few good jobs. There's also folks that live in the campgrounds because they can't afford anything else. But those folks' kids are surfing like champions and crabbing every day, so it's not exactly purgatory.

Anonymous wrote:What hotel did you find with availability?

Can't remember the name, but someplace on the edge of town. Near the beach, but not right on it (maybe a block off??). I'm sure it won't be the best, but it's a place to sleep for 2 nights. I can't imagine we'll spend much time there, and at least we'll get to check the place out and decide if we want to go back next year.

What hotel did you find with availability?

OP here - thanks for all of the awesome advice!

We decided to go with Rehoboth this time. Bethany Beach sounds great, but couldn't find any decent hotels at this point - clearly I need to plan further ahead next year. I've been to Chincoteague and really liked it, just wanted to try something new. Virginia Beach and Ocean City sounded a little busier than I'm looking for this time.

Ocean City, NJ. Takes us the same time to get there than Rehobeth and we like it much better. Dry town

Dry town...what kind of vacation is that

I really liked Chincoteague for a long weekend. We stayed at a hotel, ate out a lot, went to the beach, saw horses, did a pony ride and went to the Space center - Wallops.

Ocean City, NJ. Takes us the same time to get there than Rehobeth and we like it much better. Dry town, family friendly. Wonderful beaches, boardwalk is 100x better. Less congested.

When my kids were that young they inevitably prefered the swimming pool! Beach,sand and salt water became too much for them.

I'm in VA Beach now and don't have any complaints. Staying at the Ocean Beach Club.

Anonymous wrote:We prefer Rehoboth and Chincoteague. Less built up/concretey than Ocean City. The kids would enjoy Funland or seeing the wild ponies.
Lots of families around here like Bethany, the Sea Colony resort has a lot of pools and tennis courts but DH thinks it is kind of bland ("Bethesda on the beach.") Dewey is the party beach.
We just returned from a trip to Assateague and if that kind of nature stuff is your preference West Ocean City or Berlin could make a good base camp although they are not directly on the ocean. I noticed they are building several new hotels in that area. Then you can drive around, check out different places and return to a quiet setting at night. Chincoteague is more likely to have availability - you may have trouble finding a hotel on an August weekend this late in the game. Try also resort realty rental websites if you can do 3-4 nights.

+1 for Rehoboth. Cute little town on the beach. Get a hotel on the boardwalk or one facing Rehoboth Avenue. The beach, shops and restaurants just 3 hours drive from NoVa.

Anonymous wrote:We fell in love with Virginia Beach

VB is kind of trashy and very far from NoVa. You may as well go all the way to Outerbanks.

For a weekend trip, I would go to Bethany Beach. Sea Colony is a good rec, too, as it is a huge condo complex so hopefully would have availability- plus it has amentities like pools, playgrounds, etc.

We fell in love with Virginia Beach

We prefer Rehoboth and Chincoteague. Less built up/concretey than Ocean City. The kids would enjoy Funland or seeing the wild ponies.
Lots of families around here like Bethany, the Sea Colony resort has a lot of pools and tennis courts but DH thinks it is kind of bland ("Bethesda on the beach.") Dewey is the party beach.
We just returned from a trip to Assateague and if that kind of nature stuff is your preference West Ocean City or Berlin could make a good base camp although they are not directly on the ocean. I noticed they are building several new hotels in that area. Then you can drive around, check out different places and return to a quiet setting at night. Chincoteague is more likely to have availability - you may have trouble finding a hotel on an August weekend this late in the game. Try also resort realty rental websites if you can do 3-4 nights.

Hi all,
Looking to spend a weekend at a beach with the family this August (kids 3 and 6 years old). I can't take much time off work, if any, so I'd like to avoid really long drives like the Outer Banks. What are your best recommendations for relatively close, family-friendly beaches? I'm coming from NoVa. Thanks!