Best Local Beaches in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia is a resort town with a busy beach front hotel and tourist attractions. While it's fun to have a snow cone and see a bunch of stores selling crude t-shirts and souvenir shot glasses, there are nicer places in Virginia Beach to enjoy the beach.

Dam Neck Beach-If you have a military id card or know someone who does, Dam Neck Beach on the Naval Base Damn Neck is my favorite place to enjoy the beach in Virginia Beach. From the Bases' website offers this information on the base: "Dam Neck is part of Naval Air Station (NAS), Oceana and is home to the Fleet Combat Training Center, Atlantic along with 13 other tenant commands. Dam Neck is located on the Atlantic coast, five miles south of the downtown resort of the Virginia Beach. Founded in 1941 as an anti-aircraft range, the base still boasts the the Navy's only open-ocean, live firing training facility featuring major caliber weapons".

Best Features- You can rent a picnic shelter from the base for a reasonable rate. The Shelters have restrooms and a barbeque grill. The restrooms give you a nice place to change into your swim suit. Some of the shelters have a volley ball net.

There is drinking on this beach. You can bring your own alcohol on to the base or there is a mini mart that sells beer and wine. The store has sporadic hours so don't count on them being open all of the time. There are stores about a mile from the base gates that you can get drinks and food at.

There is also a dog beach. The dog beach is shared with the fishing part of the beach. You have to walk down the beach a little bit to get to the dog and fishing beach. It's worth it to go to this part of the beach even if you don't have a dog or want to go fishing because there is hardly anyone at this beach.

Best times to visit- The beach is best visited around May to August. The porta johns don't get put out until the warmer months. The beach is pretty anytime of year but it gets windy in the winter months.

Sand bridge Beach- Sand Bridge is an up scale beach front neighborhood in Virginia Beach. There is a public beach in this neighborhood.

Best Features- Unlike Dam Neck, anyone can go to this beach. It is more crowded than the Dam Neck beach but it is more family friendly than the beach directly off the strip. Because this beach is out of the way, there are less services such as stores and public bathrooms so plan ahead.

Best time to visit- During the winter months you can sneak dogs on the beach. I let my dogs run off the leash on this vast beach and I rarely see anyone one else out on the best. The regular summer months May to August are good times to hang out in the sun on this beach.
Websites for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbridge_Beach,_Virginia

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/dam-neck.htm