VIRGINIA BEACH
Take that, San Francisco. Here’s a bean in your eye, Boston.

Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Virginia Beach No. 8 in its listing of America’s 50 Best Cities. The Beach beat out such metro areas as New York City (14th), Seattle (13th), San Francisco (9th) and Boston (16th).

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Hampton Roads Video Beach Guide Visitors Guide A photographic study: Where the sea meets the shore Tired of the beach? Splash around someplace else

VISITORS GUIDE
HAMPTON ROADS BEACHES
Our insiders’ guide tells you everything you need to know for enjoyable days of surf and sand in Virginia and on the Outer Banks. Click the map below for video from some of South Hampton Roads' most popular beaches, or scroll through our listings for more.

CAMDEN COUNTY, N.C. Larry Gillus of Elizabeth City walks five or six miles three times a week through the Dismal Swamp State Park, which now includes a boardwalk that winds nearly a half mile through the wetlands. "This is dessert," he said Wednesday about halfway around the new boardwalk. "This is like a treat."

If you’ve lived in Hampton Roads for a while, you’ve probably fallen victim to the “I’ll do it later” syndrome. Beauty, history and culture surround us, but we locals tend to overlook the attractions that make our area a tourism destination.

Well, enough of that.

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If you’ve lived in Hampton Roads for a while, you’ve probably fallen victim to the “I’ll do it later” syndrome. Beauty, history and culture surround us, but we locals tend to overlook the attractions that make our area a tourism destination.

Well, enough of that.

As you drive into the center of Lexington, you pass the austere buildings of Virginia Military Institute, which bills itself as a training ground for leaders. Wind around the streets, and suddenly you see a pilates studio, and you just know Stonewall Jackson never heard of such a thing.

It’s this mix of old and new that makes Lexington a fun weekend trip.

1. Get to the beach.

It's summertime, and so we have company. Lots of company. With the ocean and all, we're awash with tourists and kin alike. While you're here, we think you should put some South in your mouth and take a bite of these purely Southern suggestions:
fried okra

History can hide in plain view, recorded only on a roadside marker or captured in yellowed newspaper clippings. But ride along. We want to show off a few local places of interest.