Fact: we live in a #picsoritdidnthappen world. The bar for Insta-worthy vacay pics gets higher with each passing year — fortunately for our 14 million annual visitors, Virginia Beach is positively brimming with photogenic spots. From mandatory subjects like ocean sunsets and graphic murals to a host of wholly unexpected delights, here’s exactly where to find fab content for your feed.
Larger Than Life
Yes, Virginia Beach is known for its golden sands, sparkling waters and other natural wonders — and we promise, you’ll get your fill of those below. But we’re also home to more than our share of massive statues and structures that simply can’t be captured anywhere else. And while each is a worthy subject on its own, they all look better with you and a friend in the frame for scale.
Start with some snaps of King Neptune himself, who reigns over the Virginia Beach Boardwalk at 31st and Atlantic. Artist Paul DiPasquale’s soaring multimedia sculpture stands 34 feet tall and provides a wonderful focal point for pics of our celebrated sunrises. Cape Henry Lighthouse is a photo op two-fer: Frame the tower with a Chesapeake Bay sunset or climb to the top for a next-level selfie in the lantern room, which offers 360-degree views of the shoreline.
Less regal but equally amazing is Hugh Mongous, the 11,000-pound gorilla who presides over Ocean Breeze Waterpark just off the shore. His colorful Hawaiian shirt, mirrored shades and contagious smile make him the perfect addition to your out-of-office vibes. And it’s not every day that you can add a T. rex to your timeline; we strongly advise taking your picnic lunch to Jerrassic Park, near the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, for some prehistoric pics.
Artistically Inclined
The ViBe Creative District, which celebrates 10 years of unparalleled artistic awesomeness in 2025, is known for encouraging local creatives to support one another, evolve their craft and inspire their community. It’s also a hotbed of urban artwork installations, including community murals and other colorful commissions — more than 450 pieces, all available 24/7/365.
For impact on Instagram, take a self-guided mural tour to explore submissions from the annual ViBe Mural Festival; you’ll find a decade’s worth of local color splashed throughout the area, along with sculptures, sidewalk art and more here. Two enduring crowd pleasers include the Maser performing-arts stage in ViBe Park and the sunflower swing at Croc’s 19th Street Bistro. But there are hundreds of options, so we recommend traipsing around to find your favorites.
Didn’t quite get your fill of artsy content? The nearby Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art is full of fun photo ops — just keep your flash off and leave the selfie sticks in the car.
Good Enough to Eat
The culinary scene in Virginia Beach is already making waves, thanks to a tasty trifecta of fresh-caught seafood, farm-to-table ingredients and creative coastal preparations. But did you know many of our restaurants also provide a vibrant, only-in-Virginia-Beach backdrop for your vacation photos? At Orion’s Roof, you’ll get a memorable meal with a bird’s-eye view of the sparkling Atlantic. While panoramic sunset and nighttime images are predictably stunning, there’s really no bad time to go; even a winter brunch will likely offer up some gorgeous cloudscapes.
Hoping to flood your feed with colorful charm while chowing down? With its millennial-pink paint job, striped awnings and bistro lights, The Pink Dinghy is photogenic from every angle. It’s ideal for “rosé all day” outings with the girls, so be sure to pack a selection of bright sundresses. 2D Cafe & Eatery was literally made for Instagram. In addition to the playful black-and-white interior, its brilliant cocktail menu simply begs to be shared on every possible platform. When you’re craving something extra colorful, swing by Oh! Mochi for flower-shaped Fruity Pebbles mochi doughnuts, vivid green matcha milk tea and golden, potato-studded Korean corn dogs.
Naturally Photogenic
In Virginia Beach, Mother Nature is always ready for her close-up — and around here, there simply aren’t any unflattering angles. Consider, for example, Bald Cypress Trail in First Landing State Park; when the light hits just right in fall and winter, this wetland grove is transformed into a “rainbow swamp.” Stumpy Lake Natural Area is also popular with local photographers, serving up prismatic waters laced with wild cypress branches … if only during the sunset hour.
Hoping to catch some of our local wildlife striking a pose? Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is home to 300 species of birds — including year-round residents like osprey, gannet, gull and tern, as well as migratory ducks, geese and swans. Visit during low tide to increase your likelihood of seeing four-foot-tall great blue herons hunting in the reeds near the water’s edge. And for good old-fashioned sunset photos, make way to Sandbridge, where the spindly pylons of Little Island Fishing Pier can help take your pics from just pretty to pretty powerful.
Creatively Cultivated
While our beaches are a major tourism draw — they’re right there in our name, after all — Virginia Beach has a pastoral side, too. Pungo alone is home to over 8,000 acres of farmland, and the entire city boasts fertile soil ideal for cultivating gardens of every variety in any season.
At the annual Cherry Blossom Festival held in Red Wing Park each spring, you can celebrate Japanese culture under the pale-pink sakura petals. Visit the park’s Miyazaki Japanese Garden to capture floral reflections in the koi pond with its charming red footbridge. Swing by Lotus Garden Park anytime from June through October to capture its fragrant, floating ochre blooms.
Cullipher Farm Market plants two sunflower crops every year, which means you have from mid-July through October for Van Gogh-approved selfies. At Norfolk Botanical Garden, something’s blooming year-round: Don’t miss posing on the bridge at the Brock Entry Pavilion, and brace yourself for 175 acres of flora waiting for its closeup. Sculptures and glassworks add an extra layer of color and texture, and the annual Dominion Energy Garden of Lights event is always family holiday card material.
Total Immersion
There’s only one way to improve a selfie near one of our bountiful bodies of water: Get yourself out on it. And with 35 miles of sparkling shoreline plus more than 120 miles of navigable waterways, the world is truly your oyster in Virginia Beach. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard access is plentiful, and whether you want to join a tour or explore on your own, we make total immersion a breeze.
Try the Narrows for calm, uncrowded waters fringed by lush greenery plus access to Broad and Linkhorn bays. Pair an evening paddle with a fresh seafood dinner with the Blue Pete’s Dinner Tour, which meanders through the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the popular Pungo eatery. Or paddle out on the tranquil Chesapeake Bay at sunset, with the iconic Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the horizon — perhaps the quintessential Virginia Beach “on the water” image.
About Our Writer
As a Californian living in Colorado, Staci Amend takes a “why not both” approach to the whole mountains vs. oceans debate. She covers travel, nature, beauty and fashion for a variety of publications and brands — and is happiest when surrounded by hand-painted tile, struggling to pronounce her next meal. A Huntington Beach native and enthusiastic longboarder, she tries to time her Virginia Beach visits with the East Coast Surfing Championships.
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Written by Staci Amend
As a Californian living in Colorado, writer Staci Amend takes a “why not both” approach to the whole mountains vs. oceans debate. She covers travel, nature, beauty and fashion for a variety of publications and brands — and is happiest when surrounded by hand-painted tile, struggling to pronounce her next meal. A Huntington Beach native and longboarder, she tries to time her Virginia Beach visits with the East Coast Surfing Championships.
