With so many celebrated sights to explore in our charming coastal city, it would be easy to stick to straightforward classics like strolling the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and taking a dolphin-watching cruise before digging into a dinner of fresh-caught seafood at Waterman’s Surfside Grille. They’re popular for good reason: each is a quintessential Virginia Beach experience, steeped in all the qualities that make us one of the most popular beach vacation destinations in the country.
But every local knows there’s so much more to love — cozy hidden restaurants, secret gardens, creative hangouts, and tons of other under-the-radar spots just waiting to be explored. Here are our favorite ways to go off the beaten path — and experience Virginia Beach like a local.
Foodie Fun
With a thriving culinary scene blessed with the wholesome agricultural riches of our Pungo farming community and surrounded by Neptune’s bounty — fresh seafood — Virginia Beach has always been a wonderful place to be a foodie. But if you’re looking for a meal you’ll be talking about for months, here are our insider picks.
With The Pink Dinghy in ViBe Creative District, Chef Stephanie Dietz wanted to create a cozy neighborhood gathering place grounded in thoughtful small plates and creative cocktails. Menus in this colorful, Insta-friendly space — which wears pink on Wednesdays and every day — are elevated and ever-changing, with options like Build-Your-Own Fish Tacos and tom yum mussels. Locals check daily so as not to miss specials like Blueberry Pancake Old-Fashioned Doughnuts.
Chef Mike Hill’s Oceanfront up-and-comer, Love Song, feels quite unassuming for a place that’s about to knock your socks off. Everything on the menu, from the heavenly Mushroom Tartine (with butternut squash, ginger and soy vinaigrette) to the Puppy Drum (with heirloom squash and iberico chorizo agrodolce) is perfectly presented and brimming with flavor. Ask your server for a biodynamic wine pairing — and save room for quietly incredible deserts like their Olive Oil Cake.
Quemar Wood-Fired Cocina, also in Oceanfront, is alight with Chef Jeff Ullom’s culinary curiosity. Here, traditional Argentine-style parilla (grill) dishes are the foundation for “sobremesa” meals — anchored in family-style service, lively conversation and lingering over delicious food. Start with a Tajin-rimmed Pecadora tequila cocktail, and be sure to chase the Loaded Yuca (with aji amarillo and chimichurri) with an Arrachera skirt steak (cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection).
Want a dining experience that delivers for years to come? Two companies, Untamed Chef and Matthew May, host hands-on cocktail and cooking classes in the Virginia Beach area — book a private session or join a group to learn as you go and enjoy the fruits of your labor, together.
Creatively Inclined
Beach towns are known the world over for attracting a certain kind of freewheeling spirit, but even taking this tendency into account, Virginia Beach is still a colorful standout. Our thriving art scene is known for fostering imagination and originality — and the ViBe Creative District, which is “a little off the main drag and a lot off kilter,” is where much of the magic happens.
For artsy-fartsy fun under the stars, we recommend the International Night Market: a lively cultural series dedicated to celebrating the global diversity of Virginia Beach. Family friendly and food-forward, this free monthly series runs May–November and features live music, energetic dance performances, artisan vendors and a selection of authentic Latin American food trucks.
At Thank You Gallery and Gift Shop, located inside the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) you’ll find a whimsical, welcoming space dedicated to showcasing both emerging and established artists of local, national and international acclaim. The art leans upbeat and urban, and includes a wide selection of wearables that make wonderful mementos of your trip. Check the gallery’s Instagram feed for special events like screen-printing workshops and more.
Want to cultivate your own creativity? PlantHouse, in nearby Oceanfront, is a haven for budding horticulturists. Take a class with your crew — offerings like “Boozy Bonsai” or “Succulents & Sangria” are especially popular — or use the DIY workshop for free-form activities like candle pouring and terrarium building. Whatever you choose, we can virtually guarantee you’ll dig it.
Offbeat Adventures
Virginia Beach is also a great place to venture beyond the ordinary, with quirky activities and attractions you simply won’t find anywhere else. Start by tapping into the area’s rich military history at Inland’s Ghosts of the Battlefield museum, a carefully curated collection of artifacts, memorabilia and personal effects tracing our long legacy of bravery and sacrifice.
Next, get super-duper social at Lost Planet selfie museum: an interactive Oceanfront adventure featuring Insta-worthy, TikTok-tested scenes you can jump, crawl and climb through to capture the perfect pics. Think: walk-in paintings, immersive worlds, adult-sized foam pits and more — all designed with selfies, slow-mo, boomerang and more in mind. Then swing by Late Night at Session, a Friday-and-Saturday night series dedicated to music, dancing and inclusivity just a stone’s throw from the Chesapeake Bay. Expect vintage hip-hop and a come-as-you-are culture.
Better Together
Traveling with a group? Virginia Beach offers a range of “funexpected” group activities to suit virtually any bunch. Tree huggers and other outdoorsy types will love a tour with The Nature Bus — guided experiences for all ages and interests. Hike with a respected naturalist, practice plein-air painting in our picturesque wilds or create a customized tour to suit your group’s unique desires. For a rousing collective romp on the water, try Chesapeake Bay Pedal Club, which offers both active (pedal-powered) or relaxing (cocktail-centric) cruises around the sparkling bay.
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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.
