At a glorious 213 days per year, Virginia Beach beats the national average for sunshine by nearly a week — making us one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean you’ll want to spend every moment of your time in our great outdoors. When you’ve had your fill of saltwater, sea breezes, shopping and the like, it may be time to stoke your imagination with a DIY workshop. Here are our nine favorite places for creative, crafty fun.
Fine Art Workshops
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
Virginia Wesleyan University
If you’re hankering for some hands-on creativity, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art — reopening at Virginia Wesleyan University in spring 2026 — is known for its high-quality exhibitions AND incredible studio art programs. With a robust schedule that varies throughout the year, Virginia MOCA typically offers engaging, single-session workshops for both kids and adults, with subject matter spanning a variety of media. Kids might make oyster-shell decoupage or industrial assemblage; grown-ups can dabble in stained glass, coastal ceramics, etching, fused glass, mosaics, metalwork and more. These popular classes do sell out, so check the schedule in advance to see what lines up with your visit!
Jars of Dust
ViBe Creative District
Want to make something as functional as it is beautiful? Jars of Dust — a working pottery studio and artisan retail shop under one roof — has a sleek, minimal-modern aesthetic that they’re more than happy to pass along. Their work (and yours, should you accept this mission) is “designed to be used on a daily basis; to be passed between hands and generations.”
Jars of Dust pottery classes are for ages 16+, and offer the chance to create a variety of gorgeous, microwave-safe vessels — including serving bowls, mugs, platters, berry bowls, planters and pet bowls. For the aesthete whose kitchen is already fully stocked, there’s even a wall tile class. Best of all, if your “pottering about” doesn’t quite measure up to professional levels, there’s a whole shop of handmade ceramics right there. Your secret is safe with us!
Virginia Beach Art Center
ViBe Creative District
One of our oldest and most respected community collectives, the Virginia Beach Art Center is at once an exhibiting gallery, artists’ cooperative and beloved hub for community creativity. The resident artists help run both the center and its educational offerings, which range from drawing and painting to fiber art, beading, pottery and mosaics. Classes do fill up and many are several weeks long, so make sure you select a one- or two-day session — or reach out to one of the artists who offer private one-off classes in watercolor painting, paper arts, drawing and more!
Crafting Classes
Hammer & Stain
Inland
Feeling more crafty than fine-arty? That’s the perfect mindset for a beach vacation, and Virginia Beach has plenty of ways to keep your hands and mind the right amount of busy. Inland’s Hammer & Stain makes woodworking delightfully accessible to those of us who might not have a full woodshop at home, with all-levels workshops that cover a surprising amount of ground.
If you traveled by air, there are a handful of crafts that will fit in your carry-on or personal item, like a sea glass tree, mini plant ladder or novelty wheelbarrow. But if you came by car and have a little more room to spare, you can tackle a bigger project like a painted message plank, oversized Scrabble rail or even a barn quilt — geometric “quilt blocks” with painted wood as the “pieces.”
Mermaid Factory
Oceanfront
Appropriately located in the heart of the Oceanfront, Mermaid Factory takes a decidedly local approach to DIY crafting. Here, you can paint, bead, bejewel and otherwise bedazzle a variety of charming plaster sea creatures — including a mermaid, dolphin, octopus, shark, starfish, sea turtle, seahorse, seashell or narwhal. Your handcrafted Virginia Beach souvenir will go home with you on a sturdy painted stand, ready for display in your home.
Muse Paintbar
Town Center District
Inland’s Town Center District is home to Muse Paintbar, where you’ll find a thoroughly enjoyable paint-and-sip experience elevated by a sizable food menu and a better-than-average selection of paintings. There are several options — Calm Marsh, Misty Morning and Sunrise on the Pier — that can easily serve as souvenirs of Virginia Beach with small customizations, and there’s even a special class that coaches you through a portrait of your pet, working from a photograph! There are different paintings on offer daily, so make sure you choose your session accordingly.
Potts n’ Paints
Inland
If your crew includes little ones in need of distraction, Inland’s Potts n’ Paints has SO many satisfying options. Of course, there are paint parties for both clay and canvas, as well as ceramic to-go kits; these are absolute lifesavers, should you encounter one of our rare rainy days with the kids cooped up inside. But every parent on staff agrees the real star is Potts n’ Paints’ celebrated Splatter Space — an imaginative free-for-all where budding artists can tap into their inner Jackson Pollack. There’s even a Spin Art Bike for 100% self-powered splatter! Plastic ponchos provided.
Living Creations (and Libations)
PlantHouse
Chesapeake Bay
Given our farm-to-table leanings and surplus of rural splendor (pretty Pungo, we’re looking at you), it’s wholly appropriate to want some kind of foliage as a memento of your Virginia Beach vacation. PlantHouse, in Chesapeake Bay, is here to help with a variety of all-levels workshops yielding wonderfully outside-the-box memory-making.
You can make your choice of three different living terrariums featuring succulents, air plants or “jellyfish” — air plants tucked adorably into sea urchin shells. You can learn the ancient Japanese art of Kokedama: plants cultivated in hanging, moss-covered balls. There’s even a “Boozy Bonsai” workshop, which is every bit as amazing as it sounds.
Fairfield Flowers
Inland
Visiting Virginia Beach for a special birthday or family get-together? Inland’s Fairfield Flowers offers a handful of in-store workshops that yield wonderful gifts — or even just a pretty bouquet to brighten up your lodgings while you’re here. Check their schedule prior to your visit for classes covering seasonal arrangements, tablescapes and wreaths to give…or take home with you!
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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.
