Visiting Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads Area

For those who haven't been to Virginia Beach, the community of over 400,000 is at the base of what is known as the Hampton Roads area. Hampton Roads accurately describes the larger community of over 7 distinct cities of which a larger metropolitain area of 1.6 million individuals live, work and reside, making it the second largest metropolis in the area, next to the larger convergence of the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Practically, you can reach Virginia Beach from southwest Virginia or through West Virginia or Ohio by accessing Interstate-81 south north of Staunton, VA or I-81 north if you're closer to Roanoke, VA. Then you would follow it to I-64, which can only be followed east at this point. I-64 takes you all the way in to the area, and you can even take I-264 if you want to take the interstate directly into Virginia Beach (though once you cross over the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, a 3.5 mile road, you're pretty much already there).  For those on the East Coast I-95 will run you into I-64 in Richmond, Va, I-70 east to I-95 south for those in the Midwest.  I'll touch on Virginia Beach in this article but will also discuss in some detail what one may notice while traveling around Hampton Roads in general.

It is also possible to travel directly into the Strip, or that area of Virginia Beach bordering the Atlantic Ocean, via the interstate, to the Oceanfront. The Hampton Roads area consists of smaller cities, each around 200,000 or more in population that at first appear to be more suburban in it's look and feel than urban from the highway (unless you get off the highway and travel around into the different neighborhoods). Norfolk, a port city, offers an experience not unlike that of being in Baltimore, though all seven cities have plenty of clubs, bars, and shopping centers as well in which something for everyone can be found offering your traditional mix of department stores, specialty shops and diversions such as carousels to entertain children while parents shop.

A poor attmpt to catch King Neptune, in Neptune Park on the Virginia Beach strip, in all of his glory. I was too far at the time, and we were making a pitstop to get gas, though I might capture it again at another time.

Credit: Christopher Kendalls

Copyright: Christopher Kendalls