Hidden Gems in Virginia Beach: Places Locals Love

Virginia Beach is easy to recognize.

There’s the Oceanfront.

The boardwalk.

The beach.

The big attractions.

But if you really want to experience Virginia Beach, you have to go a little deeper.

Some of the best parts of VB aren’t the places you’ll see on every tourist list.

They’re the places locals keep going back to.

First Landing State Park

Yes, First Landing is well known—but it still deserves a spot on any local’s list.

Once you get away from the busy roads, the landscape changes completely.

Trails, trees, marshes and waterways make it easy to forget you’re still in a major coastal city.

It’s a great place to walk, hike, photograph or simply disappear for an afternoon.

The Shore Drive Area

Shore Drive has a personality all its own.

The area is packed with restaurants, bars, local businesses and access to some beautiful coastal scenery.

It’s a great place to explore when you want something different from the Oceanfront.

The ViBe Creative District

Art is everywhere in the ViBe.

Murals, galleries, creative businesses, restaurants and independent shops give this part of Virginia Beach a completely different feel.

It’s also one of the best areas to simply walk around and see what you discover.

Local Markets

Some of the best hidden gems aren’t locations.

They’re events.

A local market can introduce you to businesses, artists, vintage sellers, food vendors and makers you may never have encountered otherwise.

And because vendors change, you can visit the same type of event multiple times and still discover something new.

Neighborhood Restaurants

Don’t underestimate the restaurants outside the tourist areas.

Some of Virginia Beach’s best meals can be found in neighborhood shopping centers and small storefronts.

If a place has been serving locals for years, there’s probably a reason.

The Parks

Virginia Beach has much more green space than many people realize.

Parks provide places to walk, exercise, picnic, play, fish or simply get away from traffic.

Sometimes the best activity is doing absolutely nothing for an hour.

Go Exploring Without a Plan

Here’s one of our favorite ways to discover Virginia Beach:

Pick an area you’ve never really explored and go.

Find a coffee shop.

Walk around.

Check out a local store.

Grab lunch.

See what catches your attention.

You don’t need a five-page itinerary.

Sometimes the best discoveries happen because you weren’t looking for them.

Ask a Local

The ultimate hidden-gem strategy?

Ask somebody who lives here.

Locals know the little restaurants, quiet spots, favorite shops and weird places that don’t necessarily show up on the first page of Google.

That’s one of the reasons We Love VB exists.

Virginia Beach is more than a beach.

It’s a community made up of neighborhoods, small businesses, artists, restaurants, entrepreneurs, families and people who have chosen to call this place home.

Keep Exploring

You can live in Virginia Beach for years and still find somewhere you’ve never been.

That’s a good thing.

So take the long way home.

Try the restaurant you’ve driven past a hundred times.

Visit a market.

Walk a trail.

Check out a local business.

Talk to somebody new.

You never know what you’re going to find in VB.

And that’s exactly why we love it.