Virginia Beach is a beautiful vacation spot for visitors coming from all over the country. Some like to escape their job fixing industrial valves for a week and do nothing but soak up the sun and others fill their time with a plethora of water activities. One place that everyone needs to visit on their trip to Virginia Beach is the Boardwalk. This is a favorite spot for tourists and residents of the city and in recent years has been recognized as one of the premium boardwalks throughout the country.

The Boardwalk is a wooden-plank promenade that originally extended five blocks. It was first constructed in 1888 and even then attracted thousands of visitors annually. Now, it spans three miles and includes a separate bike path and four outdoor stages along the ocean that feature musical guests throughout the summer months. At one end of the Boardwalk there is Neptune Festival Park at 31st Street. Here you will find a twenty-four foot bronze statue of King Neptune. There are various other smaller statues along the side streets leading to Atlantic Avenue. If you're a London architect or an artist from New York you will appreciate the aesthetics of this location.

There are many things that you can do while at the Boardwalk. There are several specialty shops that might interest you if you're looking for a souvenir or gift and lots of delicious restaurants to choose from with outdoor patios and eclectic menus. You could find some hand painted gardening hand tools for your mother's birthday and then enjoy a glass of wine at sunset. For those looking to do something a little more active there are places where you can rent bicycles or surreys to explore the whole area.

This location has been recognized by Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of America's Best Beach Boardwalks and has been featured in National Geographic Traveler, Southern Living Magazine, and on the Discovery Channel. You will find locals enjoying their lunch hour away from working on a vacuum truck to tourists from the other side of the world finding all sorts of reasons to love this area.

If you're visiting in the summer months than you should definitely check out which music concerts and events are happening on the stages before arriving. You will find that one night they might be featuring classical selections and another will include a hip-hop artist. There are also places along the Boardwalk where you can set up your boat struts and launch your sailboat or motor boat to take it out for a ride.