Vibe Creative District

Despite the area’s name, there are many things to do here that don’t involve the beach. One of those is to visit the Vibe creative district. This is a relatively new neighborhood that is championing artisans and independent businesses. We spent a few hours wandering around, checking it out, and visiting with some local artists. We walked past one shop, that bore a remarkable likeness to a one-car garage, and met Igor. He was in the process of painting a custom motorcycle gas tank when he looked up, offered us a smile, and asked, “How’s it going?” He calls himself a sign painter, but is clearly much more than that. We couldn’t have imagined meeting a more interesting dude. He was the kind of guy you could spend a few hours with, share a couple of beers, and find yourself totally mesmerized by his stories. Speaking of mesmerizing, that is exactly the word we would use to describe his shop. It’s a fascinating, or bizarre, collection of things including taxidermy animals, a bozo the clown light switch, Elvis figurines, a plethora of art supplies, and some great examples of Igor’s work. We didn’t know if we were in an eccentric’s antique mall or a time capsule of someone’s life. Either way his place was super cool, and we loved every minute of it! As we took in all the stuff in his place, he shared a little about his work. One name-drop project he was working on was a dresser for Kid Rock. As you can imagine this wasn’t just any dresser. He had commissioned him to make a dresser that looked like a pack of Marlboro’s. Of course, Igor put a little twist on it. Unfortunately, we can’t share anymore with you as it was going to be a surprise for Kid Rock. He also talked about doing custom guitars for Post Malone and Shaboozey. If you are in the area Igor’s shop/studio is something you are not going to want to miss! In the meantime, this is his Instagram account if you’re interested.

Here is an additional list of places and restaurants to check out while you are in the area. North End Bag Company, Jars of Dust, Three ships coffee, Commune, Lolly’s (Make sure to order the Lolly sauce; it is life changing!), and last but not least, Esoteric, a nice escape only minutes from the tourist traps along Virginia Beach. This is a locally-owned restaurant that focuses on fresh, curated food and craft beers. In addition to the amazing food, the interior is a simple, understated design that blends vintage and modern elements to create an inviting vibe.

Military Aviation Museum

Another amazing find was the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Va (which is our new favorite name for a town). Whether you are a plane buff or not, this place is incredibly cool (Is it still cool to say cool?? Probably not.) It is a private collection of military planes from the first 50 years of military aviation (roughly 1909 to the Korean war). It is an impressive collection, but the mind-blowing part is that almost every one of the 70+ planes they own still flies. They have two large hangars in the museum with one side featuring Navy planes while the other side focuses on Army aviation. This was all before the Air Force was broken out as a standalone service branch. You can get as close as you like to the planes as long as you don’t touch!! In addition to U.S. planes, they had German, British, and Soviet planes on display. Maybe the biggest surprise of the tour was on the back lot. There, they have a hangar full of WW1 planes including two completely original planes from 1918 (that, again, still fly!), the first plane to every take off from and land on an aircraft carrier, and an example of the plane flown by the infamous Red Baron (who, it turns out was NOT shot down by Snoopy!) Oh, but wait, it gets even better…if you’re willing to part with $350, and it’s a weekend, you can go for a flight in one of their WW2 planes! We were so bummed we were there on a Tuesday. ☹ The place is staffed by a team of passionate volunteers who are mostly retired military personnel and who are eager to share their knowledge.

On your way to the Museum, you NEED to add a breakfast stop. Just 3 miles up the road, there is a restaurant called The Bee and the Biscuit. How good is it? Well, in peak season the wait can be up to 4 hours!! For breakfast!! We arrived about 30 minutes after they opened on a Tuesday in early June, and got right in. Oh man, oh man, everything was great, but don’t skip the biscuits. They are the bomb!!

First Landing State Park

Remember those 3 ships in Jamestown we told you about? Well, they first landed at the northern end of what is today Virginia Beach before moving upstream to Jamestown. Today a nearly 3,000-acre state park marks the location. It offers 1.5 miles of shoreline, and over 20 miles of trails that lead you through cypress swamps and the nesting grounds for a variety of birds. If you are lucky, you might just catch a glimpse of a Great Crested Flycatcher. Feel free to google that one. All kidding aside, this is a beautiful, well-shaded, state park that is a great option if you are looking to escape the heat of the summer.

After a few hours of hiking, we worked up an appetite. We went to check out this gourmet sandwich shop called TASTE. It didn’t disappoint. We had the Granny Goat Wrap. It had roasted chicken breast, granny smith apples, whipped herb goat cheese, candied walnuts, romaine, and balsamic vinaigrette on a whole wheat wrap. Yummy!!

More than one local Virginian had raised an eyebrow when we told them we were going to Virginia Beach. Let’s just say they felt it had lost the luster from its heyday. So, maybe our expectations were low going in, but we really enjoyed our time in the area. Its true that if your opinion of Virginia Beach is based entirely on their famous boardwalk, you would definitely come away with a certain perspective (think piers, food stands, amusement park rides, tourist trap gift shops, and more). We spent absolutely no time on the boardwalk and found numerous fun, lovely, and interesting things to do. We left several things undone that will give us an opportunity to revisit next time we are in the area.

Virginia Beach

Vibe Creative District

Military Aviation Museum

First Landing State Park

America’s Historic Triangle